7.4.3
Secularisation US
Secularisation in the US
Secularisation in the US
Hadaway et al. and Bruce argue that secularisation is occurring in America.
Secularisation in the US
Secularisation in the US
- 40% of Americans claim they attend church.
- However, Hadaway et al. found that this is not the case.
- Instead they found that whilst many people stated they went to church, churches had much lower attendances than expected.
Secularisation from within
Secularisation from within
- Bruce argues that religion in America has become ‘secularised from within’.
- He argues that the Christian Churches have had to compromise their beliefs in order to remain popular amongst believers.
- Bruce claims that contemporary Christianity in America is more about personal development rather than traditional beliefs.
Against Secularisation in the US
Against Secularisation in the US
Stark and Bainbridge argue that the study of secularisation is ‘Eurocentric’ and does not apply to Europe and America in the same ways.
Existential security theory
Existential security theory
- Norris and Inglehart believe that Americans are more likely to be genuinely religious than European nations like the UK.
- They suggest that Americans have less support from the welfare state and lack access to effective free health care which may make them feel less secure in their chances for survival.
Norris and Inglehart
Norris and Inglehart
- Therefore American citizens may have more need for religion than their European counterparts who benefit from more substantial and generous welfare systems.
Religious market theory
Religious market theory
- Stark and Bainbridge suggest that people are naturally religious and therefore there will always be a demand for some form of religion.
- They also believe that all humans want big rewards for the smallest costs, so humans will make rational decisions about what benefits them the most.
Stark and Bainbridge
Stark and Bainbridge
- Religion is unique because it can continue to provide supernatural rewards for people that other institutions cannot.
- Believing in religion has a small cost and barely any risk, yet it promises the possibility of great rewards.
Eurocentric
Eurocentric
- Stark and Bainbridge argue that the study of secularisation is ‘Eurocentric’.
- They criticise secularisation theorists for fooling people into believing that there was a ‘golden age’ of religion in the past and that this has since declined.
Secularisation cycles
Secularisation cycles
- Instead, Stark and Bainbridge believe that religious belief tends to flow through cycles, known as secularisation cycles where periods of secularisation are only temporary before religious revivals occur due to the creation of new religious and New Age movements.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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