Secularisation

Secularisation in Britain

The process of society moving away from religion. By 2015, about 5 perc of adult population attended church on sundays.

Explanations of secularisation - Weber:rationalisation

The process by which rational ways of thinking and acting have replaced religious ones. Saw religious worldview in past as ‘enchanted’, by a supernatural being. But disenchantment has happened, with reason and science humans could provide other explanations for events, over supernatural ones. Bruce - technological world view replaced supernatural ones.

Explanations of secularisation - Parsons:Structural differentiation

A process of specialisation that occurs with the development of industrial society. Separate, specialised institutions develop to carry out functions that were previously performed by a single institution. Disengagement - functions transferred to other institutions such as state, becomming disconnected from wider society.

Privatisation - Confined to private sphere of home + family, where its less public

Explanations of secularisation - Social + Cultural diversity

Decline of community - In pre industrial, shared values shared through same religion and performing rituals that integrated individuals. (wilson)

Industrialisation - Small close-knit communities become large losse-knit ones with diverse beliefs, and social and geographical mobility bring these diverse beliefs.

H:Aldrige - community doesnt have to be in a small area, can be on world wide communities, or imagined ones on social media.

Explanations of secularisation - Berger:Religious diversity

Instead of only one religious organisation, there are many. Sacred canopy - Midle ages, catholic church held monopoly, no competition. So everyone lived under sacred canopy of shared beliefs, giving greater plausability. But changed with protestant reformation, churches and sects grew away, and since 16th century new religious organisations have come out, so no organisation has monopoly of truth. So now in plurality of life worlds, where diff interpretations of truth.

Plausability structure - The reasons why people find religion believable, however, more religions mean more question as to what is true, becomes a more personal belief.

H:Not inevitable, could strengthen religious beliefs and strengthen communities, as they are threatened

Explanations of secularisation - Cultural defence and transition(against secularisation)

Cultural defence - where religion provides focal point for defence of national, local or group identity in a struggle against external force such as hostile foreign power e.g Palestine.

Cultural transition - Where religion provides support and sense of community for ethnic groups such as migrants to a diff country and culture. e.g Muslims over UK(Herberg).

H:These relate to the individual and their group identity, so the functions of religion rather than religion its self.

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