theo - secularisation

what is secularisation?

= the process by which society becomes less religious

examples of secularisation in society

current census data - less than 50%

less going to church

churches being repurposed as houses/ knocked down

shops open on sunday

weddings taking place elsewhere

generational

legal changes - abortion

religious festivals - commercialised

challenges to religion

FREUD

= religion and mere wish fulfillment, religious rituals are obsessive acts to control oedipus complex

• god is a fantasy, based of the infantile need for a dominant father figure - comparable to childhood neurosis

• expression of underlying psychological neurosis and distress, and an attempt to gain control over the external world

• psychoanalytical view - unconscious mind’s need for wish fulfillment, people choose to believe in god because they need to feel secure and absolve themselves from guilt

challenges to religion

MARX

= religion is the opium of the masses and the tool of the oppressor

• inherrently irrational and devalues human dignity

• protest against real suffering - religion taught individuals to focus on otherwordly concerns and not the immediate poverty they were suffering

• religion is like opium:

  • dulls pain of exploitation rather than dealing with the cause of exploitation

  • gives a distorted world view, can offer no solution to earthly misery but offers promises of afterlife

  • temporary high whilst taking part in religious rituals

challenges to religion

FEUERBACH

= detractor of religion, it is a dangerous illusion and cultivates the self

• human beings must have created religion in an attempt to assert themselves against their natural limitations - denial of dependence and projection of a wish

• the divine is an abstraction of human thought - religion is human made and redundant

• replaces concept of a personal god with a different powerful entity (nature)

  • attacks concept of personal immortality and proposed a type of immortality by which human qualities are reabsorbed into nature

• man is to himself his own object of thought and religion is nothing more than a consciousness of the infinite - god is the outward projection of a man’s inward nature

challenges to religion

HUMANISM

= belief that humankind improves through reason and evidence

• emphasis on shared human values ad responsibility of actions

• advocate for human rights, free speech, progressive policies and democracy

• religion is not a precondition of morality

• object to excessive religious entanglement with the state

• humankind can act to give own lives meaning by seeking happiness in life and helping others to do the same

religion as a PERSONAL MATTER

• freedom of choice - religion no longer enforced

  • e.g. primary schools

• reformation - ‘priesthood of all believers’, bible in english allows for all to have access to create a personal connection

• increase in quaker and pentacostal attendance - focus on personal connection with god

• liberalism - own interpretation

• reliance on science e.g. abortion rather than religion - freedom to choose

• forgiveness - personal connection

religion to the PUBLIC SPHERE

• RE required in all school until 18 - prevalent

• religious leaders comment on current issues e.g. archbishop on euthanasia

• civic occasions e.g. wedding, funeral follow christian tradition

• celebrating religious festivals

• churches moving with the times helps them stay relevant e.g. female ord. and acceptance of LGBTQ

why has religion been relegated to personal sphere?

• relationship between religion and the state - less control

• education

• reformation - priesthood of all believers

• scientific advancements - personal int.

  • G of the G

• multifaith/ethnic - choice and freedom

militant atheism - overview

• late c20: dawkins, hitchins, fry

• agree that religion is a dangerous phenomenon that should be annihilated - is irrational and shows lack of intelligence - all agree with this even though they all from different disciplines

• blame religion for wars, inhumane treatment, dumbing down thought

• involvement of religious groups in education and healthcare as forms of propaganda or brainwashing

christopher hitchins

‘the influence of churches and the effect of religious belief is positively harmful’

• is it more believable that mary was a virgin or a jewish minx

• war fro 98000 yrs and suddenly sent jesus

• sent jesus into desert where was lack of knowledge and not fully civilised societies - instead of sending to china where was more progressive

• god may convict us of thought crime - slave to god, always controlled

• extremity of religion emphasised with abraham’s sacrifice

• need religion to do wicked things

• must get used to fact there is no afterlife

what is SPIRITUAL ABUSE?

people feel as though their ties to a church means they must send money, take part etc.

