Religion in a Global Context

• Religion may continue development within society, in India it has legitimised middle class prosperity and ultra-nationalism and Pentecostalism has achieved global success by incorporating local beliefs
• Religion can be a form of cultural defence to resist changes in society
• Modernisation may be leading to secularisation as religious diversity might cause a decline in religious practises and participation
• Globalisation may have causes religious fundamentalism as they believe in literal scripture interpretation and cause conflict with other fundamentalism groups
• Religion can be tied to Economic growth
• Globalisation brought rapid economic growth for India, especially bringing prosperity for India's new middle class
• Nanda found 85% of India's population is Hindu, despite the prosperity of the middle class, the first group to typically abandon religion, a vast majority still believe in the supernatural
• A survey by the Centre of the Study of Developing Societies found 30% of Indians they spoke to say they are becoming more religious, Nanda says this is fashionable for them
• Middle class Indians say they are attracted to what were once low status village Gods because these entities are more responsive to peoples needs
• Nanda found the reason the Indian middle class is so religious is because of their uncertainty about their new found wealth
• Modern versions of Hinduism continue to legitimise middle class consumerism and say it can be 'spiritually balanced'
• Pentecostalism has expanded into Latin America
• Lehmann says the success of Pentecostalism is because they can incorporate local beliefs , and claim a great access to the Holy Spirit
• Berger said Pentecostalism in Latin America was a functional equivalent to Weber's protestant worth ethic. It encourages development of capitalism
• However Berger admits, religion is not the only reason for economic development, in Northern Brazil despite Pentecostalism, there is not enough natural recourses to raise them out of poverty
• Bruce says religion acts as a unifier for a community against an external threat, such as Poland or Iran
• In Soviet Poland the Catholic Church was suppressed, and it served as popular rallying point to appose the Soviet Union
• In Iran, the Shah of Iran was a pro-western regime leader. Under his rule, Islam quickly grew in opposition of rapid change
• Eventually in Iran, people began fighting back with the creation of the Islamic Republic, which imposed Sharia law
• However, the Iranian revolution was not typical of the middle east as religious leaders led it
• Bruce said secularisation of America was increasing because of; declining church attendance, 'secularisation from within' and a trend towards religious diveristy
• Opinion Polls in the US suggests church attendance was at 40% since the 1940s and would stay stagnant
• Hadaway said these statistic of 40% of Americans going to Church didn't match the Churches own attendance, because if that was the case all Churches would be full
• Hadaway found Ohio residents said 83% went to church but when counting the number at Church it was significantly lower
• Bruce says religion has become psychologised and turned into a form of therapy, enabling it to fit secular society and American religion would remain popular by being less religious
• Hunter found a large percent of America evangelists found smoking/drinking as morally wrong (1951) while those interviewed later on did not (1982)
• Bruce says there is a rise of 'practical relativism' in American Christianity saying other are entitled to their own beliefs
• 'Practical relativism' is the counterpart to 'erosion of absolutism' meaning people all have different beliefs in a society that undermine our own religion
• Fundamentalism views often will conflict with the views of a liberal society
• Fundamentalisms believe in the absolute, and literal truth of scripture
• 'Us vs Them mentality'


  Fundamentalists will separate themselves from the rest of the world
• 'Aggressive reactions'

  Fundamentalists will shock and intimidate to bring attention to their beliefs
• 'Reject modern technology'


  Oppose modern culture and its liberalism but will use technology to achieve their aims
• 'Patriarchy'

  Fundamentalists will favour control over women's sexuality and power
• 'Prophecy'


  Believe the end days will be soon upon us
• 'Conspiracy theories'


  Believe in powerful, evil forces in control of human destiny
• Taylor says across all religions Fundamentalists tend to act similarly;

  • Group perceived challenge to ultimate authority
  • Decide challenge will not be tolerated
  • Reaffirm their belief in authority being challenged
  • Oppose those who have challenged them, often using political means to further their cause
• Examples of religious Fundamentalists include the New Christian Right and ISIS
• New Christian Right believe that they will take America back to God
• ISIS believe in a single religious political leader and Sharia Law