secularisation

What is secularisation

A process that refers to the diminishing influence & importance of religion in various aspects of society

Wilson - “religious thinking, practices, & institutions lose social significance

E.g. a shift from religious to secular activities, transfer of religious powers to gov control

What ways is secularisation measured

1. Church attendance

2. Number of religious individuals by age

3. Civi v religious marriages

4. Religious affiliation

5. Religious institutions

stats on church attendance

From the English Church Census

• 2015 - 5% of the adult population attended church on Sundays

• Sunday church attendance fell from 1.6 million in 1980 → 0.8 million in 2013

stats on the number of religious people by age

• 1980 - more than 4 million under 20 identified as religious, halved by 2025

• 1980 - less than 1 million 65 & over identified as religious, 2025 - more than 1 million

Younger generation are becoming less religious, more are becoming religious as they age

stats on civil & religious marriages

• 1971 - 60% of weddings were in a church, by 2012 the proportion was only 30%

stats on religion affiliation

• between 1980 & 2010 the percentage of adults with no religion rose from around a third - around a half

• Those identifying as Christian fell by 1/3

Why have religious institutions lost influence

The state took over many of the functions the church use to perform, making religion confined to the private sphere

• divorce reform act 1969, contraceptive pill 1970’s, decriminalisation of same-sex marriage

What are the explications for secularisation occurring

1. Scientific

2. Religious diversity

3. Institutional changes

What are 2 scientific reasons for secularisation occurring

Science v Religion - Bruce

Disenchantment - Weber

What is meant by science v religion

The growth of scientific explanations for why things happen & the application of tech have undermined religious beliefs - as a result religious beliefs have been marginalised, only to be used as a last resort e.g. in times of illness

How has disenchantment led to secularisation

• pre-modern societies - enchantment was common, people gave meaning to various natural & social phenomena through religious beliefs (the work of supernatural beings)

• Modern societies - rise of science which led to a shift towards a more rational & predictable understanding of the world (forces of nature)

What is one reason religions diversity has led to secularisation

1. The sacred canopy - Berger

what is meant by the sacred canopy

The Catholic Church use to hold a monopoly of truth with no competition - as a result everyone had one set of beliefs (all lived under the same sacred canopy). This gave those beliefs greater plausibility structure because they went unquestioned

Why do we no longer have a sacred canopy

Globalisation → increase in religious diversity, with all different variations of the truth which challenges the Catholic Church (we no longer all live under the same sacred canopy) - creates a plurality of life worlds where peoples perception of the world vary & they begin to feel lost & confused in what they should believe

What are 3 reasons that institutional changed led to secularisation

1. Structural differentiation - Parsons

2. Secularisation from within - Herberg

3. Disneyfication of religion - Lyon

What is meant by structural differentiation

Religious institutions have disengaged & withdrawn from society becoming less significant

• The past - churches were the focal point for family life, education, healthcare, economic support - making them fundamental to most peoples lives

• Nowadays - we have introduced specialised institutions that have taken over those functions e.g. NHS, state schools, benefits, care homes

What is meant by secularisation from within

In order to survive in a secular society, religious institutions have ben forced to move away from traditional doctrines & have watered down their beliefs because they are now too weak to set trends & have to follow them → become less religion

E.g. same-sex marriage, acceptance of cohabitation, divorce, & contraception

What is the disneyfication of religion

The transformation of something into a diluted version of its original form to create an attractive product

Lyon’s example of disneyfication

Harvest day at Disneyland - enabled people to interact with the artificial fantasy world of Disneyland with Christian performers & figures replacing other attractions

This blend of religion with consumerism makes religion into a packaged commodity & creates shallow superficial spirituality, not actual religious beliefs

Other examples of disneyfication

• Christmas has an annual spending of $1 trillion

• Celebrities relieve payments to promote & endorse religious beliefs e.g. Tom Cruise & Scientology

• Sacred sights like Jerusalem have become tourist attractions/heavily commercialised

Evaluation

1. Berger’s self-criticism

2. Eurocentric

3. Believing without belonging - Davie 

4. Problems with measuring

What is Berger’s criticism

He now argues that diversity & choice can stimulate increased interest & participation in religion - the growth of new religious movements, cults, fundamentalism suggests a growing demand for religious & spiritual beliefs

How are beliefs around secularisation Eurocentric

Religion is high amongst ethnic minority groups as it acts as a:

1. Cultural defence - providing a means to defend ethnic & cultural identity in a new or unwelcoming way

2. Cultural tradition - provides support & a sense of community that aid the process of integration into society

What is meant by believing without belonging

Declining church attendance does not mean a decline in religious beliefs, but a search for more immediate & personal religious experiences

E.g. lack of access, feeling disconnected or discriminated against, health anxiety

What problems arise when measuring secularisation

1. There is no universally agreed-upon definition of secularisation - may be interpreted differently by different sociologists

2. Historical documents are sparse making it difficult to find trends e.g. Victorian society required church attendance for respectability, many may not have actually been religious