Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
SECULARISATION (EVIDENCE FOR (Statistics (Age (Voas= baptism increases
…
SECULARISATION
EVIDENCE FOR
4 concepts
Disengagement, Differentiation, Disenchantment and Pluralism
Statistics
Age
Voas= baptism increases
women- reg attend NAM's
men- most have never been church
Brierley= only growing trend is 65+ years old
Identity
Bruce= 55% of 18-34yr olds say No religion
45% of 18-34yr olds say Christian
20% of 55+ say NO religion
80% of 55+ say Christian
Belief
Voas= increase in generations, equals a decline in belief
believe in reincarnation now, and less belief in god
-
Attendance
Bruce= 1851- 50% of adults attended church
1998- 7% of adults attended church
Brierley= as church attendance decreases, the age of people who attend rises
-
EVIDENCE AGAINST
Ethnic Minorities and Religion
- religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism have increased attendance
BRUCE-
-religious belief stays strong for em because of its social importance, and NOT because members have deep individual beliefs/convictions
serves 1 of 2 purposes:
- cultural defence
- cultural transition
-
The Rescrilisation Argument
Evidence for:
- NRM's fill gaps where churches lose significance- proves spirituality is still needed
- members turning to religion for stability and security
- HEELAS; NRM's quesion science and show belief in faith, personal expression of beliefs
- STARK&BAINBRIDGE; NRM's are evidence that religion renews itself
Evidence against:
- WALLIS/BRUCE; NRM's cannot be seen as a threat to sec, as they are too weak and organised
- BERGER; sects prove that to be religious, it is necessary to be cut out of modern, secular society
- WILSON; sects are a response to sec--> last chance for religion before it completely dies out
Definition
- the decline of religion within society
4 related processes made by classical sociologists:
- disengagement (durkheim)
- the lack of intervention of religion within other parts of life e.g. politics and laws
- disenchantment (weber/comte)
- the decline in mythical beliefs and an increase in more rational thinking
- differentiation (parsons)
- the loss of functions due to more specialised institutions
- pluralim (stark and bainbridge)
- religion ceases that it claims the monopoly of truth
DISENGAGEMENT:
- lack of religious intervention
- researchers see empty churches as the main evidence for secularisation, but others see evidence where the church is directly involved in every aspect of life.
WILSON:
-sharp decline in the political role of the church in Britain. E.g. bishop representation (1963 abdication crisis)
-CofE provides little more than traditional rituals to mark important life events (disengagement from wider society is main evidence for sec)DAVID MARTIN:
suggests churches specialise in specifically religious matters, this being a purer form of religion, untainted by involvement with secular/other concerns, such as politics