1. Defining secularisation The classical theorists
Bryan Wilson ‘the process whereby religious thinking, participation and institutions lose social significance’
Steve Bruce – there is not one secularisation theory – but a ‘cluster of descriptions & explanations’
Jose Casanova – notes 2 approaches to defining secularisation:
(a) Structural level (institution)
(b) Individual level (personal belief)
Glock & Stark – multi-dimensional and no general agreement on what a truly religious society is
David Martin – ‘an intellectual holdall’ that should be abandoned
The classical theorists
Rise of science + industrialisation = secularisation
Marx – communism = no classes = no religion needed
Durkheim – industrialisation = organic solidarity = shared beliefs from other sources – education replace religion
Weber – rationalisation = control of environment/efficiency – rise of science = bureaucratic organisation = actions driven by rational goals

2. Secularisation – the big picture
Decline in
participation
belief
religious institutions
Less and less people attending church
Crockett – church attendance in 1851 (40%) – ‘Golden Age’ (Victorian UK)
Only 6.3% attend church on Sunday today
Sunday schools, church weddings, baptisms all declined
Belief without belonging
Gill – big drop in belief in a personal God/ ideas about the afterlife
Many people claim to belong to a religion
Hard to measure ‘authentic’ belief in surveys (ie, 390’000 claimed to be Jedi in census)
Changes in social attitudes – sex outside of marriage, cohabitation, divorce, less marriage, rise in crime etc
Bruce notes:
Religion losing influence
State performs many roles that the church once did, ie) welfare
Clergy/population ratio has dramatically fallen

3. Support for Secularisation
Evidence/Explanation
In brief
Decline in Religious Participation
Decline in beliefs
Religious pluralism
Disengagement/ differentiation
Disenchantment
Disneyfication/loss of meaning
Fewer people attend church/less ceremonies
Changing attitudes on issues
Less belief in God
Many faiths = no universal faith in society
Fragmented – less influence
Church withdrawn from society
Less power and influence
Church not focal point of community
Rational attitude – faith in science
Man control of the world
Marketisation of religion has lessened its authenticity in a postmodern age

4. Studies/Evidence Evaluation Crockett – low attendance
Participation
Crockett – low attendance
Drop in baptism, church weddings, Sunday school etc
Golden age?
Unreliable stats in past – motives
Diff. religs measure member in diff ways
Believing without belonging (Davie)
Identity/cultural defence – ethnic min.
Not all countries have low participation
Brierley – non-christ. Religions increased
Pluralism
Wilson – 1 faith = strong (Durkheim)
Decline of community (Bruce) – diversity and bonds decline
Immigration – many faiths = waters down impact of single faith
Religion can’t support all values..no monopoly on truth (Berger)
Greater choice and diversity
Different beliefs = greater commitment
Faith not dictated by tradition but by true/meaningful choice
Disengagement and
Diffentiation
Bruce – church has less power and influence in wider society
Specialisation of church’s roles by other institutions (Parsons)
Church‘/spirituality marginalised in society – not focal point of community
Religion still source of education and welfare (nationally and globally)
Education Trusts linked to religions
Church - more effective in role
Civil religious experiences/media coverage
Generalisation of relig. Values (Parsons)
Casanova – religion in public life still
Disenchantment
Rationalisation = scientific outlook
Desacrilisation – less driven by mystical/supernatural beliefs (Weber)
Technology = greater control of world (Bruce)
Significant interest in ghosts, UFOs, spoon bending, ESP, mediums…still
Recent growth in alternative beliefs and a ‘spiritual revolution’
Pomo – rejection of metanarratives

5. Challenges to Secularisation
Evidence/Explanation
In brief
Resacrilisation & the spiritual revolution
Believing without belonging
Rise of fundamentalism
Existential security theory
Cultural defence/transition
Structural differentiation (the flip side)
Pluralism (the flip side)
A religious revivalism – more individualist spirituality
Growth in NAMs and sects
Private sphere = religion
No longer need ‘collective worship’
People turning to fundamentalism rather than traditional faiths
Certain people/places have a greater need for religion, ie) poorer societies
Richer countries are more ‘secure’ so have less need = certainty
Religion can be important source of identity
Religion provides support/community for migrants
Religion specialises role now/more effective in spiritual matters
Greater diversity and choice – not dictated by tradition links to resacrilisation)

