Modern Britain is now a secular society to what extent do sociological evidence and arguments support this view?

Wilson suggests that rational thinking in the shape of science has replaced religious influence in our lives because scientific progress has resulted in higher living standards. Science has also come up with convincing explanations for phenomena which were once given by religious organisations e.g. how the world was created. People have therefore become increasingly disenchanted with religion. However people say that Wilson maybe overemphasising the influence of rationality, evidence tells us that people at times prefer religious explanations to scientific explanations. Social attitude surveys tell us that 70% of the UK population profess a string belief in god. Many people subscribe to quasi religious concepts such as luck or fate. There has been a decline in commitment to beliefs. Membership of high commitment organisations has generally decreased and low commitment organisations membership has increased. The popularity of some cults may be explained by the fact that they do not demand a great deal of commitment.

Wilson argues that the church is no longer involved in important areas of social life such as politics. He says that politicians have no interest in making sure their policies meet with the approval of religious leaders. The media is more likely to have an impact and direct people rather than the church. Wilson says that the church has become disengaged from the wider society and only plays a marginal role in modern society. However critics say that religion is still a major provider of education and welfare in society today. The media still shows a great interest in religious issues such as women priests or the Church of England’s attitudes to homosexuality. National religious ceremonies such as the funeral of Princess Diana suggest that the sacred might still be important.

Also identified by Wilson was religious pluralism. The church no longer establishes itself to all members of society; Bruce argues that industrialisation has created a market place of religions. But Wilson argues that competition between religions undermines their credibility and they can no longer take loyalty for granted as they compete for spiritual shoppers. Therefore religion no longer acts as an integrating force in society. The growth in number of sects, cults and NRMs has been seen by evidence of secularisation by Wilson. He argues that sects are the last outposts of religion in a secular society and are a symptom of religious decline. He also suggests that members of sects are only partially committed to their beliefs and that they are more committed to follow a charismatic leader or modern lifestyle. He sees sects as shot lived and members drifting in and out of them. Wilson sees many NRMs and NAMs as only quasi religious, so despite their growth he sees this more as evidence for secularisation than against. However studies by Greely and Nelson have shown that the growth of NRMs indicates that society is undergoing a religious revival. Nelson argues that whilst the established churches might have lost touch with people’s spiritual needs, newer organisations are experiencing revival. The rituals of organisations like the church of England are interpreted as stale,boring and lacking a genuine commitment. Nelson suggests that people are turning instead to evangelical Christian fundamentalism in the form of house churches and charismatic pastors who encourage a more informal and exciting form of worship, which is especially attractive to young people.