the god delusion OVERVIEW

RICHARD DAWKINS

• religion causes much mental and physical harm

• a world without religion would be much better

• religion has a disproportionate place in society

• religious beliefs are intolerant and dangerous and immune to criticism

‘the god of the old testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all of fiction’

god delusion

THE GOD HYPOTHESIS

• key people in history were not religious

• disputes arg. that religion asks why and science asks how

  • no tangible evidence

god delusion

THEIST ARGUMENTS FOR EXISTENCE

AQUINAS

• flips cosmo and teleological and asks what caused god to exist - god must be just as complex as the world he created

ANSELM

• ontological argument based on ‘perfect being’ to exist

• no evidence to suggest that existence is more perfect than non

god delusion

BEAUTY AND PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

• arguments that achievements of artists are evidence for god are invalid as humans have capacity for artistic genius and do not need god to inspire it

• questions divinity and urges to instead accept power of brain

god delusion

SCRIPTURE

• not enough evidence that the bible is reliable and doesnt reflect real events

• FICTION

god delusion

RELIGIOUS SCIENTISTS

• dis-counts any theistic scientists before darwin, as was cultural norm then

• science will in time be able to explain consciousness, feelings and emotions, so religion is a cop-out

• evolution replaces the need for a god, no need for designer because is a mutation

god delusion

RELIGION AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT

• evolved and passed down over centuries

• religion is a memeplex

• meme = thought/ idea gone viral

god delusion

CRUEL RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOUR

• noah’s ark destroyed the world

• american fundamentalists campaigning against homosexuality/ abortion

• religion = divisive force, causes much conflict

• god of OT is example of how god used to justify immorality

god delusion

RELIGION AS CHILD ABUSE

• children cannot fully understand what it means to be religious

• beliefs of hell can cause psychological harm

dawkins vs mcgrath

DAWKINS

• religion is consoling but not necessarily truth

• blind faith = absence of evidence

• dot want children to be brought up sheltered from the truth

MCGRATH

• science and religion are compatible

• atheist turned religious - wrote dawkins delusion

• beauty of nature reflect beauty of god

• any world view can lead to violence

• does not take bible literally

• some qs science cant answer

dawkins delusion OVERVIEW

MCGRATH

• dawkins is embarrassingly ignorant

• dawkins suffers from cognitive bias - only favours evidence supporting his view

• science and religion are compatible and at time overlap

• science is concerned with the wordly and religion the spiritual

• science is limited to things that are discoverable by reason and experience

• dawkins ignore liberal interpretations of scripture

• new testament reflects true nature of christianity

• religion provides answers to ultimate qs

religion is RATIONAL

• hare - bliks - meaningful to each person depending on world view

• otto - religious experiences - rational and meaningful to individual

• polkinghorne - binocular view of science and religion

• paleys design arg - rational, logical

• liberal denominations allow religious to adapt to modern times - homosexuality, bib. crit.

• key individuals motivated by religion - mother theresa

• mcgrath

• pos. impact on believer

• celestial city - hick

religion is IRRATIONAL

• dawkins, fry, hitchins

• science

• god of gaps

• unanswered qs

• fem theologians

• war, violence, conflict, terrorism

• PoE and suffering

• freud, marx, feuerbach, humanism

• liberal - interpreatation can be dangerous and not take into account new knowledge

materialistic values

= idea that status in society is measured by wealth and status

rich are seen as successful

• can be seen as religious if wealth and possessions are thought to be given by god

christian attitudes to wealth and possessions

NEW TESTAMENT

= judged by character, not material goods

luke 16:19-31

• rich man and laz

• rich man does not help poor man, goes to hell and beggar to heaven

• prioritised money

acts 2:44-47

• people lived equally and shared their wealth, god helped them for their sacrifice

luke 16:13

• ‘cannot serve two masters’

• serving god and serving money is incompatible

matthew 6:19-21

• do not store material goods, but rather eternal qualities

christian attitudes to wealth and possessions

4TH CENTURY

st benedict 480-547

built monastries and established way of life

• remove all evil

• cannot give or receive

• cannot retain anything

• dont have disposal of own body

• not allowed anythiing the abbott has not permitted

• all things for everyone - common possession

• warned twice if indulging

• punishment if not amend

gave up wealth and lived in community/ solitary to emphasise lack of materialism and growth of self

christian attitudes to wealth and possessions

MIDDLE AGES

christian attitudes to wealth and possessions

BY THE REFORMATION

christian attitudes to wealth and possessions

BY THE 19TH CENTURY

how do christians engage in social action?

