Secularisation

Overview

Recall questions on the evidence for and against religious decline, the churches' role today, Hitchens and Dawkins against religion, the McGraths' reply, New Religious Movements, and being spiritual but not religious.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Where does the evidence for religious decline in Western societies come from?

   Model answer

   Falling church attendance and membership over decades; a sharp rise in those recording no religion, who now outnumber Christians in some national surveys; ageing congregations and church closures; fewer baptisms, church weddings and vocations to ministry; and reduced religious literacy. Alongside numbers, commentators point to a loss of the churches' automatic authority in public debate on sexuality, family life and end-of-life issues.

2. 2

   What can be said against a straightforward story of religious decline?

   Model answer

   That the pattern is regional rather than global: Christianity is growing rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia and Latin America, and migration has planted vigorous congregations in European cities. The United States remained far more religious than Western Europe for most of the period the theory covers. Sociologists have also argued that belief often persists while belonging lapses, and that many people rely on churches to maintain religion on their behalf for occasional use.

3. 3

   Do the churches still have a role in modern life?

   Model answer

   They conduct many funerals and a share of weddings and baptisms, so most people still encounter them at life's turning points. They run schools, food banks, night shelters, debt advice and community projects; provide chaplaincy in hospitals, prisons, universities and the armed forces; and speak publicly on poverty, refugees and assisted dying. Supporters see this as service; critics see institutions retaining influence out of proportion to their support.

4. 4

   Summarise C Hitchens's case against religion.

   Model answer

   Hitchens argued that religion is entirely human in origin, a product of humanity's fearful infancy, and that it does active harm: it sanctifies tribalism and violence, is obsessed with controlling sexuality, hostile to free enquiry, and offers a servile picture of human beings under permanent surveillance. He denied that morality needs religion, holding that decent behaviour is available to anyone while religion supplies extra reasons for cruelty, and he insisted that claims made without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.

5. 5

   Explain what is distinctive about R Dawkins' argument against God.

   Model answer

   He treats God's existence as a hypothesis about the universe that can be assessed like any other, and finds it fails. His central argument is that any being capable of designing a universe would have to be at least as complex as what it explains, so postulating God multiplies improbability instead of reducing it, whereas natural selection explains apparent design by cumulative small steps. He also accounts for religion as an accidental by-product of otherwise useful traits and treats faith as belief held without evidence.

6. 6

   What does Dawkins say about morality and religious upbringing?

   Model answer

   He argues that moral behaviour is explained by evolved dispositions such as kin selection and reciprocity, refined by a shifting moral consensus that has improved on slavery, racism and the treatment of women faster than scripture ever did. He notes that believers already select among biblical commands using a standard outside them. He also argues that labelling children with their parents' religion and teaching them to believe without evidence damages them.

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