THEO1920 Religion and Secularity in the Modern World

Defining 'religion'

- 18th C: A rise in human sciences: in ability to explain, observe, analyse the human and social phenomena. ... Including causes (social , economic and psychological) and the predicture future of religion - Marx: "It is the opium of the people" - Durkheim: "belief and practiced relative to sacred things"

Religio: What's in a name?

- Ancient world: Polis and piety were always intertwined. Piety or religion is what gave legitimacy to the rulers and maintained social order. - Christian Religio: Institutes an allegiance to higher power rather than politics. This is a shift of allegiance. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" thus separating politics and leadership from religion which hadn't been the case in the ancient world and paved the way for 'secular' and 'sacred' spheres. Politics is of this world and worship is of another world, they are separate things.

What does classic secularization theory say?

- As capitalism grows and society modernizes religion will decline or completely disappear. - Berger says: " Secularization and modernity go hand in hand." - Things such as Urbanization, education, literacy, science, technology and the rise of the Enlightenment and rationalism, new and competing political ideologies, the growth of the modern state, mass participation in politics and prosperity and social mobility have and will make society secular. - The "disenchantment of the world" - rationalization and industrialization (Weber) - Shift from public to private belief (Durkheim) - Improvement of material conditions following social revolution will see decline of religion (Marx)

What is secularization?

- Fox: "the significant decline of religion as a public force"

What might religious resurgence mean?

- Fundamentalism/religious nationalism - Protest against western modernity and ideology - Resurgence of sacred/spiritual practice - Religions 'new visibility'

Is 'modern religion' a private affair?

- Protestant reformation (16th C) key to modernization where there was a transfer of power from the Church to the State. - Theological individualism: from public acts of allegiance to an individual piety/bible study - A private consumer choice between competing beliefs

Religious resurgence?

- Since the 1990s it has been argued that there has been a religious resurgence. Religion is seen as adaptable and can react against modernity by utilizing its new media, technology and communications to further their aims. - Secularism has failed in the 3rd world and the masses in those countries are religious, in fact most of them have brought religion back into politics - Casanova (1992) argues that religion is has not completely declined as a public force across the globe. He argues that there are indeed three types of secularism: 1) decline of religious belief and practice 2) privatization of faith 3) differentiation of secular spheres from religious life

According to Mandaville; "Where do we see religion at work in global politics today?"

- The Islamic world, particularly since the 9/11 attacks and subsequent attacks such as the London bombing in 2005. - Many discussions regarding Islam and politics has been around terrorism and support of violence, with governments such as the USA calling a "war on terror." - Some countries such as Iran regard themselves as Islamic states. - Within Europe, a number of recent incidents such as the Danish cartoon affair have fueled debates about whether 'religious' Muslims and 'secular' Europeans can co-exist peacefully. - Moving away from Islam other religious groups have been at the forefront of global politics such as: the divisions in Northern Ireland's christian populations, Sri Lanka's civil war between Hindus and Buddhists and in what was formerly known as Yugoslavia between Catholics, Orthodox Serbs and Muslims. - Religion is also prevalent in the political world in less violent ways too. Such as: The Popes final arbiter for Catholics regarding morality over whatever government policy is and the Christian Evangelical movements being crucial for the USA's Republican party.

What are the features of 'Modernity', 'Modernization', the 'Modern Age'?

16th/17th centuries: - Expansion of empire globalization and colonialism. - Wars of religion in Europe (Peace of Westphalia 1648) - Emergence of 'statecraft' / modern sovereignty - Scientific revolution 18th/19th centuries: - Industrialization and urbanization - Social revolution - 'Age of Enlightenment': reason over faith -Globalization

Secularism as ideology?

> Providing ideological binaries: - Religious - secular - Otherworldly - worldly - Supernatural - Material/immanent - Irrational - rational > Ethnocentric narrative?: contrast the modern christian secular west with 'backwards' Islam