Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Beliefs Topic 4 Secularisation & Globalisation - Coggle Diagram
Beliefs Topic 4
Secularisation & Globalisation
The Secularisation Thesis
Secular
- Not sacred / not religious
The claim that religion is declining in importance is known as the
Secularisation Thesis
There is no agreement with how to define religion and therefore no agreement on how to measure secularisation
Wilson
defines secularisation as:
"
the process whereby religious hiking, practice and institutions lose social significance"
Religious Institutions
Extent to which religious institutions have maintained their social influence in wider society and how far they are actively involved in and influence the day to day running of society
Religious Practice
Things people do to carry out their religious commitment, such as actively participating in religious acts (attending church)
Religious Thinking
The influence religion has on peoples beliefs and values such as the importance religion has in their lives, whether they see themselves as a religious person
Measuring Secularisation
Methodological Problems
Measurement and interpretation are major difficulties
They depend on how the researcher defines religion
3 Key Methodological Issues:
Reliability
- Do historical stats match contemporary standard of research?
Validity
- Is it true and genuine?
Representativeness
- Can this be generalised and applied to the whole population?
Measuring Decline: Was there ever a 'golden age of faith'
Secularisation = decline
Golden age of Faith = when nearly everyone believed in God and regularly went to church
There are now problems with referencing this past:
1) Historical records on religion are sparse
2) Data collection wasn't as sophisticated as it is now
3) Church attendance was expected as part of your reputation - very little people knew how to read or write 150 years ago - data was only based on a small proportion of society
Methods may therefore lack V, R, R - Even in 1st census of religion in 1851 only 40% of adults attended church
The Meaning and Interpretation of Evidence
Evidence collected may not give full picture and may vary depending on means of interpretation
1) Low Participation doesn't Necessarily mean Lack of Belief
People might choose to treat religion as a private matter and avoid institution, not being recorded as part of the attendance statistics
2) Quantitative vs Qualitative Data
Quantitative = stats on church attendance and other forms of participation
Qualitative = in depth interviews that explore peoples religious belief
3) High Participation doesn't Necessarily mean Strong Belief
Even if church attendance remains high it doesn't necessarily mean people still believe in religious ideas - may instead be or social support / getting child into faith school
Martin
- Victorian church attendance was part of social respectability
Aldridge
- USA it is now part of the American Way of Life
Asking Questions about Religions
Personal and sensitive - Being questioned by strangers may lead to people exaggerating / lying giving 'approved' answers
Surveys = Vulnerable to wording of question being asked - effects reliability / validity - Response to
2011 census
"what is your religion" - 68% had a religion, 25% didn't /
YouGov
"are you religious" - 29% = yes
Membership, Attendance and other Stats on Religious Practice
Stats on religious practice are difficult to interpret
1) What counts as 'practicing' may vary between individuals and religions (sects = high demand vs churches = low)
2) Lacked information about smaller religious groups, cults overestimate membership importance
3) Not all religious practice is recorded (home worship) - emerging church
4) Different denominations = different criteria of membership
Causes of Secularisation
Religious ministers loosing status
Growth of science -
Comte
and
Weber
- rationalisation of the world displacing religious faith
Decline in metanarratives
New alternative belief system more appealing in modern day (NRM's)
Impact of Globalisation
Different cultures and religions have come into closer connect than ever before caused by globalised media = Fast / cheaper travel - spreading idea's across the globe (media saturated)
Meyer et al
This has caused a growing religious diversity - religions are becoming less tied to particular geographical locations / groups / history
Process of
Deterritorialisation
(blurring or severance of social, political or cultural practices, like religion from their original places of population)
Media allows individuals to adopt elements of a variety of religious belief systems that appeal to them, mixing elements of different ones without being limited (Individualisation - Spiritual Cocktail)
Signleton
- Globalisation / deterritorialisation = Islam has been reconstituted as a transnational religion
Danish newspaper - 2005 Cartoon depicting Prophet Muhmmad = Insult to Muslims across the globe despite cultural diversity
Global transition of culture = religions have become intertwined with local culture = diversity
Western culture becoming more ethnically diverse - Sharia - Friendly current accounts and loans
Consequences of Globalisation for Religion
1) Clash if Civilisations and Culture Wars
Huntington
sees religion and religious identity as an important aspect of different civilisations in the contemporary world
There may be conflict (clash of civilisations) more into contact with one another through globalisation (Growth of Islam - Islamic fundamentalism - increasingly comes into conflict with Cristian-based Westernised civilisations (Afghan)
Doesn't consider possible clashes within other civilisations
Kurtz
- Globalisation has spurred a revitalisation of religious tradition - growing encounter of different religions as globalisation continues to fuel 'culture wars' between religions
Conflicts between people, ethnic groups, classes and nations are often now framed in religious terms
Globalisation has meant that religion and culture may have displaced race and colour as the main source of popular anxiety (Islamophobia)
