The Secularization Debate

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The Secularization Debate
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Aspects of Secularization

• The separation of religion from other social
  institutions such as the state and the economy
• A decline in the social standing of religious
  roles and institutions
• A decline in the extent to which people engage in
  religious practices, display religious beliefs,
  and conduct various aspects of their lives
  according to those beliefs
• A shift in the focus of religious organizations
  from otherworldly salvation to worldly problems
  of discrimination, poverty, divorce, abuse, etc.

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The Process of Secularization

• See overhead taken from Bruce, Steve. (2002). God
  is Dead Secularization in the West. Blackwell
  Publishing.
• Bruce concludes that religion diminishes in
  social significance, becomes increasingly
  privatized, and loses personal salience except
  where it finds work to do other than relating
  individuals to the supernatural (30). . . .
  Modernization made religion less arresting and
  less plausible than it had been in pre-modern
  societies. Religious identity has been pushed
  out of the public arena and into the private
  sphere (36).

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What Secularization Theory does not Assert
(according to Bruce)

• Secularization is universal and inevitable
• We are claiming irreversibility, rather than
  inevitability.
• Secularization will happen evenly across
  societies as they modernize
• What matters is the overall direction of trends
  and their long-term stability.
• The endpoint is atheism
• I expect the proportion of people who are
  largely indifferent to religious ideas to
  increase and the seriously religious to become a
  small minority. He does concede that atheism is
  a secondary indicator of secularization.

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Stark and Finkes Interpretation of
Secularization Theory

• Modernization is the causal engine dragging the
  gods into retirement (59)
• Secularization prophecies are primarily
  concerned with the decline of individual
  religiosity and belief, not institutional
  differentiation.
• Science has the most deadly implications for
  religion (61).
• Secularization is irreversible.
• Secularization will happen globally, not just in
  Christian nations.
• How well does their interpretation match what
  secularization theorists themselves claim about
  the theory?

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Critique of Secularization Theory

• Stark and Finke argue that the secularization
  thesis is not consistent with available data and
  conclude that the theory should be thrown out.
• Examine the following data for and against
  secularization theory. Do you agree or disagree
  with Stark and Finke?

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What evidence is there that supports
secularization theory?
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There are many declining denominations in the
United States (and elsewhere)
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There is relatively low weekly church attendance
in almost all modernized countries (1991)
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There are some indications of a less religious
next generation ( of entering college students)
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Christianity in the United States has changed in
ways consistent with the secularization thesis

• In 1964 65 of Americans believed the Bible was
  literally true in 1984 or 37 believed this.
• In the early 1960s, 81 of evangelicals thought
  heavy petting was morally wrong, in the 1980s,
  less than half believed it was wrong.
• In a survey done in 1924, 94 agreed that
  Christianity is the one true religion and all
  people should be converted to it, in 1977 only
  41 agreed.
• In a 2000 survey, less than half of born-again
  teenagers claimed to be absolutely committed to
  the Christian Faith, 2/3 rejected the existence
  of Satan, 3/5 rejected the existence of the Holy
  Spirit, and almost half believed that Jesus
  sinned during his lifetime

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Some Other Arguments

• In a 2000 survey, less than half of adults and
  only 9 of born-again teenagers were certain of
  the existence of absolute moral truth
• While church attendance seems high in the U.S.,
  there is evidence that it is often over-reported.
• Donations to churches as a proportion of
  disposable income have declined.
• The United States is different because its large
  number of immigrants who keep traditional
  religiosity alive.

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What evidence is there against secularization
theory?
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There are many rapidly growing denominations in
the United States (and elsewhere)
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Rates of church membership have increased as the
United States has become more modern
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The Princeton Religious Index

• SCORE OF 100 PERFECT RELIGIOUSITY
• -Religious Preference
• -Belief in God
• -Attendance
• -Religion important in my life
• -Religion can solve social problems
• -Confidence in clergy

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The Princeton Religious Index scores for the
United States show little variation in levels of
religiosity over time
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While they do not attend church, most people in
the most secularized countries still believe
and consider themselves to be religious
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There are high levels of personal religiousness
in modern countries
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Some other Arguments

• Financial contributions to churches in net terms
  have remained high over time.
• Europe never was that religious
• Parish churches in Europe were only large enough
  to hold a small fraction of local inhabitants.
  Data available suggests that only a small
  percentage of Europeans attended church
  regularly.
• Clergymen were often absent and uninformed and
  thus the masses knew little about religion
• In 1800, 12 of the British population belonged
  to a specific congregation, 17 belonged in 1850
  and the same in 1990.

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Other Arguments against Secularization

• A study done by Iannaccone (1996) showed that 15
  of 18 nations have seen no decrease in church
  attendance since 1920.
• A 1914 survey of scientists showed 41.8 believed
  in a God who answers prayers, in 1997 39.3
  believed (no real change).
• Since the fall of Communism, there is evidence of
  religious revival in Eastern Europe
• In the United States, 85 who claim no religious
  affiliation, still pray (1996).

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There are many cult movements in Europe and the
United States
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What do you think?

• Which argument do you find more compelling? Why?
• Which data do you believe are more convincing?
  Why?

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