Stark and Bainbridge: Religious market theory
- Created by: Emily Uffindell
- Created on: 07-10-14 16:56
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- Stark and Bainbridge: Religious market theory
- Also known as "rational choice theory."
- Criticise secularisation theory for its "distorted view," of the past and future.
- There was no past, 'golden age,' of religion, nor that everyone will be an atheist in the future.
- They base religious market theory on two assumptions.
- 1. People are naturally religious and religion meets human needs.
- 2. People make rational choices based on the costs and choices of the available religious options.
- Religion is attractive because it provides us with "supernatural compensators," when real awards cannot be obtained.
- For example: Immortality is obtainable and only religion can promise life after death.
- Evaluation
- Religion market theory is a critique of secularisation theory, which they see as Eurocentric and failing to explain religion's continuing vitality in America and elsewhere.
- Norris and Inglehart: There are high levels of religious participation in Catholic countries where the church has a near monopoly.
- Example: Venezula
- Historical cycle: A historical cycle of religious decline, revival and renewable.
- As established churches decline, they leave a gap in the market for sects and cults.
- Competition
- Religious market theorists argue that competition leads to improvements in the quality of religious "goods," on offer.
- Churches that make their product more attractive will succeed in gaining more customers.
- Religious market theorists argue that competition leads to improvements in the quality of religious "goods," on offer.
- USA
- Religion is strong because a healthy market exists where religions grow or decline in accordance with consumers' demand.
- UK
- European countries that have a monopoly of religion have a lack of choice that has led to a decline in religion.
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