6. Studies/Evidence Evaluation Resacrilisation
Heelas – move from trad. religion
Religious renewal – individualistic spirituality ‘self religions’ (World Affirming NRMS/NAMs)
Personalised – hybrids – pick n mix
Spiritual market is growing.. Personal choice/less demanding
Evangelic faith’s appeal = healing and self improvement
Bruce – very few into ‘New Age’
Wilson – ‘sects = last gasp for religiosity’
Wilson – NRMs etc = middle class indulgence – ‘meditation & sushi’
Believing without belonging
Davie – privatised faith
Less community focused nature
Voas & Crockett – continual decline in believing as well as belonging
Attendance = commitment
Rise of fundamentalism
(see Fundamentalism slides)
Almond – global rise in fundamentalism
Need for certainty/tradition
Roof & McKinney – USA – New Christian Right = Conservatives – tradition/morality
Bruce – slowed down secularisation but lack power/influence and impact
Only gained attention because they are so ‘extreme’…in a secular world
Existential security theory
Norris & Inglehart – 3rd world religion is strong = high risks and need for security (compensation)
Vasquez – over reliance on income data
See religion as a negative response
Ignore positive appeal to wealthy too
Cultural defence/
transition
Bruce – focal point for identity for some groups – under threat (cult. defence)
Help migrants/eth, min. with support and community (cult. Transition)
Bruce – religion only survives because of identity role (not about spirituality)
Structural differentiation
Parsons – religion more specialised and generalisation of values
Are values so generalised today?
Pluralism
Greater choice/diversity – religiosity = more meaningful
More diversity = fragmented and weak
Ecumenicalism is proof of weakness of faiths (Wilson)

7. Different social groups Problems measuring secularisation
Secularisation – Other considerations
International comparisons
USA – high religiosity
Most Europe – 40%
Brierley (only small drop in Christianity globally)
Islam increasing globally
Christianity in Ireland
USA – New Christian Right/Televangelism
It is not a single process equal to all societies (Martin)
Martin
Strength of religion depends on :
link to identity (ethnic, national and regional)
Link between church/state
Degree of pluralism
Kepel
Religious revivals around the world (Islamization, Christian fundamentalism)
Reactions to ‘secular’ governments & modernity
Different social groups
Ethnic minorities maintain religiosity (although 2nd generation less so)
Women more religious than men
Different groups = different needs, ie) cultural defence/transition, compensation etc
Problems defining secularisation
Shiner – at least 6 definitions of secularisation in use
Glock and Stark – multidimensional
Martin – ‘abandon the term’
This theory underestimates the level of diversity in practice/belief
‘inclusive’ definitions are vague and allow religiosity to ‘trap’ more religiosity
How far religious institutions are religious? (Herberg/Bellah) – ‘secularisation from within’ (Bruce)
Sects/Cults/NRMS/NAMS
Greeley – renewed interest in spiritual in the West
Brierley – rise in non-trinitarian christian churches/other faiths
Heelas & Woodhead – spiritual revolution – New Age rise – meet personal choice/self-religions/suit lifestyle/hybridity/self-improve.
Bruce ‘irrelevant with little impact in society’ – new age beliefs are weak/personal
Berger ‘islands in a secular sea’
Problems measuring secularisation
Church participation
Under-estimates/over-estimates
Self collected data issues
Using different definitions/criteria
People attending in past for ‘social’ reasons/status/pressure (Martin)
Problem defining ‘golden age’
Opinion polls
Measuring belief =problem – abstract
Interpretation of questions
How far do actions match beliefs? (Haddaway et al)

8. Secularisation – top tips for angles in questions
Look out for those 18 markers (that look at a small part of the debate) remember these 18 markers give ‘big marks’ for blending different ideas together
Those short questions on ‘problems with using statistics on belief’
Essays on ‘there is a spiritual revolution’ ( where you look at evidence of resacrilisation/NRMs/evangelical churches/fundamentalism etc and then evaluate in a secularisation capacity with Pomo considerations)
Essays on ‘secularisation only in the USA/Europe’ (explore the secularisation argument but pay clear focus to international comparisons/globalisation/ resacrilisation / fundamentalism/existential security etc)
Religion no longer = shared values/universe of meaning
A kind of role of religion meets elements of secularisation + postmodernity Q
Church of England declining..other religions getting popular
Resacrilisation question/focus on participation evaluation/cultural defence/
pluralism/fundamentalism