Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

Claims that the UK is now a secular society are wrong. Both religious activity and religious belief are flourishing. To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

Claims that the UK is now a secular society are wrong. Both religious activity and religious belief are flourishing. To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? A hot sociological debate is that the UK has become a secular society. Sociologists have long been divided on this issue, contributing a variety of theories about secularisation. One theory supporting the fact we the UK is becoming secular are that we know have a more technological view on things. We tend to look for more scientific or technological explanations for why things happen rather than religious or supernatural. This contradicts the claims that the UK isn?t becoming secular and instead is providing us with explanations of the UK becoming more secular. ...read more.

Middle

However they will still attend important religious services such as birth, death and marriage. Leger agrees with Davie in that we are still religious and puts forward the theory of spiritual shopping. Leger says that children are no longer socialised by religion, parents let their children choose their identity for themselves ? they have become spiritual shoppers which means they choose their religion according to what reflects their needs and aspirations. Leger is suggesting that in society today we like to choose our religion rather than it being given to us meaning it will suit our needs better. In addition Stark and Bainbridge support the idea that we aren?t becoming secular. ...read more.

Conclusion

Postmodernist Lyon came up with the theory of Jesus in Disneyland which refers to the fact that religion is no longer a social institution but a cultural resource which people can draw upon if they wish for example religious events. This supports the idea that claims of the UK becoming secular are not true, because all that is really happening is that people just have more choice about what religion they follow and we also don?t need to attend religious institutions to be religious we can ?believe without belonging.? To conclude it is probably the case that the UK is becoming a secular society. However we must bear in mind the idea suggested by Heelas and Woodhead that argues we are becoming secular because we go to church to do spiritual activities rather than religious which suggests that evidence on this debate is far from conclusive. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our AS and A Level Sociological Differentiation & Stratification section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related AS and A Level Sociological Differentiation & Stratification essays

  1. Evaluate sociological explanations of the relationship between gender and religious belief and practice.

    On the other Hand, Weber's explanation on religion as a force for change suggests that although many past societies had capitalism in the sense of greed for wealth, which they often spent on luxuries, modern capitalism is unique he argues, because it is based on the systematic, efficient, rational pursuit

  2. Assess the view that religious beliefs and practices are changing to reflect a new ...

    The demand of religion increases when there are different sorts to choose from, because consumers can find one that meets their needs. On the other hand, where there?s a religious monopoly ? one church with no competition ? it leads to decline because without competition the church has no motivation to provide people with what they want.

  1. Assess the reasons why young people seem to participate in religious activity less than ...

    something more interesting than participating in religious activity, which they may see as boring. Also, younger people may suffer from peer pressure, which promotes the fact that religion is ?uncool? and that they shouldn?t be religious. Therefore, younger people are less likely to participate in religious activity because they see

  2. The relationship between religious beliefs, religious organisations and social groups is complex and diverse. ...

    For example, many cults are run by women and Paganism, from which many New Age religions originate, remains the most female-friendly approach to religion with a strong feminist element, where God is a mixture of male and female, and strong female leadership is common.

  1. The main function of religion in society today is to dull the pain of ...

    This therefore provides evidence that the main role of religion is to dull the pain of oppression. On the other hand, the main role of religion may not simply be, to dull the pain of oppression. Religion can actually be revolutionary as said by Neo Marxists Gramsci and Maduro.

  2. Religion can be both a conservative force and an initiator of social change to ...

    Furthermore, Parsons believe that Religion provides the core values and a set of moral values Through socialisation. This reinforces social solidarity. The set of moral beliefs and values in religion may become so ingrained through socialisation that it may have an effect on the everyday behavior of believers and non-believers.

  1. Assess the view that sociological arguments and evidence support functionalist views of the role ...

    society, encouraging people to be thankful of the positive that they have been given in live. Marx explains this theory in two ways. Firstly the way he believes religion is often trying to make society believe that the position of the rich and the poor is simply the ?will of God? and so should be respected.

  2. Assess the view that whilst the Church of England is declining, other religious and ...

    Some sociologists argue that a spiritual revolution is taking place, with traditional Christianality giving way to a new age spirituality that emphasises personal development.

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work