Defining Secularisation

Secularisation

In this course, Professor David Tollerton (University of Exeter) explores secularisation and its consequences for religion and society. In the first module, we define secularisation and consider its extent, noting that whilst religion has declined in the UK and other western countries, it remains strong in many parts of the world. The second module outlines the argument that secularisation leads to more materialistic and individualistic societies, and questions whether this is a fair characterisation. In the third module, we think about militant atheism, framed primarily through Richard Dawkins’ critical perspectives on religion, and how far it is important to wider processes of secularisation. The fourth and fifth modules then examine the impacts of secularisation on Christianity in the UK, looking firstly at the emergence of new forms of Christianity in response to secularisation, such as the “fresh expressions” movement, and secondly at the Church of England’s adoption of more social functions in spheres like charity and environmental activism. We conclude with a sixth module on the increasing number of people who self-identify as non-religious in the UK, and some of their key characteristics.

Defining Secularisation

In this module, we think about what secularisation is and its extent in the contemporary world. We focus on: (i) how secularisation and other other important terms like secular and secularism are defined; (ii) the common view in the 20th century, known as the secularisation thesis, that the decline of religion was inevitable in modern societies; (iii) the “sweeping away” of the secularisation thesis from the late-20th century as it became evident that religion was not disappearing globally; (iv) the extensive evidence that secularisation is taking place within the UK, including census data showing that those who identify as non-religious now outnumber self-identifying Christians; (v) the overall picture that whilst secularisation is occurring in the UK and some other western countries, there is little evidence of it in much of the rest of the world.