Essay on Secularization
1) After 10 years since the publication of “God is dead: secularization in the West”, Steve Bruce returned to the topic of secularization in order to response on the objections raised against his theory. In fact, polemic aspect of the work raises the most interest as theoretical part hardly differs from the one represented in the book “God is dead”. Here one may find the same scheme, which describes the movement from the protestant reformation through the industrial capitalism to the secular state and liberal democracy within the frameworks of which there goes “secularization in the West”. The whole process of secularization, if to describe it in a couple of words, is in the fact that individualism, diversity and egalitarianism in the context of liberal democracy undermine the authority of religion. Social meaning of religion declines and it becomes personal deal of the believer.
Most of the arguments against the theory of secularization are based on not understanding or false interpretation of this theory. Bruce is required to explain that he is not inventing some immutable law of social development that is applicable to all societies. Paradigm of secularization is an attempt to explain some common treats of the recent past of the modern liberal democracies [Bruce S., 2011]. That is why it is impossible to refute the secularization theory by means of, for instance, reference on the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Even if the political regime was secular, the Iran community could have been whatever, but the industrial liberal democracy.
One more argument against the secularization theory is that even in the most secularized countries despite the evident decline of traditional religions, most of the population still believes that there is some numen, God or etc. Secularization theory does not imply that all members of modernized secular society should be atheists. Bruce responses on the critiques according to which the more is religious “supply”, the more is religious “demand” and vice versa. He pays attention to the fact that in the western world the most homogeneous catholic and orthodox communities are more religious than the pluralistic protestant ones.
Secularization theory says about the decline of social role of religion and about the decline of intensity of religious life at the level of individual believers. Bruce emphasizes that secularization while being irreversible process is still not uniform process. Some “slowing” of the secularization process still exists as while secularization becomes stronger, there appear stronger opposition in relation to it and different religious groups start attracting new followers and showing great activity as there appear more evident and clear threat for their traditional way of living.
2) Combination of the fact that American culture was becoming more liberal and there was growth of self-conscience of conservative Protestants has become the basis for rise of “the right Christians” [Bruce.S., 2011]. On the other hand, Bruce shows that mobilization of resources has not led to any more or less considerable victory on the legislative level and even more failure there has been when they tried to reverse all alterations in the life preferences of common Americans. Percent of women engaged in full working day out of home has increased; divorces became more common; “living in sin” became everyday practice and the phrase has fallen into disuse; women started to participate in the social life more actively, etc.
In other words, trend for secularization remained irrespective to the attempts of the right Christians to reverse it. Bruce replies on critiques as for the secularization theory on behalf of the supporters of thesis about “exclusivity of America”. If the USA are exclusive in some way, it is just owing to the fact that secularization process takes place more slowly there (owing to the huge emigrant communities, absence of strict centralization, etc.). Of course, the United States remain more religious than Europe, but at the same time, they are less religious than 50 years ago. First of all, there are evidences that Christianity lose power, prestige and popularity in the USA. Secondly, Christianity becomes more and more secular. As for the third, despite definite influence of the “right Christians” on social life, they did not manage to achieve considerable success in attempt to reverse the tendency according to which religion could become more marginal in the role of social system functioning. According to Bruce, America is one of the most religious countries. Though, it can be explained as about 10% of the USA population is immigrants in the first generation. Such people came from religious countries such as Mexico, Asian countries, etc. Moreover, initially America was considered to be secularized country on the macro level as there was freedom of religion.
3) The USA is one of the few countries where many faiths – denominations exist. Seeds of American religious freedom were sown at the end of the colonial period when growing hostility to the Church of England and understanding of the availability of many entrenched beliefs prompted politicians to find a solution that would exclude the privileged position of one religious group over another. As a result, there was a separation of church from the state that was realized in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and later in constitutions of all states. Freedom of religion became the basis of religious pluralism and high degree of religious tolerance.
Macintosh and Alston tried to reproduce the original study of Lenski and found very little difference between Protestants and Catholics in respect of family devotion and participation in voluntary organizations. Protestants and Catholics who increasingly demonstrated commitment to their church had a wide range of interests and matter outside the church. Though, sociologists strive to separate religion influence from other factors, some of them essentially influence the people’s views. Some people visit church because they deeply believe in God, some because of a habit and the third ones are attracted by the beauty and atmosphere of peace reigning in the church. On the other hand, there are deeply religious people who do not go to church. If to see religion from the other point of view and take into account personal beliefs, one may see that in the USA there are a number of citizens whose religious beliefs are higher than in any other industrialized country. There is a kind of civil religion according to which America is “the Promised Land” to which God led the oppressed people of Europe just as he helped the Jews to leave Egypt. Americans swear allegiance to one nation. Many ceremonies begin with a prayer and even the inscription on the U.S. dollar claims that “we believe in God”. Recently fighters for freedom of religion call for the extension of civil religion. They seek to revive the reading of prayer in public schools.
4) It is quite hard to tell whether secularization is a good or bad thing as it differently influences the life of each and every person. As it is known, religion has always had a great impact on the social life of people as a kind of way to control it. With appearance of new technologies, the role of religion started to decrease. But what if once people could stay without definite help of the state? Maybe then the return of religion would take place? Maybe if there were no factors causing secularization, there would be no such trend as itself. This is the question that is worth thinking.
Hypothesis of secularization that appeared in the middle of XX century shows that with the time, religion would be forced out of life of the society by science and technologies. The softer version of this hypothesis is that religion would not disappear totally, but it will lose its influence. According to this point of view, reticence or negative depiction of the religious figures and practices in the mass media are the external signatures of secularization. Many researchers who adhere to the secularization hypothesis point that it raises the whole range of social and psychological problems leading to apathy, cynicism, excessive desire for acquisition and consumption of material goods at the expense of spiritual values. Secularization contributes to wide spreading of atheism in its different forms.
Till the end of XX century secularization hypothesis was rejected by the number of scientists as it contradicts to the following tendencies:
- There is still interest in religion and low level of atheism even in the countries with high level of the science and technologies development (e.g. the USA);
- Tendencies in the modern religion have not changed since the old times;
- Secularization in the regions with low level of religiosity is anomaly and caused by unusual social and cultural factors.
In general, existential questions are eternal and their solution is always outside the rational definition. That is why there would always be place for religious answers in the human experience. As a result, it may be said that religion is still existing and developing and besides, secularization has its boundaries.
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