secularisation Flashcards
(13 cards)
secularisation
where religious beliefs, practices, and institutions lose social significance
church attendance stats
mid-19th century = 40%
2020 = 4%
church wedding stats
1970s = 60%
2018 = 20%
bogus baptism
not all baptism is based on faith - it can be used to get children into faith schools
religious affiliation stats
people with no religious affiliation has risen to just over a half
how have religious institutions changed
the state took over the functions the church used to perform, the clergy has fallen by 10,000, religion is confined to the private sphere
weber
society has become rationalised - we have moved from an ‘enchanted garden’ (everything explained by the supernatural) to a scientific society
rise in protestantism - disbelief in the supernatural because god doesn’t intervene
structural differentiation
people disengage with religion as it performs less roles and becomes privatised as a personal choice
social and cultural diversity
industrialisation undermined the idea of religious consensus bringing together a community and now brings different people together from diverse backgrounds
plausibility structure
diversity makes people question their beliefs
cultural defence and transition
defence = religion acts as a focal point for the defence of identities against an external force
transition = supporting ethnic minorities as they enter a new host country/culture
bruce
- declining church attendance
- secularisation from within (seeking personal improvements, not salvation in heaven)
- religious diversity
AO3 of secularisation theory
- religion is changing, not declining
- ignores people who believe but don’t go to church
- eurocentric
- religious diversity offers choice enough to increase participation
