THE STRENGTH OF RELIGION IN SOCIETYThe Secularisation Debate

Recap:

• What is meant by Secularisation?

Right or Wrong?

• Religion is becoming less prominent in the UK and its institutions less influential in the lives of individuals.

The Secularisation Debate

• What signs are there for religious decline in the contemporary UK?• What types of religion seem to be declining in the UK and which types

are thriving?

Learning Objectives• Define secularisation.

• Identify and assess evidence for both sides of the secularisation debate.

• A 2011 meta-analysis of current and historic census data from all over the world has shown that religion is set to become almost completely extinct in 9 countries over the next few decades as, year-on-year, the majority of young people reject the religious beliefs of their parents and ancestors...

Australia The Netherlands

Austria New Zealand

Canada Switzerland

Czech Republic Finland

Ireland (!)

Extinction of Religion

• How we view the debate depends on whether we use an inclusive (functional) or exclusive (substantive) definition of religion.

What is the difference between these two types of definition?

Recap: Different Definitions

• Those who use an exclusive definition will be more likely to agree with the secularization thesis (Wilson; 1982)

• Those who use an inclusive definition will probably disagree with the thesis, because even if religious belief is declining, the functions that religion fulfils for people will still be fulfilled by something else (e.g. football matches, the media).

Different Definitions

1. EVIDENCE FOR SECULARISATION(In the contemporary UK)

1. Church Attendance

Pairs: Study the church attendance worksheet and answer the questions provided (5 mins)

In 1851, 40% of people in the UK attended church. By 1950 this was down to 20%, and in 2000 it was less than 7.5%

(Brierly; 1999)

Homework

Go to the Vexen Crabtree ‘Human Religions’ website (link is on the NC Sociology website) and research some

up to date data on secularisation in the UK.

We will discuss your findings next lesson.

2. Age Bias of Church Members• Hamilton (2001) identifies that fewer people are church

members – particularly in established churches…

• …and among those members, churchgoers are considerably older than non-churchgoers (Brierly; 1999) – with the exception of pentecostal churches.

• Fewer younger members attend church every year, suggesting that congregations will eventually die out.

3. Reduced Moral Influence• 30 years ago, 75% of people got married in churches.

Now, it’s down to 40% (Brierly; 2001).

• The divorce rate is rising, as is unmarried cohabitation and the number of children born out of wedlock.

4. Lower Status of Clergy

• The number, pay and status of the clergy has fallen. In 1900, there were over 45,000 clerics in the UK; in 2000 it was down to 34,000, despite population growth.

• The size of the clergy is a useful way of measuring the power and popularity of religion (Bruce; 2001).

a) In pre-modern societies how may religion have been used to ‘control’ thing like this…

b) How has science changed this?

Discuss:

5. Modernisation

• Wilson (1966), Wallis (1984) and Bruce (1995) have argued that secularisation is an inevitable development of modernisation.

• They identify three key processes that cause secularisation:

1. Rationalisation

2. Disengagement

3. Religious Pluralism

5a. Rationalisation• Rational thinking (esp. science) has replaced religious

influence…• …and people prefer it, because it has resulted in higher

living standards…

Discuss: In what ways has science resulted in higher living standards?

Watch ‘The Root of All

Evil’ on Clickview (Link

on Moodle).

5a. Rationalisation• Science has now explained phenomena which people

used to turn to religion to explain – therefore, we no longer need religion.

• Berger (1973) said “Christianity has been its own gravedigger” – because Protestantism encourages people to focus on the present, work and pursuit of wealth and they have therefore gradually forgotten about God (ref: Weber on Calvinism).

5b. Disengagement

The separation of church from wider society.• Churches have secularized themselves to compromise

those who reject traditional beliefs (Hamilton; 2001) e.g. CofE no longer accepts the virgin birth.

• People are more concerned with material welfare than spiritual welfare.

Note: When

churches become

more secular, we

call this “internal

secularisation”

5c. Religious Pluralism• Industrialization has fragmented society into a

marketplace of religions (Bruce; 1995).• Religion is no longer a unifying force in society (Wilson;

1966)• Religions compete among each others for ‘spiritual

shoppers’, which harms their credibility.

