Access to HE - Sociology Week 3 - Secularisation

Learning objectives: To examine patterns of religious belief in the UK To understand and analyse the possible causes of secularisation To evaluate the two main perspectives on secularisation

Secularisation Refers to the decline in the importance of religion Wilson (1966): “The process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose their significance.” Church attendance has declined in the UK – from 40% in 1851 (according to Crockett’s study of the Census of Religious Worship (1998) to 10-15% by the 1960s (Wilson, 1966). This fell to 6.3% in 2005 and was predicted to fall to 4.7% by 2015 (data not verified). Church weddings, baptisms and Sunday School attendance have also declined In 1971 3/5 of weddings were in a church but by 2006 the proportion had fallen to 1/3. Baptisms fell from 55% in 1971 to 41% in 2005 (English Church Census 2006)

Religious beliefs today More people claim to hold religious beliefs than go to church Religious belief is declining in line with attendance and membership: in 1950 only 23% of participants in a national survey claimed NOT to belong to any religion. By 1996 this had increased to 43% - Gill (1998) BUT look up Grace Davie’s study of Religion in Britain since 1945 (1994)

Religious institutions today It is also argued that not only has religious practice and belief declined, but so has the influence of religion as a social institution. The Church still has some influence on public life – 26 Church of England bishops sit in the House of Lords but The State now controls education in which state funded schools have to follow the National Curriculum. Although there is a requirement to provide daily worship of a broadly Christian character a BBC survey (2005) found that over half of schools in Wales did not conform to this. The number of clergy has declined – 45,000 in 1900 to 34,000 in 2000. The church has less influence in people’s lives.

Discussion: Can you think of one fact or event that might contradict the conclusion that religion is declining in Britain today? Complete questions 1 & 2 in your booklet giving comments providing evidence for and against the view that secularisation is occurring.

Access to HE - Sociology Week 3 Secularisation 2

Objectives: To consider whether secularisation is occurring in the UK To look at different explanations for secularisation

The Golden Age of Religion - questions Look at the piece of paper your group has been given. Read it through and then explain it to the other groups. Consider the following questions and discuss: Did people attend church more in the past? If they did, does this mean they were more religious? Is the evidence from paintings, architecture etc. about religion or about power? Did people see religion differently in the past to the way we see it now? In summary – has religion declined from a ‘golden age’ in the past?

Explanations of secularisation Modernisation – the decline in tradition and the growth of scientific ideas undermines religion Social Change – industrialisation breaks up small communities The growth of social and religious diversity – not only are people much more diverse in terms of occupational and cultural backgrounds, but religious institutions are much more varied.

Max Weber – rationalisation (1905) Max Weber (1905) argued that the Protestant Reformation started by Martin Luther in the 16th Century started a process of rationalisation in the West. This is a process by which rational ways of thinking and acting come to replace religious ones Before this the Catholic view dominated – ‘God’s Magical Garden’ Humans could influence God through prayer and pilgrimages.

Disenchantment The protestant reformation brought a new world view. God was a ‘transcendant’ existing outside the world and although he had created it, he left it to run according to the laws of nature. The world was therefore no longer explained as unpredictable acts of the supernatural and all that was needed to understand it was rationality (the power of reason). Using science and reason, humans could discover the laws of nature and control it through technology. So begins the ‘disenchantment’ of the world. Science therefore thrived and created more technological advances, more control over nature – this undermines religion more.

Bruce – technological worldview Bruce develops Weber’s ideas arguing technology has replaced religious explanations of why things happen (e.g. plane crashes) Religion only survives in areas which cannot be explained by technology.

Structural differentiation Parsons (1951) argues that with industrialisation, specialist institutions develop to carry out functions that were normally carried out by a single function. E.g. Education was carried out by the church but is now a separate institution in its own right. Structural differentiation leads to disengagement of religion – it exerts less power over other institutions such as politics, social welfare and the law.

Rational versus supernatural explanations http://napierpress.com/rational-versus-supernatural-explanations

Social and cultural diversity Pre-industrial revolution, shared values were expressed through collective religious rituals Industrialisation created social and geographical mobility so communities were broken up and became much more diverse. This creates outside influences

Religious diversity Berger (1969) – religious diversity is one of the main causes of secularisation.