Arguments for Secularisation (AQA A2
Sociology)
Definitions;
Secularisation is the process in which religious institutions, actions
and practises loose their significance in contemporary society
(Wilson)
Religious Thinking; Refers to whether people's perceptions include
notions about God, heaven & hell, god & evil etc.
Religious Practise; Refers to whether people are committed to
engaging in religious worship, devotion and following belief.
Note: On which level does secularisation occur? Perhaps religious thinking is
flourishing, whilst only religious practise has gone down.
UK and Secularisation
– Very few religious channels
– Few people go to church
– Religion kept out of politics
Crocket (1998) using the 1851 census, came to the conclusion that
people were more church going in the past, 40% going to church
regularly on Sundays.
21st century trends:
– Fewer church weddings and baptisms
– A decline in the proportion that go to church
– Older people more likely to attend church
– More religious diversity
Statistical Evidence
– 1851; 40% went to church
– 1997; 8.2% went to church
– Rising divorce rates, increasing cohabitation, serial monogamy
suggests that religion (as a moral guide) could be less
significant
Note; Do we need religion for morals, or do we have Free Will?
Note; What about other modern methods of access to religious practise such
as GOD Channels, Websites, practising at home etc?
Measuring Secularisation
Validity; Are the official statistics findings a true reflection of
people's beliefs?
Definitions of Religious Behaviour; Does going every week or
once a year to church differ in how 'religious' someone is? Can you
be Christian and not go to church?
Reliability; Could the results suggesting a decline in church
attendance be replicated?
Representativeness; Can surveys be generalised? There's 70
million people in the UK, would surveying a few thousand give an
accurate picture?
Reasons for Secularisation
Wilson; Argues Science had produced plausible explanations for
the universe, and this has led to many becoming disenchanted with
Religion.
Note; Many people do subscribe to the notion of 'luck' or 'fate', rather than
“Gods will be done”
Note; Statistics suggest that New Age Movements and New Religious
Movements replace the concept of religiosity.
Note; Social attitude surveys suggest that people are less open about their
faith (questioning surveys validity)
Note; 70% 'believe' but are not practising
Disengagement of the Church from Society
– Wilson argues that the church is less significant in institutions
such as politics, and the 'moral compass' tends to come from
the mass media.
Religious Pluralism
– Wilson argues that industrialisation has fragmented religion,
and this has led to wider expression of faith in people's lives.
– Migration has also led to a wider acceptance of other faiths.
Fragmentation of Belief
– There is no longer one set of beliefs that other people share.
– As a result, people can draw from a wide variety of NRM's or
NAM's.
– Although there is a wide variety of pathways, most adopt
similar notions on morality.
Desacrilisation Thesis
– Bruce (2002) argues growth in science and mathematical
explanations of the world has created a loss in religious belief.
– Desacrilisation is the loss of sacredness linked to faith such as
belief in miracles.
Note; this isn't the case in other countries such as Africa
Marginalisation of Belief
– Bruce (2008) argues that belief is no longer in the forefront of
our lives, and it is a last resort when all other avenues have
failed such as in the case of incurable illness such as Cancer.
Note: The rise of fundamentalism suggests that some people in some parts
of the world want to return to traditional values
Post-modern Society
– Lyotard (1984) argues societal changes in attitudes have led
people to be less willing in being told what to do.
– NAM's are popular because they are therapies rather than
faith fixatives, and thus do no require any real commitment.
Note: Despite people's stubbornness, there has still been quite a lot of
conversions to other faiths.
Secular Rituals
– There has been a rise in cival ceremonies for births, deaths &
weddings.
– People want to celebrate their life events as a right of passage,
rather than along religious lines.
Note: Despite this, lift any celebrity magazine and there's photos of celebrity
weddings that do follow religious themes...
Disneyfication of Beliefs
– Lyon (2000) argues that belief has become very
commercialised and people want to be able to package faith in
easy and simple ways.
Note; there has been a tradition in Hollywood to produce Biblical epics such
as “The Passion” etc