Ben - Nun Bloom - Globalisation has contributed to declining levels of religious freedom across the world
Interfering with religious practices
Arises from self protection of cultural groups = more restrictions on the religious activities of minority groups such as the 'Burqa ban' in several European countries
2) The Rise of Fundamentalism , Cultural Defence and Identity
Spread of western culture through globalisation and the modernising process which accompany this, may threaten traditional ways of life
Both Christian / Islamic fundamentalist may emerge as a means of what Bruce called cultural defence and to provide some security in a rapidly changing world
Cultural imperialism = threat to tradition (Westernising of values such as marriage and women)
Singleton
suggests dramatic rise of Islamic fundamentalism = response of globalisation - End of Muslim world as a distinct geographical entity and given rise to resistance to Western influence penetrating Islam
Fundamentalism is a device to look for purity beyond nationality ethnicity language, thus transforming Islam into a set of transnational doctrines
Religion may also become simply an expression of national identity - Nanda = Happening with Hinduism in India
3)The Global Spiritual Supermarket
Postmodernists believe that in contemporary societies people increasingly form their identity through consumer choice
Media saturated world is more than ever a global supermarket
Global Context
Norris
&
Inglehart
- the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before and they constitute a growing proportion of the worlds population
Explaining the Distribution and Strength of Religion in the World
1) Religious Market Theory
2) Existential Market Theory
Religious Market Theory
Rational choice / market supply theory - associated with the work of
Stark
and
Bainbridge
and
Stark
and
Finke
There is a basic and constant demand for religion as people have an essential need for compensators and rewards that only religion can provide
Stark and others
- Religious organisations are like business supplying products under consumer demand in the spiritual market place
People choose to participate in religious organisations depending on supply - quantity, quality and attractiveness
Religions have to adapt products for an effective supply under demands of consumers when 'shopping'
Stark / Colleagues
= Cost and Benefit analysis
Cost
- Commitment, time
Benefit
- Compensator - reduces stress
Stark and Finke
- religious pluralism = diversity of competing organisations is the key factors that underlies high level of religious participation - large number of opportunity
US: Very high levels of religious participation due to high option in market (Diverse - sects, cults) all supplying a vast range of religious products = needs of people - choice of cost & benefit
Despite low participation rates, secularisation is not occurring in Europe - However in contrast to the US - European societies 1 religion tends to be highly favoured by governments then protected by laws (Church if England in the UK)
Limited availability on religious choice or competition between religious suppliers to encourage offers to potential customers a select of attractive religious products tailored to their needs
Lack of suppliers and choice = only a fraction of peoples beliefs are met, dampening down religious participation
Criticisms of Religious Market Theory
1)
Sharot
Little reference to other religious (NRM's)
Only applies to USA
Doesn't take into account non-western societies
2)
Herberg
Secularisation from within in USA with 'dumbing down', reducing cost = less strict, less traditional
3)
Lyon
This is dumbing down = Disneyisation
Commercialising religion making religion more attractive
4)
Norris & Inglehart
Theory fails to explain variations - NRM's (Islamic states = Iran)
5)
Bruce
USA - Southern states = Christian high participation (KKK)
Existential Security Theory
Norris & Inglehart
- Accept secularisation thesis yet believe it is only strong in Europe than USA and isn't happening in some countries
Differences because of different amounts of
Existential Security
Feeling that survival is secure enough that it can be taken for granted
N & I - 1 Major function of religion = confidence & predictability in an uncertain world - Low level of ES
Membership with religiosity changes across cultures
Low Levels of Existential Security
Societies with major threats / Poor welfare system - Survival in uncertain - Poverty / disease
Low income or new developing countries (Chad)
Religious values - High priority and high participation because of the lacking ES
Links
Sacred canopy - Compensator - Malinowski
High Levels of Existential Security
Growing population / wellbeing - advanced society = welfare state is the safety net against insecurity
N & I - Britain and Sweden are most secular being less reliant on religion due to high ES
Anomaly of the US
EST fails to explain high religious participation in the extremely wealthy country
N & I - Unequal distribution in society - some use religion as a safety net whereas some use state
High beliefs in South (KKK) - New Christian Right
The Continuing Significance of Religion in The World
1)
Religious Belief & Practice Remains Strong in the UK
Different reasons - Cultural defence / identity and community
Links
- Brasian (cultural transition)
2)
Religious Belief and Practice remain high in Many Countries and Continues to Grow in Others
Greece = Orthodox, India = Hinduism
Growing Christianity in China (now 50-150 Million, 0 A century ago)
Religions are adapting themselves to have the 'divine stamp of approval'
3)
Religion Still Dominates a Number of Societies
Muslim countries are deep in culture whereby religion is an everyday practice ( Iran / Saudi)
Religious Fundamentalism
Bruce
- Fundamentalism is a response from religious people to social and political change that threatens values
1) Christian Fundamentalists
US - New Christian Right - Banned teaching of evolution
2) Islamic Fundamentalism
Islamic states formed against threat of the West
Bruce
= Cultural defence against cultural Imperialism
Can influence extremists (9/11)