Secularisation

Question 1

Bruce 2002

Answer 1

Predicts the decline of religion

Question 2

Linked to E______ theory

Answer 2

It is linked to the enlightenment theory which seeks to favour science over religion

Question 3

Wilson 2016

Answer 3

Decline in the social significance of religion

Question 4

Philpott 2009

Answer 4

Secularism is an active opposition to religion

Question 5

Weber states…

Answer 5

modern ideologies would replace religious ones

Question 6

Wallace 1996: 266

Answer 6

“belief in supernatural powers is doomed to die out, all over the world”

Question 7

Bruce 2002 statistic

Answer 7

in a period of 30 years the rate of mass attendance went down from 12% to 7.5% of the global population

Question 8

Processes associated with modernisation:

Answer 8

1) urbanisation
2) science and technology
3) enlightenment and rationalism
4) competing political ideologies
5) literacy and education

Question 9

Science and technology explained:

Answer 9

Spencer 2003 = mathematical achievements emphasised the idea that mankind is superior and able to manipulate nature

Question 10

Enlightenment and rationalism explained:

Answer 10

Spencer 2003 = states that rationalism was thought to have rendered the central claims of the Church implausible, blowing away supersticious dogma in western europe.
Man has the ability to develop empirical ideas.

Question 11

Competing political ideologies explained:

Answer 11

Keohane 2002 = secular thinking is also ensconsed in modern theories of international relations and comparative politics within political science

Question 12

How will religion decline? (4 ways):

Answer 12

1) religions role in government
2) religions role in the public sphere
3) the power and public influence of religious institutions
4) personal religiosity

Question 13

Questioning a secular age? Taylor quote (2007: 3) =

Answer 13

“a move from a society where belief in God is unchallenged…to one which it is understood to be one option among others”

Question 14

what does questioning a secualr age mean?

Answer 14

• recognises the importance of both religion and secularity

- no world view is universally satisfactory

Question 15

Science as reinforcing religion…

Answer 15

• Einstein said that science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind.
• Science and religion live side by side as modes of explaining the mysteries of life and the universe, and complete each other.

Question 16

Asad (2003) supports this pluralisatic understanding:

Answer 16

within contemprary society, religion should not be viewed as the past, but should be something that societies use to theorise the future

Question 17

Luchmann (2003) supports this pluralistic understanding:

Answer 17

states that religion is a constituent element of human life

Question 18

State secularism is where…

Answer 18

the state/politics are not seen to endorse religion

Question 19

Separationism =

Answer 19

• state neutrality on religion
• gives no preference to a particular religion and does not restrict the presence of religion in the public sphere
• e.g. USA

Question 20

USA example…

Answer 20

Kuru 2009 = while there is a struggle between conservatives and liberals over the role religion should play, both sides support the expression of religion in public life

Question 21

Absolute separatism =

Answer 21

Madeley 2009 = governemtn action should not help or hinder any religion more than another. Government action should always be neutral.

Question 22

Absolute separatism x2 =

Answer 22

Esbeck 1998 = this allows governments to support or restrict religion as long as the outcome is equal for all religions

Question 23

Laicism =

Answer 23

• declares that not only does the state not support any religion, but it also restricts the presence of religion in the public sphere
• these can include restrictions on public religion activity (clothing) and religious institutions (places of worship)
• seeks to restrict religious liberty
• seen in mostly modern democratic states

Question 24

Laicism example =

Answer 24

Kuru 2009 = in Turkey, traditional muslim head-coverings for women have been banned in many public spaces including schools

Question 25

How many critiques are there to secularism?

Answer 25

around 6

Question 26

1) it is a new system for worldwide domination:

Answer 26

Nandy 1988 = to accept the secularist ideology is to accept western ideologies of modernity as the new justifications of domination

Question 27

2) attempts to fix the ideal of a religious past and secular present

Answer 27

Thomas 2005 = secularisation is a myth created by western intellectuals based on their desires rather than empirical reality

Question 28

3) we can see inconsistencies within countries governmental policies (against state secularism)

Answer 28

Fox 2008 France = france who’s government is based on laicism still has religious legislation that involves the continuation of historical practicies that predate the current regime of laicism.
Fox 2008 Nigeria = their 1999 constitution bans both national and local governments from adopting a religion as the state religion. However many of the countries muslim-majority states have begun to adopt sharia law as the state law.

Question 29

4) does not allow the understanding of religion in contemprary society

Answer 29

Ebaugh 2002

Question 30

5) it undermines equality

Answer 30

Taylor 2007 = states that when governments demand that citizens should be free from religion, it adopts an agnostic conception of the good
- this undermines equality for those citizens whose belief expresses in some ways religious commitment

Question 31

6) there is actually little evidence for a decline - Berger 1999

Answer 31

found little evidence of religious decline around the world - only evident in western europe

Question 32

6) there is actually little evidence for a decline - Casanova 1994

Answer 32

there is a higher number of bishops within secular communist poland than there was pre-communism

Question 33

6) there is actually little evidence for a decline - Phillips 2004

Answer 33

within America there has been a rise in Mormons attending church as a way to preserve identity and solidarity against a secular state