Religion, Renewal & Choice

Grace Davie: Believing without Belonging

• Religion is not in decline, but is taking a more privatised form
• People are reluctant to join orhganisations, but still hold religious beliefs
• Vicarious religion: Religion practiced by an active minority on behalf of the rest of the population

Evaluation:

• Voas & Crockett: Both church attendance & belief in God are declining
• Bruce: Unwillingness to invest time in going to church reflects declining belief

Spiritual Shopping

• Hervieu-Leger: cultural amnesia. Loss of collective memory / emphasis on religion
• Individual consumerism has replaced collective tradition

Postmodern Religion

• Globalisation has lead to greatly increased movements of ideas & beleifs across national boundaries. Religious ideas have become disembedded from physical churches
• Online religion & religion online
• Religious consumerism - pick & mix religion & the death of metanarratives (Lyotard)
• Self-religions & NAMs
• Lyon: "re-enchantment" - growth of unconventional beliefs & non-traditional religion

Heelas & Woodhead: The Kendall Project

• The congregational doman: Traditional Christianity (7.9%)
• The holistic miliieu: Spirituality & the New Age (1.6%)

Evaluation:

• Growth of the New Age is not enough to make up for decline of traditional religion
• New Age parents not socialising children into New Age beliefs
• Lack of serious commitment to New Age
• New Age lacks hierarchy, consensus & structure

Stark & Bainbridge: Religious Market Theory

• Based on 2 assumptions - 1 People are naturally religious & religion meets human needs. 2 It is human nature to seek rewards & avoid costs
• Religion provides compensators - where real rewards are unobtainable, religion promises supernatural ones
• Pluralism is good for religion as it is forced to change to attract new members. USA - lots of denominations. UK - one church closely linked to the state

Evaluation:

• Bruce: Stats show that diversity is accompanied by decline
• Countries w/ religious monopoly have high participltion e.g. ROI

Norris & Inglehart: Existential Security Theory

• Poor societies: More life-threatening risks = high levels of religiosity
• Rich societies: Fewer life-threatening risks = low levels of religiosity
• Europe is more equal than America = less religious

State Welfare & Religiosity

• The state now provides welfare, so religion doesn't have to
• Welfare does not answer ultimate questions, so religion will not disappear completely

Evaluation

• Qualitative research is needed to define existential security
• Norris & Inglehart ignore positive reasons for religiosity & the rich