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Secularisation
The process whereby religious beliefs, practices, and institutions lose social significance.
Crockett's estimate (1851)
40% of the adult population in Britain attended church on Sundays.
Wilson's conclusion on church attendance
Church attendance in England and Wales fell from 40% to 10/15%.
Religious affiliation
A person's membership of or identification with a religion.
Decline in religious beliefs
Surveys show a significant decline in belief in a personal god.
Privatisation of religion
Religion has become more confined to the private sphere of the home and family.
Disenchantment (Weber)
The view that events are explained by predictable natural forces rather than supernatural beings.
Rationalisation (Weber)
The process by which rational ways of thinking come to dominate over religious explanations.
Cultural defence
Religion providing a focal point for the defence of identity against external forces.
Cultural transition
Religion offering support and community for ethnic groups adapting to a new culture.
Plausibility structure (Berger)
How beliefs are made believable; increases with alternative religious interpretations.
Secularisation from within (Bruce)
Adaptation of American religion to modernity, becoming a form of therapy.
Traditional Christian beliefs
Beliefs that have historically characterized Christianity, which have declined in numbers.
Bogus baptisms
Baptisms conducted primarily for access to educational institutions rather than religious commitment.
Attendance in 2020
By 2020, only 4% of adults in Britain attended church on Sundays.
Decline in church weddings (1971 to 2018)
Weddings in church declined from 59% in 1971 to 20% in 2018.
Max Weber's medieval view
The world was seen as an 'enchanted garden' filled with spiritual forces.
Structural differentiation (Parson)
The process by which specialized institutions develop, reducing religion's role in society.
Bruce's prediction for the Church of England
If current trends continue, it will become a small voluntary organization by around 2030.
Religious diversity
The existence of multiple religions and interpretations, diminishing the influence of any single religion.
Criticism of secularisation theory
Claims that religion is not declining, but simply changing in form and participation.
Evidence of secularisation in America
Declining church attendance, secularisation from within, and religious diversity.
Technological worldview (Bruce)
A perspective that seeks scientific and technological explanations for events rather than religious ones.
