Aspects of Secularisation
Religion can be defined in two ways:
- Exclusivist model of religion – a narrow definition for what constitutes as religion
- Inclusivist definition – broader, possibly including political movements and value systems like humanism
Secularisation in Britain:
- Many sociologists claim that the 19th century was the golden age of religiosity
- In the mid-19th century, 40% of people attended church.
- This has decreased to 10-15% in the 1960’s.
Religion today
- More people claim they hold Christian beliefs than actually belonging or going to church
- Not only have religious beliefs and practice declined, but so has the influence of religions as a social institution.
Measuring secularisation – problems with measuring it – how can sociologists measure:
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- Loss of some of its functions
- Internal secularisation of religious institutions
- The level of secular mind-sets
- Disengaging from religion
Explanations of secularisation – Bruce -> a technological view of religion:
- The growth of technological worldview has largely replaced religious or supernatural explanations as to why things happen
sociologytwynham.com 
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