Was Peter Berger right when he changed his views on secularization in the 1990s - Essay Example

My paper hence deals with the idea that Peter Berger was right in changing his views on secularization. The paper will also deal with the different ideas that Berger worked with and related to in his studies on religion and secularization. In this context, ideas of modernization, pluralism, supply-side of religion and the rational choice theory as well as the sociological relevance of religion are considered within this paper. Secularization is the lessening of religious influence in a society; it is the loss of religious institution’s authority to dictate to the public the practices required in organized religion.

Bryan Wilson talks at length about the need for another force in place of religion in a society that is heading towards or has already adopted secularization. Religion forms the crux for most people in today’s world. The need or presence of religion cannot be ignored in one’s life and it is this presence that has driven scholars from all walks of life to study the effects and consequences of religious presence in our life and to present their view points. Secularization became prominent when religious debate turned towards whether secularization was beneficial or not.

For Peter Berger, secularization is, “the process by which sectors of society and culture are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols. It operates at three levels, one is a social structural: in the west, Christian churches have lost functions that are now performed by secular agencies.” (Berger, 1969) To put this idea into simpler terms; the importance of religion in any person’s life is reduced since religion loses its previous stature and place in an individual’s life.

Earlier, individuals paid more attention to religious details and believed that religion had to function in cohesion with state policies. This is