This week we focused on secularization by examining different articles and discussing there bases. Many of these articles viewed European and American religions and the changes that are in relation to secularization. The article that I read was “Christianity in Britain, R.I.P.” The article discussed the declining trends in major British denominations. Bruce believes that unless trends are reversed, Major British denominations will cease to exist by 2030. Bruce explains the Stark theory on why there will always be a need for religion. It is believed that there is a link between rewards and compensators that humans will always need. Stark always denied secularization in Britain because he believed “it would run counter to the expectations of the supply-side model of religious economies”. Bruce gave multiple examples that showed exactly how drastic the trends are in Britain. There is a decline in the amount of church membership altogether. in 2000 only 10% of the population attended church. Sunday school scholars have decreased to 4%, full time professionals have decreased while the total population has increased, and religious offices has been steadily declining.

I think its interesting to compare the trends that are changing religious life in America and European countries. Now that we have explored the six sociological narratives as to why American religion is changing, it would be interesting to see if/how these same narratives could be implemented in other countries. New religious movements and the change of beliefs are what make me question these new trends the most. Will there be a new religious movement soon? Will less attractive religions cease to exist?

The article I read for class this week was “Secularization and its Discontents” by Warner. Although this article was dense, it provided perspective into the changing theories of secularization in Europe. For this class session, I enjoyed how each group’s article gave a different perspective on secularization, some more in agreement than others. Even though none of the articles blatantly said that religion will completely disappear from society, I feel that many of the articles (including the one I read) over emphasized the role of secularization today. Many European countries are still rooted in Christian values and beliefs that drive the society. However, I think that Christianity is so normative that many aspects of society that are seen as “secular” may actually be Christian based. It is not until a different religion (such as Islam) is introduced that “religion” appears more visible, and is viewed in a negative light. While I agree that there is less of a need for religious institutions to provide health care, education, etc. Christianity may have just become so normalized that it is not seen as “religious” anymore. Secularization may just be the evolution of Christianity, and not necessarily the disappearance of religion in society.

From Warner’s article, there were specific ideas that I agreed with, and other ideas that I did not. For instance, while you cannot argue the empirical data of declining church attendance, as we have discussed in class and find in McGuire’s book that this may be due to the shift of institutionalized religion to a more spiritual case. One of Durkheim and Weber’s main points is that western modernity is inhospitable to religion. However, as I mentioned above, perhaps it is not “religion” but any religion other than Christianity. As we can see today, many countries in Europe and even America are not hospitable to Islam, while Christianity is welcomed. I think it is important to remember that Christianity it deeply rooted in many western cultures, and that the concept of “secularization” may just be the process of normalizing Christian values and beliefs in a society.

The article I read, Secularization and Its Discontents by Rob Warner, there were several sociologists claiming about secularization. However, few of them said secularization doesn’t mean extinction of religion. I was wondering what it means by that. According to dictionary, “secular” means “denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis”. If secularization is not disappearance of religious/spiritual things, then what is it?

I think it depends on how you define “religious” and “spiritual”, but anyway, in the article one of sociologist Wilson said, “religious must now compete in the private with other providers of meaning, mystery and consolation, from psychotherapists to the movies”(37). One of thing that religion does is provide meaning in one’s life. However, today, there are more stuff that can do that other than religion. Religion will eventually become privatized, according to Wilson, and that leads to secularization. So, if people start to talk about religion like movie or tv show, like “what’s your favorite movie?” or “do you watch that tv show?”, that’s secularization? In the future, if secularization continues, do people eventually talk about religion like privatized hobby, accessory, pet, or even friends?

This week, we learned about the six different narratives about religion in America. The first narrative, secularization, insists that religion is losing its influence on American society. The privatization of individuals’ religious experience, the fragmentation of social life into a variety of institutions, the socialization of American government programs, and increasing pluralism and rationalism all contribute to this narrative. The next argument claims that religions are not losing influence but reorganizing around local, not denominational, levels. This argument relies upon the evidence of local vitality, even as denominations decline, showing the importance of local connections and communities in the religious sphere. The third argument points to a conservative resurgence across all religions, especially in an increase among militant conservatives. From megachurches to jihadis, this theory notes conservatives’ reaction to modernity and their desire to seek security by “recapturing” the government from secularists and liberals. The fourth narrative, Religious Individualization, paints a picture of a world where individuals do not look to any single tradition for their belief. Instead, they follow the societal trend of serial connections by drawing on multiple religions and often changing their affiliation. The fifth narrative views American religion through the lens of capitalism, believing that religions compete for “customers” in religious markets. In this theory, religions that promote conservatism and otherworldliness succeed the most, measured by their soaring numbers. Finally, the sixth narrative addresses the globalization of religion. It follows global migration patterns as immigrants transplant their religions to their new homes but also bring their new religious influences back to their homeland. In this way, pluralism increases. These six narratives capture the main trends in American religion as theorized by religious sociologists today.

Samira Achbita sued her former employer G4S for firing her for refusing to take off her head scarf. In 2008 Asma Bougnaoui was fired for not removing her veil while working. These lawsuits were the reasoning behind the European court of Justice’s decision to give the work place the power to either allow or clothing articles representing religious or political views. This decision affects people by the thousand in Europe as 28 countries are obligated to the consequence of this ruling. The court believes their decision is fair as they claim it “does not constitute direct discrimination if applied universally” (Jamieson). The court is giving employers a huge amount of power over their employee’s. Employee’s should be able practice religions and endorse political views as they please, and not feel like a higher power such as a boss can tell them how to practice their faith. I am hoping that American’s view the decision made by the European Court’s a step backward in the hopes of becoming a forward thinking society. With the level of hate crimes and discrimination consistently reoccurring all over the U.S. It is scary to think about the power of those who are higher up have.

Source:
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/islamic-headscarf-ban-ruled-legal-european-workplaces-n733166

For this week’s Religion in the News posting, I wanted to find an article on some religious literature. Looking through my New York Times app, I found an interesting article in the “Book Review” section titled ‘The Bible doesn’t offer a consistent view on much of anything’. The author, Benjamin Moser argues that The Bible was written by many authors, in varying countries, in many different languages, and over many centuries, which is grounds for there to be some significant inconsistencies within the text. Moser talks specifically of the people who use The Bible as a means to argue questions or moralities, noting that the people who invoke these conversations usually already know the ‘correct’ answer (according to their religion), making the questions anachronistic for others. This was largely discussed in terms people’s ‘sex lives’, focusing on gay marriage and females. I think this correlates with the diminishing ‘confidence’ in religious organizations, religion is often grouped with conservative right-wing values. This ‘alliance’ tends to push the younger generations away, since things such as gay marriage and female sexual freedom are becoming much more acceptable in society today.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/books/review/which-canonical-work-is-frequently-and-frustratingly-misread.html?_r=0