Discuss the merits of theories of secularisation with regard to religion in modern Britain

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Discuss the merits of theories of secularisation with regard to religion in modern Britain

Functionalist sociologists have claimed that religion has always been important in our society and that it continues to be. It is argued that religion has only ever been important to a relatively small number of people in society. While it is clear that religious practices and institutional organisation have changed, the question of whether this demonstrates that secularisation has taken place is debatable.  

This essay critically evaluates the claim that secularisation is occurring in modern Britain. The claim derives from a broadly social constructionist position, namely one that views secularisation as being the product of industrial revolution and growth of scientific knowledge. Many sociologists have agreed that change in society will lead to changes in religion. Furthermore, many have claimed that social change would lead to the weakening or even disappearance of religion.

The essay begins by outlining the involvement of religious institutions in the organisation and day-to-day running of society, to the extent to which religious organisations are able to exert influence and control over the running of the society in which they exist. It then reviews recent research on religious practice to explore the extent to which people involve themselves in Church membership, attendance and questions the reliability and validity of statistics relating to religious practice in Britain. The essay then goes on investigate the level of individual consciousness, the extent to which people believe in concepts such as God. This level may be significant in terms of secularisation, since religious activity may show relative decline in terms of practice and organisation, however it may still exert a powerful influence over people's lives in terms of personal beliefs. 

In exploring these issues, the essay endorse a broadly social constructionists standpoint on secular Britain, although it also seeks to highlight a number of potential limitations to this position, particularly as these relate to defining and measuring religion and secularisation.

Many sociologists have tried to define secularisation, Bryan Wilson (Religion in Secular Society, 1966), describes secularisation as, “The process whereby religious thinking, practices and institutions lose their social significance”. While Peter Berger (The Social Reality of Religion, 1969) argues that it is “The process by which sectors of society and culture are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols”. For the purpose of this essay will be using Wilson’s definition on secularisation and will be concentrating on changes in participation and practices between pre-industrial and Britain today.

On a commonsense level of perception, it is an inevitable conclusion that our society is less religious now than in the past, the evidence of its decline is apparently all around us. Fewer people are getting married now than in the past and Christian event such as Christmas and Easter do not embody a religious meaning anymore, for most people it is an excuse to enjoying a break from work.

The role and the influence of the Church have faced significant changes over time. Previously, the Church was able to define and control the way in which people viewed the world. It was able to propagate a clear, firmly controlled explanation of social life in a society that lacked mass education and mass communications. The Church leaders were actively involved in all economic, political, military and cultural aspects of life, creating Britain as a political dictatorship organised around religious values. However this role has changed in modern Britain. With the growth of political democracy in the 20th century, the role of the Church has changed as the basis of its power has been eroded by the development of political parties. The growth of scientific ideologies has meant that the Church no longer has a monopoly of knowledge, fatally weakened one of their greatest strengths, the ability to control how people see and think about the world. Although its specialist insights into “religious questions” such as the meaning of life; may afford religion some influence in society. However the Church no longer has a judicial function, the ability to judge and punish deviants and politically has been relegated to the role of a pressure group.

Bryan Wilson (Religion in Secular Society, 1966) argues the “loss of functions” by the Church can be seen as disengagement from the wider society as evidence of secularisation. While David Martin see this as being concerned with “the ecclesiastical institution, and specifically with any decline in its power, wealth, influence, range of control and prestige.”

The Church as an institution has lost many of its former functions it performed in pre-industrial societies, such as education and social welfare, making it become a social institution. Since the 1944 Education Act, the government has made Christian act of worship mandatory as part of a child's education. State school no longer required by law to hold a daily act of collective worship, refer to the appendix for Guardian news story.

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This therefore might explain a fall in religious membership and Church attendance, as people no longer use the Church to satisfy non-religious needs. However, many sociologists have claimed that the role of religion has been transformed in modern societies, rather than necessarily diminished. Talcott Parsons (Social Structure and Personality, 1970) argues that evolution of society involves a process of structural differentiation, where various parts of the social system become more specialised and religious values become increasingly generalized, therefore performing fewer functions. This argument suggests that, while the Church has clearly lost some of its formal functions, it has become stronger as ...

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