Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Religion, renewal and choice - Coggle Diagram

- - - - in todays late modern society there is a shift from obligation to choice in religion
      - In the past people had an obligation to participate which isnt seen so much in todays society
  - - - religion is not declining but simply taking a more privatised form
      - people are more reluctant to join organisations but still hold the beliefs
  - - - vicarious religion is religion practiced by a minority on behalf of the great majority
        
        despite low levels of attendance people still identify with churches
      - In europe major national churches are seen as public utilities for everyone to use whenever
  - - - do not accept davies view that there is more believing than belonging
      - 5750 respondents show both church attendance and belief in god are declining
      - Day
        
        very few of the Christians she interviewed mentioned God or Christianity their reason for describing themselves as such is because it was another way pf saying white english ethnic group
- - - - religion has not dissappeared and instead individual consumerism has replaced collective tradtion
    - - Pilgrims
        
        those who follow an individual path of self-discovery
      - converts
        
        join religious groups that offer a strong sense of belonging
      - as a result religion is no longer the sense of collective identity it once was
- - - - features that affect post modern society
        
        globalisation
        
        increased importance of the media and communications
        
        growth of consumers
  - - - eg electronic church
        
        as a result religion becomes de-institutionalised
  - - - religion online- top-down communication where religious organisations use the internet to address members
      - online religion- no existence outside the internet
    - - shows that for most users, this is just a way to supplement their church-bases activities rather than a substitute
  - - - Lyon
        
        religion has reallocated to the sphere of consumption
        
        this has resulted in religious consumers who make conscious choices about which elements of religion they find useful
        
        Berger
        
        people now have access to a wider array of options, this weakens traditional religions that claim a monopoly of truth
  - - - New age spirituality rejects the obedience and objections of external authority
      - this is caused by individualism, the notion that everyone is free to decide what is true for them
  - - - argues we are in a period of re-enchantment where there is a growth of unconventional beliefs
      - although traditional forms of religion are declining
        
        there is a growing vitality towards non-traditional religion in the west
- - - - congregational domain of traditional evangelical christians
      - holistic milieu of new age spirituality
    - - however within the traditional domain traditional churches were loosing support
      - explantations
        
        massive subjective turn is todays culture where people explore themselves rather than obeying an authority
        
        traditional religions are too demanding
        
        evangelical churches are more successful than traditional churches
  - - - Bruce
        
        scale
        
        new age would need to be on a huge scale to fill the gap of the decline in religion
        
        socialisation of the next generation
        
        a belief system must be passed down to survive
        
        In Kendal only 32% of parents who were involved in new age said their kids were interested
        
        weak committment
        
        although many people dabble in meditation consistent practice is rare
        
        structural weakness
        
        lacks external power that cant force committment
        
        cannot achieve consensus of beliefs because people are free to choose
- - - - people are naturally religious and religion meets human needs but it is human nature to seek rewards and avoid costs
    - - religion is attractive because it provides promising supernatural rewards when real ones are unobtainable
        
        eg life after death
      - cycle of renewal
        
        there is a perpetual cycle through history of religions declining and others growing and attracting new members
        
        secularisation theory is one-sided as it displays the decline but not the growth
    - - churches operate like companies selling goods
    - - religion thrives in the US because there has never been a religious monopoly
      - most european countries have been dominated by an official state church
      - supply not demand
        
        the main factor influecning levels of religious participation is not demand but supply
        
        participation increases whe there is an ample supply
  - - - lifting the restrictions off of Asian immigration into America in the 60's allowed Asian religions such as Hare Krishna to set up permanently in the US
- - - - the reason for variations in religiosity between societies is down to different degrees o existential security
        
        religion meets a need for people and therefore societies where people already feel secure have a low demand for religion
    - - where people face life-threatening risks have high levels of insecurity and high levels of religiosity
    - - high standard of living means low risk and so low religiosity
  - - - reduction of poverty protects those at the bottom from insecurity
  - - - found the more a country spends on welfare the lower level of religiosity
      - past religion used to provide for the poorer countries and still does
        
        extended welfare in the west means this is no longer neccessary
  - - - only use quantitative data about income levels and dont examine peoples own definitions of existential insecurity
      - ignores the positive reasons for religiosity and the appeal of some religions to the rich