Religion, renewal and choice

1. Religion, renewal and choice

2. Learning objectives • Do we have any alternative to secularisation theory? • Who are the main proponents advocating alternative perspectives? • What are the principal alternative perspectives to secularisation? • Alternative perspectives to secularisation: a critical approach • We will also carry out some individual and group activities

3. A quick recap • Quiz • Decline in the importance of religion is known as Secularisation • If church attendance in England and Wales was 40% in mid 19th century and 10-15% in mid 20th century then the net decrease was 25-30% • Bryan Wilson argued that secularisation is the process that indicates the decline of religion at three levels.

4. A quick recap • Name different levels that may indicate the decline of religion • Belief • Practices • Institutions • Who agreed with Bryan Wilson that religion is declining? Steve Bruce • Who reviewed a nationwide survey on religious belief from 1939 to 1996 and claimed that religion is declining? Robin Gill et al (1998)

5. A quick recap • ------------ argued that the Protestant Reformation began by Martin Luther in the 16th century started a process of rationalisation of life in the West. This process undermined the religious worldview of the Middle Ages. Max Weber • Emile Durkheim argued that society develops through three stages i.e. ‘fictitious’, metaphysical’ and scientific which will eventually lead to the decline of religion. True

6. A quick recap • What does structural differentiation mean? Separate, specialised institutions develop to carry out functions that were previously performed by a single institution. • The idea of structural differentiation was presented by Talcott Parsons • Who argued that the trend towards religious diversity has undermined religion because it creates a crisis of credibility for religion? Peter Burger

7. A quick recap • A shift away from the idea of doing your duty and obeying external authority, to explore your inner self is known as New Age Spiritualism • Secularisation thesis cannot be criticised? False • What is ‘disenchantment’ and who used this term? • List three criticism of the secularisation thesis

8. Secularisation: a contesting thesis • Secularisation is partial in essence: It does not capture the entire social picture • It ignores the changing character of religion • It is too much focused on ‘decline’ and is ‘essentialist’ in form • So what are the other possible alternatives to secularization thesis? From piecemeal critique to theorizing our critique of secularisation

9. Alternative to Secularisation theory: reviewing three approaches • Postmodernist perspective of religion • Religious market theory • Existential security theory

10. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: reviewing three approaches • Postmodernist perspective of religion • What is postmodernity to you: Group discussion (5-6 minutes) • Watch this video and compare your analysis with it… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_uDAEwnh_o

11. Alternative to Secularisation thesis • Postmodernist perspective of religion • Davie Grace • Individual exercise (6 – 8 minutes)

12. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • ‘Multiple modernities’ (Davie Grace): the case of religion in USA (high attendance) and UK (low attendance) • Believing without belonging: 25% of Canadians attended church but 80% said they had religious beliefs (Reginald Bibby, 1995). • Vicarious religion ‘A small number of clergy practise religion on behalf of a much larger number of people who approve former's existence/practices’

13. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • Danielle Hervieu-Leger: French Sociologist • Individual exercise (6 - 8 minutes)

14. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • Danielle Hervieu-Leger: expanding the theme of belonging • Cultural amnesia: collective detachment from religion, tradition • Cultural amnesia has given birth to individual consumerism: From chain of memory to small memories • Modernity is not leading to the decline of religion rather creating the need for spirituality

15. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • Danielle Hervieu-Leger: expanding the theme of belonging • The shifting character of religion: from collective to ‘individuals’, ‘personalized’, ‘individualized’, ‘privatized’ form….The Age of Spiritual Shopping

16. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • Danielle Hervieu-Leger: expanding the theme of belonging • DIY religious beliefs and practices: Pilgrims and Converts • Pilgrims: consumers/shoppers of personal spirituality /development • Converts: The search of strong sense of community/belonging lead to religious groups

17. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • David Lyon: ‘Jesus in Disneyland’ • Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6iEjR2q2Nw

18. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • David Lyon: ‘Jesus in Disneyland’ • Religion rooted in specific locality has lost its value in postmodern society • Postmodernity has enabled religion to relocate due to increased exchange of ideas/information through media and modern technology

19. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Postmodernist perspective of religion • David Lyon: ‘Jesus in Disneyland’ • Disembedded and de-institutionalised, religion is still within individuals’ reach • ‘Re-enchantment’ has occurred, not disenchantment

20. Alternative to Secularisation thesis • Postmodernist perspective of religion: Critique • ‘re-enchantment’, a weak concept: low impact on believers • British Social Attitudes surveys (1983-2000) indicate the decline of both belief and practices • Belonging cannot be seen as distinct from believing (Steve Bruce)

21. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Religious market theory • Religious market theory: decline, revival and renewal, the cyclic journey of religion • Stark and Bainbridge (1985) • Secularisation is a flawed approach because it ignores the importance of religion in America and distorts history by dichotomizing it into past (golden age of religion) and future (decline) • The decline of church creates vacuum filled by sects and cults • Human beings are naturally inclined to religion as it provides compensators • How does religion compensate? group discussion

22. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Religious market theory • Religious market theory: decline, revival and renewal, the cyclic journey of religion • Stark and Bainbridge (1985) • Human beings are naturally inclined to religion as it provides compensators • Compensators: Supernatural rewards ‘When real rewards are scarce or unobtainable, religion compensates by promising supernatural ones. For example, immortality is unobtainable, but religion can provide such compensators’.

23. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Religious market theory • Religion is competing in the market place: religion as a product • Monopoly of a single religious institution/narrative leads to its decline whereas multiplicity and availability creates demand for religion • The birth of ‘televangelism’ in US ensured enhanced supply of religion (Hadden and Shupe, 1988)

24. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Religious market theory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGmLFSPkyhs • Group 1 & 2: Can televangelism be an effective strategy to preach religion? • Group 3 & 4: Can it lead to the transformation of individuals?

25. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Religious market theory • Religious market theory: Critique • Supply of religion will generate demands is a weak concept • Monopoly of a single religion may co-exist with religious diversity as in Ireland and Venezuela • Religious diversity may co-exist with low level of religiosity as in Holland and Australia • Religious market theory only applicable in USA • Natural inclination towards religion is contested

26. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Existential security theory • Existential security theory: ‘Existential’? • Existential security theory: A challenge to secularisation thesis that rationality, science and industrialization will undermine religion. • Norris and Inglehart (2004) • Existential security theory: New patterns of secularisation and religiosity has occurred • Evidence is based on ‘World Value Surveys 1981-2007’ in 90 societies

27. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Existential security theory • Norris and Inglehart (2004): New patterns of secularisation and religiosity has occurred • Conditions of life such as poverty, threats to human security, diseases etc influence religiosity: persistence of religion in insecure societies

28. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Existential security theory • Norris and Inglehart (2004): New patterns of secularisation and religiosity has occurred • Economic comfort, social stability, equality reduced the demand for religion in the Europe: systematic erosion of religion in secure societies

29. Alternative to Secularisation thesis: Existential security theory • Existential security theory: Critique • ‘deprivation’ analysis is based on quantitative data and the association of low income to increased religiosity is contested • What is the role of meta-existential security? • Religion may be associated with positive aspects of life rather than a cognitive/emotional response to negative situations

30. Religion, renewal and choice: RECAP • Do we have any alternative to secularisation theory? Yes. (1) Postmodernist perspective (2) Religious market theory (3) Existential security theory • Who are the main proponents advocating alternative perspectives? Davie Grace, Danielle Hervieu-Leger, David Lyon, Stark and Bainbridge & Norris and Inglehart

31. Religion, renewal and choice: RECAP • People are naturally inclined towards religion and religions act as compensators is an example of religious market theory? True/False True • Existential security theory suggest that conditions of life determine people’s religiosity. True/False True