Topic 5 - Secularisation

Question 1

Problems in measuring Secularisation- Personal

Answer 1

Religion is a personal area and many may not wish to reveal or try to give the socially desirable option. Much is resting on the wording of the question:
2011 census - what is your religion 68% said had a religion.
2011 YouGov survey - Are you religious? 29% Yes.

Question 2

Problems in measuring Secularisation - ‘Golden Age of Faith’

Answer 2

The concept of secularisation is founded on the premise that people were more religious in the past but this is debatable.
1850 - 40% in census said they attended Church.
Poor records, only the affluent literate represented in many accounts, no stats on whether believed or just belonged.

Question 3

Problems in measuring Secularisation - Statistics

Answer 3

What counts as participation varies between religions- CofE- christened, Jehovah- mass commitment.
A lot of practise may be unrecorded - Christian House Church Movement.
Info about small groups minimal + Sects may over state to increase sense of influence.

Question 4

Problems in measuring Secularisation - Interpretation of evidence

Answer 4

High participation does not = High belief

MARTIN- High church attendance just reflected a desire to be socially acceptable, not a deeply held belief in religion.

ALDRIDGE- US- Church attendance is a secular social activity not due to high religious belief.

Low Attendance does not = low belief

DAVIE - Believe without belonging. just unchurched.

Question 5

Causes of Secularisation.

Answer 5

Religious Pluralism - Cannot have same impact and effect on the community. Make question monopoly on truth. Loss of functions.

Leaders have lost status and church seen as out of touch as homosexuality and abortion are increasingly acceptable despite the church’s wishes.

COMTE AND WEBER- Science has created a rationalisation and disenchantment with the world.

LYOTARD- Decline of metanarratives as pick n mix religion.

MARX- Consequence of socialism.

DURKHEIM- individualism.

PARSONS- structural differentiation as religions function been displaced to the NHS and education system.

Increased availability of leisure on Sundays

Question 6

Evidence for Secularisation - Secularisation from within

Answer 6

BRYANS- Disneyisation. LYONS- Religion has to associate itself with popular culture and emphasise the trivial, entertaining aspects of itself to gain an audience meaning it is less focused on religious belief.

HERBERG- Have to become Secular, downplay hell and accept female and gay bishops.

Question 7

Evidence for Secularisation- Metanarratives

Answer 7

LYOTARD -Metanarratives decline as now pick and mix religious beliefs, religion has less authority and influence over people’s lives. Want personal fulfillemnt. qualty of experience more important than doctrine

Question 8

Evidence for Secularisation - Loss of belief in supernatural

Answer 8

WEBER - Descarilisation of consciousness. No belief in the sacred. Eurobarameter- 37% believe in God, 80% 1980s.

BRUCE- Science and religion has undermined- religion is last resort. Even involvement in the new age is shallow, buy books. extension of doctors beauty parlour and gym’

Question 9

Evidence for Secularisation - Decline in religious practise.

Answer 9

1/3 Marriages in a church.
1/5 Baptised (2/3 1950s)

Davie- Just believe without belonging BUT Voas and crocket - in Europe belief and belonging fall.

Myth of resacrilisation-
NRMS tiny- BRUCE cannot replace as marginalised systems.
WILSON- Most NRMS not religious, driven by secular ideas. only tight knit small sects religious.

Question 10

Evidence for Secularisation - Decline of Religious institutions.

Answer 10

BRUCE- In Middle Ages affected all areas of society ie politics and economics. Now no influence so cannot effect the non religious. Marginalised in society.
MARTIN - Disengaged
PARSONS- Structual differentiation.

Church buildings crumble - no donations or monopoly on ceremonies.
Less influence in schools, religious festivals religious connections watered down.

clergy less status

Question 11

Evidence of Secularisation - Loss of monopoly of truth

Answer 11

ALDRIDGE- Religious pluralism questions monopoly of truth and causes a decline in influence.

Haulman and Draulans - Corrode belief as a whole, Ecumenicalism seen as weakness and dependency. The more IT services a country has, the less likely it is to be religious.