• soup kitchen

• mission to poor and disadvantaged, community, evangelism

• humanitarian charities e.g. trussell trust, christian aid

• fresh expressions

• prison reformation, restorative justice

• fundraisers

• inclusive services

why SHOULD christians engage in social action

• activists/ liberationists - if kingdom of god is regarded as something that christians should build in this world, may be concerned with social action to challenge and reform society

• isaiah 1:17 - ‘do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless’

• proverbs 31:8-9 - ‘open your mouth for the mute … defend the rights of the poor and needy’

• good samaritan

• ‘spirit of the lord … has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor’

• ‘ faith w/o works is dead’

• glorify good, prepare for judgement, gods kingdom on earth

• jesus was active, figures

• MLK - ‘the hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict’

why should christians NOT engage in social action

quietists/ traditionalists

• everything should be left in god’s hands, should not engage in social action

• monks - focus on own spiritual life

• theif on cross

• sola fide

• ‘turn the other cheek’

• pacifism

• oppression in society leads to fear of prosecution

• ‘the authority that exists has been established by god’ paul

liberation theology

= christians should work towards addressing poverty in a more systemic way

MARX influences on LT

his economic theory that poverty was caused by exploitation of working class

radical change to structure of economy needed

helping the poor requires not only easing the symptoms of poverty through charity, but addressing its actual causes through structural change to econ and society

orthodoxy vs orthopraxy

orthodoxy = traditional theology starts with theological beliefs

orthopraxis - prescribing action

LT begins with orthopraxis, then figures out orthodoxy

how does LT view the KINGDOM OF GOD

= about fixing the world, not just about the afterlife

• christians should work for justice by fighting exploitation and oppression

GUITIERREZ and LT

2 type of liberation

social and economic = fixing poverty and oppression

liberation from sin by reconciliation w/god

preferential option for the poor

the way the bible and jesus showed a preference for helping the poor

the poor according to jesus, were blessed

oscar romero

archbishop of san salvador 1977 until assassination in 1980

encouraged - rising against social system to get rid of inequality

british context of LT

FAITH IN THE CITY REPORT

commissioned by CofE - report in 1983

• discovered major levels of poverty throughout the city, both spiritually and economically

• prompted creation of church urban fund

• provide basic material needs (food, housing, health) and foster communities

new forms of christian expression

FRESH EXPRESSIONS

grew from ‘mission shaped church’ report

AIMS:

• work alongside people who wouldnt normally see themself belonging to a church

• share in lives and interests of others

• outreach

• nurture alternative kind of christian community

• seek to explore concerns and views of ordinary people/ make teachings relevant

work within secular rather than against it

house church movement

bible represents a church as a family structure

• new testament churches typically met in the homes of believers

• e.g. Lydia’s house acts 16:40

• have continued to exist, with a resurgence in the west amidst controversy within the catholic church and magisterium

ADVANTAGES of house church

• personal connection

• biblical model

• family orientated - parents and children participate together, is accomodating

• can get to know one another easily

• increased accountability to each other in small groups

• everyone participates and ministers to people can grow using their spiritual gifts

• highly trained pastors not required

• no need for expensive, time consuming programmes

• direct finances to towards evangelism, community service, caring for needs instead of purchasing big buildings

• low profile, better able to withstand persecution and oppression

DISADVANTAGES of house church

• no experienced leaders, lack of training

• smaller - less impact on wider community

• catholicism - no apostolic succession, cant carry out sacraments

• small group = potential safeguarding issues - spiritual abuse

• no authority to say right/ wrong

• some may question lack of consecrated symbols, items, buildings e.g. church, SG windows

what do people do in house churches

• apostles teaching

• fellowship

• breaking of bread

• prayer

• being together

• giving

• worship