Download SECULARISATION_DEBATE_2011_booklet

SECULARISATION
DEBATE
Name:_____________
Date:______________
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INTRODUCTION
 In this booklet we look at the arguments
and evidence about the extent in which
religion has declined.
 Secularisation refers to the decline in the
importance of religion. There is much
debate over whether and how far religion
has declined.
 We shall consider:
1. The arguments put forward by
sociologists
2. Look at how secularisation theory has
been applied to both the USA and UK
3. Examine the claim a spiritual
revolution is taking place, contrary to
the downward trend in religion
predicted by secularisation.
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SECLUARISATION IN BRITAIN
The 1851 Census indicates that 40% or more of the
population attended church on Sunday. (Crocket 1998). This
is significantly higher than attendance figures today. Some
sociologists therefore claim that the 19th century was a
golden age of religiosity. (The extent to which people hold
religious beliefs). Whether this is true is open to debate,
but there have definitely been some major changes in
religion which include:
 A decline in church attendance e.g. from 40% in the
19th century to 10-15% by 1960.
 Average age of church goers has risen.
 Fewer baptisms and church weddings.
 A decline in Christian beliefs.
 Greater religious diversity.
Wilson (1966) suggests this is evidence that there has been a
long term decline in religion. He defines secularisation as:
“The process whereby religious beliefs, practices and
institutions lose social significance”.
CHURCH ATTENDANCE TODAY.
The trends Wilson identified have continued:
 2005, 6.3% of the population attend church.
 The English Church Census (2006) indicates both
membership and attendance of large religious
organisations has declined, bur small organisations have
increased. HOWEVER this does not make up for the
decline in large ones.
 1971, 60% of weddings were in a church by 2006 this had
dropped to 33%.
 Baptisms fell from 55% to 41% in 2005.
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AO2- HOWEVER, some researchers suggest that it is wrong to
assume going to church is an indicator of religiosity. In the
past higher church attendance could have been an expression of
community and little to do with religion. Today with the break
up of close-knit communities’ collective worship may be an
expression of faith not part of social life.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS TODAY.
Opinion polls and attitude surveys over the past 60 years show
that:
 More people claim to hold Christian beliefs than go to
church.
 Religious belief is declining in line with membership and
attendance. E.g. Gill (1998) reviewed 100 national surveys
from 1939 to 1996. In 1950 only 23% of participants
claimed not to belong to a religion and by 1996 this had
increased to 43%.
AO2 HOWEVER- Davie (1994) has made a distinction between
believing and belonging. Some forms of religious belief still
appear widespread. E.g. European Values survey 2000 indicates
60% of Europeans describe themselves as a religious person.
50% claim God has a significant role in their lives but is not
expressed in an institution. A minority of people practice
religion on behalf of the majority. Davies calls this
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RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS TODAY
It is also argued that not only has religious belief and practice
declined but so has the influence of religion as a social
institution. The church still does have some influence on public
life (26 Church of England bishops sit in the House of Lords),
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but the Churches influence has declined in other aspects of
society. E.g.
 State now controls education in which state funded
schools have to follow the National curriculum, and
although there is a legal requirement for schools to
provide daily worship of a broadly Christian character a
BBC survey 2005 found that over half of schools do not
conform to this.
 There has also been a decline in the number of clergy,
45000 in 1900 to 34000 in 2000. If this had kept pace
with the growing population we would expect to see
80,000 clergy. This decline means the church has less
influence in people’s day to day lives.
AO2- Can you think of any events which will contradict the
view that religion is declining in the UK?
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1. Suggest and explain two supportive comments which
provide evidence for secularisation.
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2. What evidence can be used to reject the view that
secularisation is occurring?
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EXPLANATIONS OF SECULARISATION
There are a variety of theories and explanations for
secularisation and a common theme has been
 Modernisation; decline in tradition and the growth of
scientific ideas undermines religion
 Social change; Industrialisation breaks up small
communities.
 The growth of religious and social diversity; undermines
the credibility of religious beliefs.
Max Weber: Rationalisation
The protestant reformation in the 16th century started the
process of rationalisation in the West. Before the reformation
the Catholic view dominated Europe and the world was seen as
‘Gods magical garden’. God was believed to be present in the
world changing the course of events. Humans could influence
God through prayer and pilgrimages.
Disenchantment.
The Protestant reformation brought a new world view, God was
now seen as transcendent existing outside the world and he did
not intervene in it but left it to run its own course.