Question 12

What is Secularisation?

Answer 12

WILSON ‘The process whereby religious thinking, practises and institutions loose social significance.’

BUT- Key issue with defining secularisation is that it is based on the uncertain interpretation of religion.

Question 13

Evidence against Secularisation - Continued Spiritual Belief

Answer 13

90% Funerals in church
70% UK believe in the Soul
77% of EU members had spiritual beliefs.

BUT- BRUCE- This is just halfway house as cannot quite let go of spiritual beliefs even if they no longer believe in religion.

Question 14

Evidence against Secularisation- Traditional Beliefs

Answer 14

2010 Christian Research - Numbers have stabilised.
Evangelical Christianity fastest growing denomination.
CofE is still powerful - Official religion, Head of state, 27 Lord Spiritual in the House of Lords. Legal requirement for religious assemblies in schools.

Question 15

Evidence against Secularisation - RELIGIOUS REORIENTATION

Answer 15

HEELAS- Spiritual revolution in the form of NAMS and NRMS, increased involvement in holistic Milleau, secularisation of mainstream but resacrilisation to self orientated religion.

BELLAH- Decrease in church going in US represents a need for personal religiosity not group, reorientation of religion to private.

Davie- Believe without belonging.

VOAS- Fuzzy faithful- do not attend church but practise privately. BUT VOAS AND CROCKETT- Fall in belief and belonging.

Question 16

Evidence against Secularisation - Structual differentiation.

Answer 16

PARSONS- Structural differentiation means a loss of functions but an increased focus on the religious aspects and spiritual experience.

Question 17

Evidence against Secularisation - Commitment

Answer 17

High commitment needed in NAMS/NRMS
Ethnic minority religions need high commitment and their leaders are socially powerful. Important for cultural defence and transition.

Question 18

Globalisation - What is it?

Answer 18

The growing interconnectedness of societies across the world and the spread of culture and the economy.

Question 19

Globalisation - Religious market theory

Answer 19

STARK AND BAINBRIDGE- There will always be a demand for religion as a compensator and as an explainer of the unexplainable, cost vs benefit rationality. The level of participation is decided by how well religion meets the needs of the consumer and how well it continually adapts to meet the changing needs. Countries with high religious pluralism will have a greater religiousity as it is more likely one religion will meet their needs, whereas countries like the UK with one official religion alienate the public.

BUT
-UK high pluralism but secular.
- US south low pluralism but high religion (BRUCE)
- NORRIS AND INGLEHART - No link between the two, high religiosity in Ireland low choice.
SHAROT - only applies to West and christianity.

Question 20

Globalistion- Existential security theory

Answer 20

NORRIS AND INGLEHART -
The West is becoming secular but as a global community we are becoming more traditionally religious. This is largely due to the higher religiosity in third world countries that have large families.

The reason some nations are becoming more secular and others less so is due to security. In a developing country you are more at risk of disease, poverty and war and thus your future is more uncertain so you turn to religion. This is the opposite in developed countries. US is an anomaly but N+I argue this is due to the lack of healthcare.

Question 21

Impact of Globalisation

Answer 21

MEVER ET AL - Religion spread transnationally, not tied to location.
increases awareness of other religions and choices.

HUNTINGDON- Globalisation causes clash of civilisations different cultures and beliefs clash as brought into conflict ie 9/11

KURTZ- Revitalised traditional religion. Create culture wars between religions and internally as modernising and fundamental clash. Religion has displaced class and ethnicity as the main focal point for identity and disputes.

BRUCE- increase in fundamentalism as a form of cultural defence. NANDA- intensified symbol of national identity.

Question 22

Globalisation and the continuing role of religion.

Answer 22

China - Membership to Christianity triple since 1960 to 150m. Big role in Africa, Ireland, Saudi, Iran,Greece. 40% attend regularly in the US.
Important among UK ethnic minorities.
Fundamentalism.

MANDA- Recent industrialisation in India, but 2007 survey found 30% MORE religious than before. Seen as a justification for new found affluence and an increasingly important marker of identity.