Britain & USA

• What is secularisation?

  The process of losing social influence
• What evidence indicates secularisation in Britain?

  • Decrease in church weddings and baptisms
  • Rise in average age of churchgoers
  • Decline in Christian beliefs
• Who argued that Western societies are undergoing secularisation?

  Bryan Wilson
• What did Bryan Wilson conclude about Britain?

  Britain had become a secular society
• What percentage of Americans attended church on Sundays according to Wilson?

  45%
• How did Wilson view churchgoing in America?

  As an expression of the American way of life
• What do official statistics on religion in Britain show?

  The extent of secularisation in society
• By 2015, what percentage of the adult population attended church on Sundays?

  5%
• How has church attendance changed since the 1960s?

  It has more than halved
• What was the church attendance percentage in the mid-19th century?

  40%
• What trend has been observed in free Churches in Britain?

  They are increasing in attendance
• What does the English Church Census (2006) reveal?

  Decline in large organizations, growth in small ones
• What has happened to infant baptisms in Britain?

  They have fallen steadily
• Why have baptisms for older children increased?

  Due to faith schools' admission policies
• What percentage of adults had no religion in 2014?

  Almost half
• What has happened to attendance at New Religious Movements in Britain?

  It has increased
• What does the Kendal Project indicate about spirituality?

  More people value spirituality and new faith
• What does the decline in Anglican Church numbers indicate?

  Sharpest fall in Christian beliefs
• Why did numbers for the Catholic Church rise?

  Increased immigration from religious countries
• What has been observed in surveys about belief in a personal god?

  Significant decline over 80 years
• What methodological problems exist with using secondary data on religion?

  Historical data may lack validity and reliability
• What do opinion polls suggest about church attendance in America?

  About 40% of the population attend church
• What did Hadaway (1993) find about church attendance figures?

  They were greatly exaggerated
• What discrepancy did Hadaway find in church attendance claims?

  Claims were 83% higher than actual counts
• How did church attendance exaggeration change from the 1970s to the 1990s?

  It increased significantly
• What does Grace Davie (1989) say about religious statistics?

  They are hard to handle and understand
• What does Bruce conclude about self-reported attendance in America?

  It masks a decline in actual attendance
• What does Bruce argue about secularisation in America?

  It reflects a movement towards psychologised religion
• How has the Church's influence on public life changed since the 19th century?

  It has declined significantly
• What role does the state play in education today compared to the 19th century?

  The state provides education, not the Church
• What did a BBC survey in 2005 reveal about school worship compliance?

  Over half of secondary schools failed to comply
• What does the decline in clergy numbers indicate?

  Institutional weakness of the Church
• What prediction does Steve Bruce make about the Methodist Church?

  It will fold by 2030
• What does Davie (1994) argue about private religious practices?

  People can believe without belonging
• What trend does Bruce identify among American Christians?

  Practical relativism is increasing
• What did Lynd and Lynd (1929) find about young American churchgoers' beliefs?

  Decline in extreme Christian views
• What is the effect of religious diversity on absolutism?

  It erodes the belief in absolute truth
• How has religious belief in America changed?

  It has become relative rather than absolute
• What does Beckford (2003) say about religious diversity?

  It may strengthen some religious commitments
• What factors influence the view on secularisation in society?

  • Measure and definition used by sociologists
  • No set definitions of religion or secularisation
  • Focus on Christianity in arguments