Secularisation

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  • Secuarlisation
    • Secularisation in Britain
      • Crockett = 40% of the population used to attend, not now
        • Decline in number of people going to church
        • Increase in average age of churchgoers
        • Fewer baptisms and church weddings
        • Decline in traditional beliefs
        • Greater diversity
      • Western societies in the process (Wilson)
      • 2015 = 5% of population at church
      • 'Bogus baptisms' due to faith schools
      • Identify as christian fell by a third
      • Until mid 19C provided education = without day to day influence in reduced
    • Explanations for secularisation
      • Growth of social and religious diversity
      • Weber = protestant reformation started by Luther
        • Through reason and science we can discover laws of nature
        • Brings about disemchantment = loss of magic / religious
      • Bruce = scientific knowledge means religion taken less seriously
      • Parsons = structural differentiation (other institutions taken functions)
        • Disengagement and privatisation
      • Aldridge = religion cannot be source of identity
      • Berger = diversity creates crisis of credibility (undermines 'plausibility structure')
      • Bruce = counter trends: cultural defence, cultural transition
      • Berger = diversity stimulates interest in religion
    • Secularisation in America
      • Wilson = 45% attend church, due to religion as a way of life
      • 1. Declining church attendance
        • 40% attendance doesn't match church stats
        • Bruce = self report masked the decline
      • 2. Secularisation from within
        • Religion as form of therapy
        • Popular by becoming less religious
        • Purpose = personal improvements
      • 3. Religious diversity
        • Bruce = practical relativism (accept others beliefs)
        • Removes absolutism
      • Criticisms
        • Not declining just changing
        • Ignores growth of new religions
        • Ignores people who believe but do not attend
        • Diversity increases participation as offers choice

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