secularisation debate

the secularisation thesis

the hypothesis/theory that claims secularisation is occurring

Weber

argued that religion would decline in importance because of the development of modernity

modern societies are seen as incompatible with religion having a central role in society

thought people would act less in terms of emotion and more in terms of the rational pursuit of goals

rationalisation would eventually erode the influence of religion as people began to turn to science for their understanding of the world

Bruce (2011)

like Weber, claims it was the characteristics of protestant beliefs that led contributed to secularisaiton

but there were also other changes in wider society that contributed:

1. structural differentiation - social institutions becoming separate, specialising

2. social differentiation - development of different social classes, occupying different social worlds

3. societalisation - as individualism occurred, processes necessary for societalisation (e.g. churchgoing) became unnecessary

4. schisms - splits in trad religions, new religious beliefs may have made established beliefs weaker

the most significant reason for the decline in religion today is that there are many alternative views of the universe for people to choose from today rather than religion with its one account of the absolute truth

Wilson (1994)

religion has lost its significance at a societal, institutional and individual level

religion no longer has the authority to define morals and rules about the way people live their lives

agrees with Bruce that secularisation is linked to the decline in community in contemporary society

Stark and Bainbridge (1987)

while the secularisation process is occurring among traditional religions, at the same time there is a continual regrowth of new forms of religion or a religious revival, so the secularisation process is never complete

First census in 1851

in England and Wales

indicated only 40% of people went to Church

challenging the idea of a “golden age of religion” in these countries

Giles Keppel

there is regrowth in some traditional forms of religion in the West and beyond, e.g. Hinduism

World Values Survey (2000)

98% of the public in Indonesia said religion was very important in their lives vs. 3% in China

89% of people in Nigeria attended religious surveys regularly vs. 2% in Russia

USA and UK

both countries have a majority of Christian-based religions

there has been an increase in alternative religions

partly as a result of high immigration levels in recent years

the pattern in these countries is that while there is a decline in traditional religion, there is a growth in new and non-Christian forms of religion

the number of members of traditional churches in both UK and US are declining

Davie (2002)

while there is evidence to suggest that affiliation to traditional Christianity is in decline in some parts of the world (UK), it is thriving in other areas

particularly in denominational forms

there are parts of Europe where affiliation to Christianity remains high, such as Poland and the Republic of Ireland

Casanova (1994)

supports the idea that religious disengagement is not happening everywhere

it may be the case in Europe, but it is not seen in other parts of the world

argues religion is becoming stronger, not weaker

‘public religions’ are becoming important in many countries as a global force

Bruce on NAMs

NAMs have a small number of followers who take it seriously and regard it as spiritual

by its very nature, NAMs have less effect on society than conventional religious beliefs because the beliefs advocated by NAMs are diffuse, meaning people can believe whatever they choose and need not follow a single set of teachings

claims the New Age is simply an extreme form of individualism that is characteristic of modern societies

Brierley

in the 1920s and 30s, over 90% of babies were baptised in the UK

in 2009, just over 20% of babies were baptised

Martin (1969)

in the UK today, compared with the Middle Ages, the power, wealth and prestige of the established church in Britain has decreased dramatically.