9 th February The clash of sacred and secular. Since the publication of Richard Dawkin’s book, The God Delusion, there has been a rise in something called ‘atheist fundamentalism’. In this context we take fundamentalist to mean a strident, extreme defence of a system of belief (here atheism) which often appears to lack reason or moderation. In The God Delusion, Dawkins attacks all established religion but focuses on Christianity because, he argues, it is the one he knows best. Dawkins is the visible leader of this movement meent but ther eare many examples of it in the press prtinciples and values getting its energy not from presenting its own agenda but from destroying that of established religions, especially Christianity.Some people argue that this is paramount in the orderings of government – the desire to introduce noble principles of equality and fairness into life has often conflicted with some interpretations of religious values and led to clashes of the sacred with the secular.

(a)Explain the six indicators used to measure secularisation (30) (b) ‘Britain is a far more secular society than it was fifty years ago’ Assess this view. Guidance for part b – Begin with a definition of secular (use a sociologist’s definition) Discuss difficulty of measuring such a concept – refer briefly to six indicators where relevant but do not simply repeat part A Put forward arguments that suggest it might be more secular (less children in Sunday school; rise of personal conscience; influence of secularists and new knowledge displacing God etc etc) Put forward arguments that suggest it might not be more secular (pluralism in religions; difficulty of measuring; people religious out of choice; less paid clergy but more lay ministers; popularity of church schools etc etc) Suggest a conclusion - refer back to the question directly. DUE TUESDAY AFTER HALF TERM.

Bushra Noah Nadia Eweida Caroline Petrie Aisha Azmi Olive Jones Pope Benedict