Written Task (15 mins)

Identify and explain two reasons why religion may be losing its influence in modern societies [17]

Pairs: Discuss• Consider the growth of Scientology in the UK.• Does this growth support or refute the secularisation

thesis? (Construct an argument of at least three points)

EVIDENCE AGAINST SECULARISATION(In the contemporary UK)

Official statistics for religion in England & Wales:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXdZJoXuxC8

“Britain is a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so.”

1. The Statistics are Flawed• The statistics lack reliability, validity and

representativeness.

• They lack reliability because the methods of measurement keep changing.

• They lack validity because they only show attendance – they don’t give us any meaning or detail behind the figures (e.g. going to church does not make someone religious, or vice versa)

• They lack representativeness because they don’t cover all religions. Measuring membership of NRMs, for example, is almost impossible.

1. The Statistics are Flawed• Stark (1999) argues that religion in the UK is not in

decline, because it was never very strong in the first place.

• Historically, people went to church because they had to, not because they were particularly religious.

• Davie (1994) argues for ‘believing without

belonging’; people don’t have to go to church

to be religious.

2. The Growth of Non-Traditional Christianity

• Stark (1999) points out that in the USA, church membership is growing, not declining – particularly among fundamentalist movements…

• …Fundamentalism has also been (slowly) increasing in the UK since the 1980s.

• In some parts of the UK – particularly ethnically diverse areas – there is actually some growth in church attendance (mainly in churches with predominantly black congregations: 44% of London church-goers are black).

3. Religious Pluralism• Some sociologists believe that religious pluralism is

actually a sign of religious revival.

• While the established churches are failing, NRMs and NAMs are thriving – particularly among younger people.

• These movements offer more spontaneity and meet people’s spiritual needs.

4. Impact of Religion on British Life

• Religious services are still held for special (national) events.

• The Queen is the Head of the Church of England.• Around a third of state schools in England are faith

schools.

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SECULARISATION

Functionalists like Durkheim use inclusive definitions of religion, suggesting that it can never disappear because it fulfils essential functions for human societies. However, Durkheim did worry that society would become more individualised, leading to religion getting pushed aside… For Durkheim, society is more important than individuals, so this would be a bad thing!

For Marxists, secularisation is inevitable, because religion is an illusion that will disappear as societies abandon capitalism in favour of socialism.

Weber believed that the main purpose of religion was to provide theodicies. He predicted that science would gradually take over this role, and religion would therefore no longer be required.

Group Activity (20 mins)

• Design a poster illustrating both sides of the secularisation debate.

• You will present your poster to the class and we will vote on the best one…

• …There may even be a prize.

Homework

Find (at least) one further piece of evidence online for or against secularisation in the UK. Add or link it to

your blog/site.

The Global Perspective

The Global Perspective

“The world today, with some exceptions, is as furiously religious as it ever was.” (Berger, 1997)

• There is a clear religious revival of Christians in the USA, Jews in Israel and Muslims around the world.

• Leger (1993) suggests that religion is not declining, but it is changing to adapt to the needs of modern societies.

THE POSTMODERN VIEW

The Holistic Milieu

• Heelas (2004) believes that the development of New Age beliefs (the ‘holistic milieu’) proves that people are rejecting science and modernity.

• Drane (1999) believes that the modern world cannot fulfil people spiritually.

It is unclear whether or not the rise of the New Age is evidence for or against secularisation. Some

sociologists argue it will be short-lived…

Glossary Check: How many can you define? (5 mins)• Disengagement• Inclusive definitions• Spiritual shoppers• Holistic milieu• Secularisation• Rationalisation• Religious revival• Religious pluralism

Past Exam Questions• Outline and evaluate the view that religion is no longer significant in

the contemporary UK [33]

• Outline and evaluate sociological views on the strength of religion in society [33]

• Outline and evaluate the view that religion is important in the contemporary UK [33]

• Outline and evaluate the view that the contemporary UK is a secular society [33]

• Outline and evaluate the view that increased religious pluralism is evidence that religion is strong in the contemporary UK [33]

Note: Questions on secularisation rarely use the world secularisation! Learn to spot the clues…

Essay

Choose one of the previous 33 mark questions and answer it! (35 mins)