This meant that the world was no longer explained as
unpredictable acts of the supernatural. All that was needed to
understand it was rationality- the power of reason. Using
science and reason humans could discover the laws of nature
and control it through technology.
The Protestant reformation begins the ‘disenchantment’ of the
world. This enables science to thrive create more technological
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advances, more control over nature which in turn undermines
religion even more.
Technological worldview.
 Bruce develops Weber’s ideas arguing technology has
replaced religious explanations for of why things happen.
E.g. Plane crashes are not Gods will but due to
technological faults.
 Religion only survives in areas which can not be explained
by technology. E.g. praying when somebody has an illness
which science has no cure for.
Structural Differentiation- ‘the process of specialisation which
occurs with industrialisation’.
Parsons (1951) argues that with industrialisation specialist
institutions develop to carry out functions that were normally
performed a single institution. E.g. education was performed by
the church it is now a specialist institution.
Structural differentiation leads to disengagement of religionit exerts less power over the other institutions such as
politics, social welfare and the law. Even when religion
continues to perform educational function it must conform to
the secular state. E.g. teachers in faith schools must hold
recognised qualifications.
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AO2- Bruce agrees that religion has lost significance at a
societal level, but it is now more privatised confined to
the private sphere of house and home. Religious belief is
now a matter of personal choice.
Explain how Davie and Bruce are similar.
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Social and cultural diversity.
Wilson argues that in pre-industrial communities, shared values
were expressed through collective religious rituals that
integrated individuals and regulated behaviour. When these
communities fragmented with industrialisation religion began to
lose its significance. Social and geographical mobility not only
breaks communities up but brings together people of many
different backgrounds.
Bruce goes on to argue that even when people continue to hold
religious beliefs they cannot avoid knowing that many of those
around them hold different views.
AO2- How does Bellahs civil religion contradict Bruce?
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Bruce also argues that increased individualism undermines
religion because religion requires a practicing community to
keep it alive.
AO2
 However Bellah (1987) argues that whilst institutional
religion has declined other aspects of religion continue.
Individuation is the idea of religion being used to find
oneself and embarking on spiritual journeys.
 Aldridge also points out that a religious community doe
not have to be in a particular area. Religions can be a
source of identity on a worldwide scale; some communities
are imagined communities and interact through the global
media. Pentecostal and other religious groups flourish in
impersonal urban areas.
Religious Diversity.
According to Berger (1969) religious diversity is one of the
main causes of secularisation. In the middle ages the Catholic
Church had an absolute monopoly over religion in Europe.
Therefore the Church’s version of the truth would go
unquestioned.
This all changed after the Protestant reformation and sects
broke away from the Catholic Church. This has continued and
the number and variety of religious organisations has continued
to grow. No church can claim a monopoly on the truth.
Religious diversity creates a plurality of life worlds (peoples
perceptions of the world vary where there are different
interpretations of the truth.
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Religious belief becomes relative and this erodes the
certainties of religion.
AO2- Berger (1999) has changed his mind!! He now argues that
diversity and choice stimulate interest and participation in religion
and cites the growth of evangelicalism in Latin America and the
influence of the Christian New Right in the USA.
Cultural Defence and transition
Bruce identifies two counter trends that appear to go against
secularisation theory as both as associated with higher levels
of participation.
 Cultural defence; - religion provides a focal point for the
defence of national, ethnic or local identity. E.g. the
popularity of Catholicism before the fall of communism in
Poland and the resurgence of Islam in Iran prior to the
1979 revolution.
 Cultural Transition; - religion provides a sense of
community and support for migrants moving from one
country to another.
AO2 (ANALYSIS). Bruce argues religion only survives in these
situations because of focus on group identity; therefore
religion only survives when it performs other functions. E.g.
church going declined in Poland after the fall of communism
AO2- Beckford suggests opposing religious views can have the
effect of strengthening a religious commitment to its existing
beliefs not undermine them.
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Marxist explanations.
Marx argued that capitalism contained the seeds of
secularisation. It presented a materialist view of the world- its
aim was to produce goods and make profits. The social order
was seen to be based on contracts rather than being ordained
by God.
Marx saw the death of religion as inevitable when the economic
inequalities that made religion “necessary”.
Postmodernist views on secularisation.
Lyotard claimed that postmodern society is characterised by a
loss of confidence in metanarratives- the big stories provided
by science, religion and politics. As a result traditional
institutional religion has been undermined and is in decline.
