Beliefs - Secularisation

How far did church attendance drop from 1980 to 2015?

12% to 9%

What percentage of people are a member of a church?

8.4%

What did the You Gov survey find in 2024 about the percentage of young people who were Christian?

rose from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024

What is the problem with the you gov survey?

it was commissioned by the religious group ‘bible study’

What did the Pew research centre find about religion?

global religion will rise due to high fertility rates and young population in religious regions

What kinds of Christianity have risen in popularity?

Pentecostalism and smaller denominations from 5.5% to 6.2%

What religious beliefs have declined?

belief in God, Jesus as soon of God, christian beliefs in afterlife and bible

How have religious institutions declined?

religion only features in the private sphere, state has taken over functions of the church

How has clergy decreased from 1900 to 2000?

45,000 to 34,000

What does Bruce theorise about the CofE?

CofE will be a voluntary organisation with large amounts of heritage property

What is the rationalisation explanation of seclarisation?

religious ways of thinking were replaced by rational ways as the religious view were undermined by the protestant reformation

What is disenchantment?

protestant view that God did not intervene and that events were a result of natural forces which followed laws of nature replaced Catholic view that events were the results of supernatural intervention

How did the protestant explanation of events lead to the development of science?

laws of nature could then be discovered and understood through science

What does Bruce argue about what replaced the religious view?

technological view and the religious view only applies when the technological one cannot

What is Structural differentiation?

industrial revolution led to the development of specialised institutions, church became a specialised institution as the state took over its other roles

Who came up with the structural differentiation explanation?

Parsons

What does Bruce argue about religion after the industrial revolution?

it is a personal choice, church has lost power over state and is subject to secular controls

How has social and cultural diversity led to secularisation?

Industrialisation led to large loose knit urban centres with diverse beliefs, values and rituals which undermines the believability of religion

Who came up with social and cultural diversity?

Bruce

What is a criticism of Bruce’s explanation?

religion is not just a group activity it can be personal

What is the religious diversity explanation of secularisation?

the reformation got rid of the Catholic churches monopoly over belief which created diversity which allows for people to question religion as a whole

Who came up with the religious diversity explanation?

Berger

What percentage of people in America identify as having no religion?

30%

How have church services changed in America?

religion less important more about self improvement and personal fulfillment

How can secularisation in America be used to argue that religion has declined?

america is very religious