Secularisation: key terms
12 terms. Say the definition out loud, tap to check, then say whether you knew it. Back to the topic
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Secularisation
The process by which religion loses its influence over society.
Exam tip Wilson's definition. A good answer separates belief, practice and the institutional influence of religion.
Disenchantment
Weber's term for the replacement of magical and religious explanations by rational ones.
Exam tip Links Protestantism to rationalisation and so to secularisation.
Rationalisation
The process by which rational ways of thinking and acting replace religious ones.
Exam tip Weber and Bruce. Explain how it weakens belief rather than just naming it.
Structural differentiation
The process by which specialised institutions take over functions once performed by religion.
Exam tip Parsons. Leads to disengagement: religion becomes separate from wider society.
Social and cultural diversity
The variety of lifestyles and beliefs in modern society, which Bruce argues undermines religion.
Exam tip Pairs with religious diversity and the loss of a plausibility structure (Berger).
Plausibility structure
The shared social support that makes a set of beliefs seem obviously true.
Exam tip Berger: religious diversity weakens it. A precise use earns AO1 marks in an essay.
Believing without belonging
Davie's term for people holding religious beliefs without attending services.
Exam tip Used to challenge secularisation. Contrast with Voas and Crockett's evidence that belief is declining too.
Vicarious religion
Religion practised by a small group of clergy and churchgoers on behalf of the majority.
Exam tip Davie; the majority may still use the church for rites of passage.
Spiritual shopping
Choosing religious beliefs and practices that suit oneself, as a consumer.
Exam tip Hervieu-Léger. Shows religion changing rather than disappearing.
Religious market theory
Stark and Bainbridge's view that religion grows when there is competition between providers.
Exam tip Also called rational choice theory. Use the US as evidence; critics point to Europe.
Spiritual revolution
The shift from traditional religion to the 'holistic milieu' of spirituality, such as yoga.
Exam tip Heelas and Woodhead's Kendal study. It is too small to replace church losses.
Existential security
Norris and Inglehart's term for feeling safe enough that survival can be taken for granted.
Exam tip They argue religion declines where existential security is high: links the debate to global patterns.
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