Download 4 Strength of religion in society

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4 Strength of Religion in
Society
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The Secularization of Culture
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Sociologists use the term secularization of culture to refer to
a culture that, once heavily influenced by religion, has lost
much of its religious influence
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The only sphere of influence that religion retains in advanced
societies is the family
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It is no longer the primary cohesive force in societies, having
been replaced by nationalism and other secular and political
ideologies
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Secularisation
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Is religion becoming less important?
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Religious participation is declining
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Growth in some religions
Overall: Religion is changing rather than disappearing
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Evidence FOR Secularisation
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Within the church
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Attendance & membership figures decline
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Church less involved in immediate society
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No longer a single religion
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New Age seems to have a lack of commitment and depth
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Sociologist for:
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Wilson (1976) & Bruce (1995;2002)
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Evidence AGAINST Secularisation
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Reliability of statistical evidence?
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Rise of non-Christian religions (non-traditional Christian)
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Growth of new religious movements and New Age religions
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Sociologists against:
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Martin (1978), Davie (1994;2000) Stark (1999) Heelas (a996;2005)
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Religious Affiliation
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Declining trend (chiefly, Anglicanism)
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Church congregations are often made up of older members
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What happens if churches do not attract younger members?
Source: British Social Attitudes Survey
http://bsa-30.natcen.ac.uk/media/37580/bsa30_full_report.pdf
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But … Statistics Are a Social
Construction
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Various potential issues:
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Methods of collection have changed, affecting responses
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Norms about stating religion have changed
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e.g. face-to-face inhibition, online disinhibition
Used to be conventional to state “C of E”, regardless
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People may state religion as proxy for ethnic identity
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etc.
Consider:
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Reliability
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Validity
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Representativeness
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Modernisation
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How does religion affect today’s society?
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Rational thought based on science replaces religious thought
(religious decline -Weber)
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Thus secularisation is inevitable
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Structural and social differentiation
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Technology = more control
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No longer reliant on superstition
Modernisation = economic growth
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where religion previously supported the poor
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Church and Society Today
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Modern society – geographical and social mobility (Bruce
‘95)
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Structural changes - loss of education
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Structural changes - reduced care in community,
health care
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Social life no longer centred on the church
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Community-based activities decreased
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Is there religious disengagement?
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People still turn to the church to explain meaningless events,
early death, illness
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Church still has a voice in key debates in society
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e.g. age of consent, contraception, abortions, homosexuality
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Employment Forum UK – supports employment and regeneration
initiatives
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Religious Pluralism
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No longer a single faith
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Religion no longer unifies people (Wilson ’76
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Growth of sects (Bruce ‘02)
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Cultural transition
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Cultural defence
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New Age movement
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Attendance
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Historically attendance was an expression of upper/middleclass respectability
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Need to be ‘seen’ at church
Can religion be on the decline if it was not actually stronger
in the first place?
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Attendance
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Attending means there is belief?
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Believing without belonging (secular)
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Religious without attending church
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71% claim to be religious but only 7% attend church on a
Sunday
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Tragedies bring people out
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Pilgrimages
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Types of Christians (Day 2007)
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Adherent – believe in God and attend church
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Natal – Christian due to families, place of birth, baptised
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Ethnic – way to differential themselves
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Aspirational – to be good and respectable
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NRM – will disappear (Wilson ‘76)
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NAM – provides a spiritual need