AO2- However postmodernists argue that new religions and new
expressions of religiosity develop but these are tailored by
individuals to fit their particular identities, rather than being
imposed by others. This is the rise of New religious movements.
Lyon (2000) suggests we have become spiritual shoppers as
religion has relocated to the sphere of consumption. He used the
example of a Christian rally in Disneyland to show the blurring of
boundaries. Lyon calls this Dedifferentiation-(popular culture
merging with religion). Postmodernists call this a ‘spiritual
revolution’
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Heelas and Woodhead’s study in Kendal reached different
conclusions. They indicated that 7.9% of the population
attended church and 1.6% took part in the holistic milieu.
Traditional churches were in decline but evangelical churches
were maintaining support. Although the holistic milieu was
smaller it was growing. They offered three explanations:
1. New age spirituality has grown because of a massive
subjective turn in today’s culture. This involves a shift
away from the idea of doing your duty and obeying an
external authority, to exploring your inner self by
following a spiritual path.
2. As a result traditional religions, which demand duty and
obedience, are declining.
3. Evangelical churches are more successful than traditional
churches. They both demand discipline and duty, but
evangelicals also emphasise the importance of spiritual
healing and personal growth through the experience of
being ‘born again’.
Heelas and Woodhead argue that despite the growth of the
Holistic milieu a spiritual revolution has not taken place. They
conclude that secularisation is occurring in Britain and the
subjective turn has undermined traditional religion.
1. Why do postmodernists suggest traditional religion is
declining?
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2. How have Heelas and Woodhead contradicted the
postmodernist view?
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SECULARISATION IN THE USA.
In 1962 Wilson found that 45% of Americans
attended church, however he argued that this was not
due to a high level of religiosity but attending church was
part of the American way of life. Religion was superficial
and the USA was a secular society.
Bruce 2002 agrees and provides three sources of evidence
to support his claim that USA in becoming increasingly
secular.
 DECLINING CHURCH ATTENANCE:
Opinion poll research suggests that 40% of the
population attend church, however Hadaway (1993)
states that is this was the case the churches would be
full. Hadaway’s own research found that church goers
over estimated how often they attended church by 83%.
This trend is a relatively recent trend as until the
1970’s estimates and actual attendances matched. Bruce
argues that the attendance gap has emerged because
attending church is still socially desirable.
 SECULARISATION FROM WITHIN:
Bruce argues that the way religion in the USA has
adapted to the modern world amounts to secularisation
from within. Christian beliefs and glorifying God has
declined and religion has become a form of therapy.
Religion has remained popular by becoming less religious.
Religion has changed from seeking salvation in Heaven to
seeking personal improvement in this world.
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 RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY:
Bruce indentifies a trend towards practical relativism
(involving acceptance of the view that others are
entitled to beliefs that are different to their own)
among American Christians.
The counterpart to practical relativism is the erosion of
absolutism (people in society hold views that are
completely different to one another which undermines
our assumption that our own views are absolutely true.
AO2- secularisation theory has been criticised in
several ways. Some of which are discussed in the
postmodernist section in the theories booklet.
 Religion is not declining but changing form.
 Secularisation focuses on decline in religion
and not religious revivals.
 Falling church attendance ignores believing
without belonging.
 Religion may have declined in the USA and UK
but not globally.
 Far from causing a decline religious diversity
creates choice. People make use of religion in
all sorts of different ways.
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SUMMARY
Secularisation refers to the decline of religion. Statistics show
church attendance in the UK is falling. The number of baptisms and
church weddings has declined. Meanwhile opinion polls show that
religious belief is declining. Reasons include rationalisation, social and
structural differentiation, social and religious diversity. Counter trends
are cultural transition and defence; for example where religion may be
a focal point for preserving an ethnic minorities culture. The Kendal
project found growing interest in spirituality, including the New Age,
but it does not compensate for the large numbers leaving traditional
religion. Secularisation theorists argue that religion is also declining in
America. Although church attendance is comparatively high,
nevertheless it is declining. American religion is also experiencing
secularisation from within; becoming less strict and having to accept
religious diversity.
Question: Evaluate the view that the world is
becoming more secular (33 marks)
Begin by defining secularisation and then present a
range of evidence on the decline of beliefs, practices
and institutions. You need to explanation the trends
by using such concepts as rationalisation, structural
differentiation and social and religious diversity. You
then need to refer to alternative views and to
counter-evidence in your evaluation. Remember the
question is referring to the ‘world’ view so you need
to include some evaluation with regard to
secularisation in the USA and globally.
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