Secularism in the UK - Essay Example

Overview In the nineteenth century The Positive Philosophy sought to explain social development by arguing that all human societies passed through three stages of development: The theological, The metaphysical and The positive (or "scientific"). Each stage claimed, characterised by a different set of ideological beliefs and explanations about the world and Comte's basic argument was that people sought to explain their world as best they could, given their contemporary level of knowledge at each stage in the development of a society (Auguste Comte). This is report we take deed look to Secularism in the UK, identify and assess the evidence relating to secularisation, identify and discuss the theorists who support the secularisation thesis, consider evidence that questions the secularisation thesis, identify and discuss the theorists who are critical of secularisation also refer to postmodern approaches and lastly Consider the difficulties in defining secularisation and interpreting the evidence Secularism in UK In a society such as Britain, the Church and the State are relatively separate and there are a wide variety of non-religious cultural institutions (such as the mass media, education and so forth). In this society it is relatively easy to remain culturally untouched by religion and religious belief seems to be more a matter of individual choice than cultural necessity. In UK secular society may be seen as largely the product of the Christian West. With the possible exception of some brief periods in the history of ancient Greece and of the Roman Empire in its hey-day, there have been few secular societies in the whole course of human development in the world. In most societies religion has been closely woven into the whole fabric of society, determining its structure and the pattern of men's ideas and goals; religious images have been dominant in men's imaginations and formed the focus of their culture in its widest sense. (Edward , 2000, 151-67) The dominance of religion has often meant the domination of priests and theologians, or the impositions of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Disputes about power have become disputes about religious systems and still today such issues lurk behind many of our disputes within Europe, and between Europe and the rest of the world. A secular society is one which explicitly refuses to commit itself as a whole to any particular view of the nature of the universe and the place of man in it. The State neither requires subscription to any particular doctrines nor overt forms of religious behaviour as a condition for claiming full rights as a citizen; furthermore, it does not in any significant sense attach itself to any church or religion. Clearly in Britain today the existence of two established churches, and the requirements of Biblical instruction in schools, as well as the favoured position of the established churches in the universities and the favoured position of all the Christian churches in the national broadcasting system, might be taken to suggest that Britain is not a secular society. Evidence Relating to Secularisation From a different perspective, writers such as Berger have argued that, as levels of knowledge and understanding develop in any society, a "natural" or "expected" consequence will be a decline in the organisational role of religious institutions. Thus, if we see religious institutions in terms of the ideological role of the Church as an organiser of knowledge about the world, it is evident that this role must be eroded by the development of scientific / rationalist ideological frameworks ("paradigms"). Theorists who Support the Secularisation Thesis Durkheim, emphasised the functional role of religion (as did Comte, of course, albeit in a different way) as an integrating mechanism in any society. In this respect, the "decline of religion" was seen by Durkheim to be probable, but not inevitable - it would only decline in significance if other institutional mechanisms arose in society to take-over its basic functions. To a certain extent this has happened in Britain, but we can see from various examples around the world (such as in Iran) that: a. Religious ideas may represent a (uniquely) powerful source of integration and social solidarity. b. Religion may have "functions" other than that of integration. Marx, on the other hand, theorised the disappearance of religion with the advent of a communist society. In terms of Marx's basic theoretical position, therefore, the disappearance of religion was as inevitable as the appearance of communism. However, in Capitalist societies, Marx argued that religious influence was linked to the material conditions under which people existed (since religious belief provided both an ideological legitimation of Capitalist exploitation and a form of (illusory) relief from economic degradation). In this respect, the influence of religion would inevitably "wax and wane" (that is, grow stronger or weaker) as the material conditions of people's existence changed. Finally, for theorists such as Weber and Berger, religious ideas were linked to the general plausibility of religious / scientific ideologies. In the long term, religion would diminish in terms of its plausibility as science increasingly produced more plausible forms of explanation. However, as I have noted, in some areas of social life religious ideologies prove more plausible - hence the disappearance of religion is possible but not inevitable. Evidence that Questions the Secularisation Thesis Most major religions accept the primacy of the rules of secular, democratic society. The majorities of Christians are proponents of a secular state, and may acknowledge that the idea has support in biblical teachings, specifically in the book of Luke, chapter 20, verse 25. In this verse, in response to a question about taxes, Jesus said, "Then give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." However, fundamentalism opposes secularism. The most significant forces of religious fundamentalism in the contemporary world are fundamentalist Christians and fundamentalist Islam. Theorists Who are Critical of Secularisation Proponents of secularism have long held a general rise of secularism and corresponding general decline of religion in so called 'secularized' countries, to be the inevitable result of the Enlightenment, as people turn towards science and rationalism and away from religion and superstition. Opponents think that this view is arrogant, that secular government creates more problems than it solves, and that a government without a secular ethos is better. Christian opponents contend that a Christian state can give more freedom of religion than a secular one. For evidence, they point to Norway, Iceland, Finland and Denmark, all have a constitutional link between church and state and are far more progressive and liberal societies than some countries without such a link. For example, Iceland was among the first countries to legalise abortion, and the Finnish government provides funding for the construction of Mosques. However, proponents of secularism note that Scandinavian countries are among the most secular countries in the world, having low percentages of individuals who hold religious beliefs. [1] Recently this argument has been debated publicly in Norway where movements sought to disestablish the state's Lutheran church. The secularisation thesis continues to receive just as much support and the arguments of its opponents have been equally subjected to criticism even if some of this acknowledges that secularisation may not be an inevitable or uniform process (Bruce, 1996; Wilson, 1966). Others see the process as complex, identifying both secularising and resistant or even anti-secularising forces (Martin, 1978). Difficulties To a certain limited extent Comte's argument has a degree of validity (insofar as scientific forms of explanation have increasingly replaced religious explanations in the everyday world - which would broadly suggest that some form of secularisation has taken place), two basic problems exist here: a. Firstly, societies do not pass through "phases of development" in the way Comte suggested (one stage giving way to the next, for example). b. Secondly, science is not an all-encompassing form of explanation; that is, there remain questions (such as "what happens after death") that science has not been able to answer. In this instance, since we desire answers to this mystery, religious explanations "fill the gap between our desires and our knowledge". Conclusion On the one hand, although it seems clear that the Church in Feudal Britain or Europe, for example, was a powerful social institution that sought, at various times, to dominate the whole of society, it is debatable as to the extent to which this was ever achieved. How you interpret the significance of this is probably more a matter of personal predisposition. On the other hand, anti-secularisation theorists who have conceded that the role of the Church in the past was more powerful than in the present avoid the conclusion that this is evidence of secularisation by arguing that a lessening of the Church's involvement in secular matters is actually evidence of its renewed vitality. Rather than being in decline, the removing of many of the Church's peripheral functions has led it to concentrate on only the functions that this cultural institution can perform (its primary or core functions). References Chris Livesey "A" Level Sociology A Resource-Based Learning Approach. Available online Durkheim Emile, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life ( London: George Allen & Unwin, 1971). Grace Davie. Heelas, P. and Woodhead, L., editor of, Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular and Alternative Futures, London: Ashgate, 2003. 89-93 Grace, Davie and David Martin. 1999. Religion in Britain Since 1945: Believing Without Belonging (Making Contemporary Britain S.) 34-40 Peter van der Veer, Imperial Encounters: Religion and Modernity in Britain (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 200l), chap. 3, "The Spirits of the Age: Spiritualism and Political Radicalism." 213-29 Wilson Bryan R., Religion in Secular Society ( London: C. A. Watts, 1966). Secularism (Wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism#Secular_society) Retrieved on 2006-06-012, available on line. Read More