Secularisarion - Beliefs

Question 1

What percentage of the adult population in Britain attended church on Sundays in 1851?

Answer 1

40% or more

Question 2

What major changes in religion have occurred in the UK since 1851?

Answer 2

• Decline in church attendance
• Increase in average age of churchgoers
• Fewer baptisms and church weddings
• Decline in traditional Christian beliefs
• Greater diversity of religions

Question 3

Who argued that Western societies have been undergoing a long-term process of secularisation?

Answer 3

Bryan Wilson

Question 4

What is the definition of secularisation according to Bryan Wilson?

Answer 4

‘The process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose social significance’

Question 5

What was the church attendance in England and Wales by the 1960s?

Answer 5

10-15%

Question 6

What was the church attendance in Britain by 2020?

Answer 6

About 4%

Question 7

By how much did Sunday attendance in the Church of England decline from 1960 to 2020?

Answer 7

From 1.6 million to under 0.7 million

Question 8

What trend has been observed regarding church weddings and baptisms?

Answer 8

Both have declined

Question 9

What percentage of weddings were in church in 1971 and what was it by 2018?

Answer 9

59% in 1971; 20% in 2018

Question 10

What has happened to the number of Catholic baptisms since 1964?

Answer 10

Fell to under half

Question 11

What are ‘bogus baptisms’?

Answer 11

Baptisms of older children primarily for school admissions

Question 12

What does religious affiliation refer to?

Answer 12

Membership of or identification with a religion

Question 13

What was the proportion of adults with no religion in 2018 compared to 1983?

Answer 13

Rose from under a third to just over half

Question 14

By what percentage did those identifying as Christian fall between 1983 and 2018?

Answer 14

40%

Question 15

Which religious group saw a slight increase in numbers due to immigration?

Answer 15

Catholics

Question 16

What percentage of the population do ‘Other Christians’ represent since 1983?

Answer 16

17%

Question 17

What has been the trend in belief in a personal god according to survey research?

Answer 17

Significant decline

Question 18

What has happened to the influence of religion as a social institution?

Answer 18

It has declined significantly

Question 19

How many Church of England bishops sit in the House of Lords?

Answer 19

26

Question 20

What has happened to the number of clergy from the 20th century to now?

Answer 20

Fell from 45,000 to 34,000

Question 21

What is the average age of Anglican priests in 2020?

Answer 21

52

Question 22

What prediction did Steve Bruce make about the Methodist Church by 2030?

Answer 22

It will fold

Question 23

What is the common theme in explanations of secularisation?

Answer 23

Modernisation

Question 24

What does rationalisation refer to in the context of secularisation?

Answer 24

Rational ways of thinking replace religious ones

Question 25

Who argued that the Protestant Reformation started the rationalisation process?

Answer 25

Max Weber

Question 26

What is 'disenchantment' according to Weber?

Answer 26

The process that squeezes out magical and religious ways of thinking

Question 27

What has largely replaced religious explanations according to Bruce?

Answer 27

A technological worldview

Question 28

What is structural differentiation?

Answer 28

A process of specialisation in modern society

Question 29

What does privatisation of religion mean?

Answer 29

Religion is confined to the private sphere of home and family

Question 30

What is the impact of industrialisation on community and religion?

Answer 30

Decline of community contributes to decline of religion

Question 31

What does Berger argue is a cause of secularisation?

Answer 31

The trend towards religious diversity

Question 32

What is the 'sacred canopy' concept?

Answer 32

A shared set of beliefs under which people lived in the Middle Ages

Question 33

What does the term 'plausibility structure' refer to?

Answer 33

The reasons why people find religious beliefs believable

Question 34

What does Bruce argue is the most important cause of secularisation?

Answer 34

The trend towards religious diversity

Question 35

What is the 'plausibility structure'?

Answer 35

The reasons why people find beliefs believable.

Question 36

What effect does religious diversity have on traditional beliefs according to Bruce?

Answer 36

It erodes the absolute certainties of traditional religion.

Question 37

How does Bruce describe the trend towards religious diversity?

Answer 37

As the most important cause of secularisation.

Question 38

What is Berger's (1999) argument regarding religious diversity?

Answer 38

Diversity and choice stimulate interest and participation in religion.

Question 39

What does Beckford (2003) suggest about questioning religious beliefs?

Answer 39

It is not inevitable that opposing views will lead to abandonment of beliefs.

Question 40

Define 'cultural defence' in the context of religion.

Answer 40

Religion provides a focal point for the defence of identity against external forces.

Question 41

Give an example of cultural defence.

Answer 41

The popularity of Catholicism in Poland before the fall of communism.

Question 42

Define 'cultural transition'.

Answer 42

Religion supports and provides a sense of community for migrants.

Question 43

What did Herberg study in relation to religion and immigration?

Answer 43

The role of religion for migrants to the USA.

Question 44

According to Bruce, how does religion survive in cultural defence and transition?

Answer 44

As a focus for group identity, not as a connection to the supernatural.

Question 45

What trend did Wilson (1962) find regarding church attendance in America?

Answer 45

45% of Americans attended church on Sundays.

Question 46

What was Wilson's conclusion about American society?

Answer 46

America is a secular society where religion is superficial.

Question 47

What evidence did Bruce provide for increasing secularisation in America?

Answer 47

Declining church attendance, secularisation from within, and religious diversity.

Question 48

What discrepancy did Hadaway (1993) uncover regarding church attendance?

Answer 48

Self-reported attendance was 83% higher than actual head counts.

Question 49

What phenomenon has been observed regarding the exaggeration of church attendance?

Answer 49

The attendance gap between self-reports and actual attendance has widened since the 1970s.

Question 50

What does 'secularisation from within' mean?

Answer 50

Religion has adjusted to modernity, becoming less traditional and more therapeutic.

Question 51

What has changed about the purpose of religion in America?

Answer 51

From seeking salvation to seeking personal improvement.

Question 52

What trend did Bruce identify among American Christians?

Answer 52

A trend towards practical relativism.

Question 53

What was the change in agreement with the statement about Christianity being the one true religion from 1924 to 1977?

Answer 53

From 94% to 41%.

Question 54

List some criticisms of secularisation theory.

Answer 54

* Religion is changing form, not declining * It ignores religious revivals * It overlooks non-churchgoing believers * Secularisation is not universal * The past was not a 'golden age' of faith * Diversity increases participation

Question 55

True or False: Secularisation theory claims that religion is declining universally.

Answer 55

False.