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Secularization Steve Bruce University of Aberdeen s.bruce@abdn.ac.uk

Secularization Steve Bruce University of Aberdeen s.bruce@abdn.ac.uk. Secularization. Decline in: 1. power of religious institutions; 2. popularity involvement in religious institutions and activities; 3. plausibility of religious beliefs. Power of Religious Institutions;.

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Secularization Steve Bruce University of Aberdeen s.bruce@abdn.ac.uk

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  1. SecularizationSteve BruceUniversity of Aberdeens.bruce@abdn.ac.uk

  2. Secularization Decline in: 1. power of religious institutions; 2. popularity involvement in religious institutions and activities; 3. plausibility of religious beliefs.

  3. Power of Religious Institutions; Impotence of churches re blasphemy, social mores (gambling, sexuality eg), political agendas, sabbatarianism; Absence of clerical representation in Scots Parliament and Welsh Assembly; House of Lords reform.

  4. Popular Involvement in Religious Institutions and Activities

  5. Christian Church Membership, GB 1900-1990 (%)

  6. Methodist Membership GB 1790-2010

  7. Church attendance in Scotland1972-2001

  8. ENGLISH CHURCH ATTENDANCE

  9. English Church Attendance 1979-98

  10. What People Were and What They Are Now

  11. Religious identity by age

  12. Church of England Baptisms as % of live births

  13. SCOTTISH CHURCH CENSUSES 1984, 1994, 2002 Decline 1984-1994: 19% in 10 years. Decline 1994 - 2002: 18 % in 8 years. So rate of decline of church attendance in Scotland is accelerating. The same is also true in England.

  14. The 2001Census Problem In the 2001 census nearly 72 per cent of people in England and Wales claimed to be Christians. Much higher than the proportion in the British Social Attitudes survey and other national studies. More English people than Scots claimed to be Christian despite actual involvement being higher in Scotland!

  15. Explanation 1: Context England has higher non-Christian population than Scotland. England had series of ‘Muslim’ riots. Hence English have better reason than Scots to claim ‘Christian’ as an ‘ethnic’ label.

  16. Explanation 2: Q. order The Censuses in England-Wales and Scotland did not ask questions in the same order. For England-Wales religion question immediately followed those on ethnicity; seemed to be a supplementary question on the same topic

  17. Explanation 3: Q. wording The England-Wales form asked ‘What is your religion?’ and offered a single ‘Christian’ category to go with Muslim, Hindu, etc. The Scottish form asked ‘What religion, religious denomination or body were you brought up in’ and gave the choices: None, Church of Scotland, RC and Christian (other) before Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim etc.

  18. Our Guess As one old lady friend put it: ‘I put down C of E because I wanted to say that this is a Christian country’

  19. Plausibility of Religious Beliefs Some observers (Grace Davie eg and many church leaders) try to remain optimistic by arguing that we remain ‘really’ religious despite lack of involvement in religious activities and institutions. Test with British Social Attitudes data:

  20. Alternative Spiritualities Is there evidence that an alternative ‘New Age’ world is servicing enduring demand for some form of spirituality? Evidence from Scottish Social Attitudes Survey:

  21. Evidence from Kendal Survey:Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead Found 95 practitioners of holistic spiritual activities: 63 different groups and 63 on a one-to-one basis. Total of 600 people were involved in typical week: 1.6 per cent of pop. of Kendal and environs. Most popular are physical therapy: massage, yoga, aromatherapy Practitioners think they are offering spirituality but 45% of customers and group members see it as mundane. Hence, about 0.9 per cent of the population is involved with holistic spiritual practices.

  22. Attitudes to Religion Scottish survey shows people personally indifferent but in theory positive towards religion: 40% in favour of daily school prayers; 40% in favour of TV companies being required to air religious programmes. Probably reflects idea that religion produces morality and good behaviour.

  23. Explaining Secularization Not anti-religious. Combination of individualism (no one tells me what to believe) and diversity (so many different religions cannot all be true; so none is really true).

  24. Responses to Islamic Fundamentalism In 1800s Britain so consensually Protestant that reaction to Irish immigrants was religious: anti-Catholicism. Now anti-immigrant and chauvinist sentiment focuses on putative social vices. BNP does not accuse Muslims of heresy. UKIP does not play religion card.

  25. Threat of Islamic fundamentalism (like the Northern Ireland conflict) taken not as proof of evils of a particular religion but as proof that religion in public and religion taken too seriously are a threat to social order and stability. Hence greater reluctance to approve of orthodox religion.

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