Religion, Renewal and Choice - 2. Religious Market Theory

Who advocated for the Religious Market Theory (rational choice theory)?

- It is advocated by Stark & Bainbridge.

1. They are critical of secularisation theory due to it's Eurocentricity. They argue that the debate only focuses on Europe and neglects the popularity of religion in America and elsewhere.

2. They also criticise the view that in the past there was a 'golden age' of religion where everyone believed and practised.

What do Starck & Bainbridge believe?

- People are naturally religious and religion meets human needs. The demand for religion is still present.

- People make rational choice based on costs and benefits of the available religious options.

- Religion is attractive because it provides us with supernatural compensators when real rewards can't be obtained; e.g. Can't get immortality so religion compensates by promising life after death.

What S & B suggest about religious decline & renewal?

- They suggest there's a cycle of religious decline, revival and renewal (established churches decline, leave a gap for new sects & cults).

- Religious market theorists argue competition leads to improvement in the quality of religion on offer. The more attractive, the more 'customers'.

How do S & B view America?

- They view America as a country where religion thrives because there has never been a religious monopoly there, instead there's a great variety.

- This is different to Europe where most countries have been dominated by an official state church which has a religious monopoly, such as the CofE.

What is an evaluation of Religious Market Theory?

- Norris & Inglehart (2004) disagree. They point to high levels of religious participation in Catholic countries where there is no competition, such as Ireland & Venezuela.

- Countries with lots of competition (religious pluralism) such as Holland and Australia have low levels of participation.

What is Existential security theory - Norris & Inglehart (2004)

- They believe that religious market theory only applies to America.

- They argue that variations in religiosity between societies is due to degrees of existential security - this means 'the feeling that survival is secure enough that it can be taken for granted'.

- Groups/societies that are insecure have a high level of demand for religion (these are low-income groups/societies where people face famine, environmental disasters, disease etc). Those societies that feel secure have a low level of demand for religion.

- Third World countries and those who are poor in rich countries remain religious. People in prosperous Western countries are more secure and become secular. This fits in with the ideas that Western Europe is more secular. The reason why the US remains more religious is that it is rich but is the most unequal of the rich societies.