Faith and Society, Coursework Example

Historical Description Questions

There is strong evidence for the secularization of Western societies, indicating that the role and significance of religion has steadily diminished. In chapter 2 of “Secularization” Steve Bruce states that for secularization to be true, there must be times in humanity’s history that people were more religious than they are today. When observing the proportion of individuals that are religious in today’s society compared to those who are not, we are likely to encounter many people who identify themselves as either agnostic or atheist. This would have not been the case in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. During these two eras, religion was so essential to daily life that these values and beliefs were incorporated into law to the extent that non-believers would be prosecuted. Today, many nations are tolerant to all religious beliefs, which extends to tolerance of individuals who lack these beliefs altogether. Therefore, now that people have the freedom to choose whether or not they are willing to allow religion to be a part of their lives, more and more people tend to avoid becoming members of organized religion. In chapter 1, Steve Bruce states that modernization creates issues for religion (Bruce 2). This is certainly true because many people no longer have time to incorporate detailed religious practices in their daily lives. A key example of this is the practice of Islam in the modern American workplace. This religion has many rituals that are required to be conducted throughout the work or school day, and this often interferes with the ability of the individual to finish work on the same schedule as employees. Furthermore, it makes them stand out in a way they believe is negative. Therefore, even those who practice Islam at home may avoid doing so in public. As a consequence, we can clearly see that even the most religious individuals are becoming impacted by secularization.

While religion seems to be diminishing in Western society, it is possible that it is changing rather than fading away. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, religion seemed to be a necessary part of daily life. However, for many individuals living in the United States, this is still true. Instead, it is possible that religion has evolved to accommodate modern life and newer values. It is important to emphasize that religion has changed in the past. A quick reading of the Old Testament will indicate that Judaism began as a sacrificial religion to the docile and peaceful one we observe today. As times had changed, the Jewish people no longer associated animal sacrifice with appeasing God. Likewise, religions such as Lutheranism spread the value that individuals do not necessarily need to pray in a church in order for God to hear these wishes. These events marked major changes to Judaism and Christianity and we see that these changes continue today. For example, a modern movement in Judaism is that of Reform Judaism, in those who believe in God and that the messiah is coming will worship together, but they will not uphold a majority of the traditions that are mandated by the Torah. In chapter 8, Steve Bruce states that there are those who think churches are evil. While it is untrue that every individual believes this, there are certainly those that do. Therefore, it is these individuals who are most likely to transform religion as it is known to accommodate new beliefs and ensure that religion is still accessible despite the fast pace of the average workday.

Religion in modern society is both changing and diminishing in value. While religion remains important for many individuals who are trying to find new ways to incorporate it into their lives, it is becoming less and less important for others. In a sense, this can be seen as a religious revolution; however, some individuals are attempting to increase the prevalence of religion, while others are attempting to decrease it. As mentioned above, Lutheranism is a primary example of a Christian religion that has been adapted to benefit modern society. Christians now recognize that their prayers at home will be recognized, which allows them to worship whenever they are available to do so. On the other hand, advances that are made in science often contradict religion, thereby increasing the number of agnostics and atheists in the population.

Historical Causal Questions

According to Steve Bruce, several factors contributed to the development of secularization. In previous societies during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, people were particularly superstitious. Therefore, even if these individuals did not regularly attend church, religion was present in their daily lives in an attempt to prevent bad luck and omens. Today, many individuals do not believe in bad luck and therefore do not need to turn to religion to alleviate it. Our increased understanding of science and how the world works contributes to this phenomenon. Furthermore, chapter 2 of “Secularization” continues the analysis of secularization by stating that wealthy individuals throughout European history invested large sums of money in the establishment of places of worship. As such, individuals of the Middle Ages and Renaissance appear to be comparatively religious. A closer analysis reveals that a majority of individuals attended church because others did and they believed they were expected to. It is possible then, that the religiousness of these societies were an illusion and that people today are not willing to conform to these seemingly useless practices. Instead, they prefer to worship in their own ways.

Steve Bruce’s explanation of the cause of secularization is conceiving because many of his explanations of this phenomenon are easily observable in the world around us. While many individuals report that they are religious, we observe a decreased number of church attendees. Therefore, while these individuals honor their religious values in their daily lives and will act according to the ethics provided by these religions, they are less likely to worship in traditional ways. This is again emphasized on religious Christian holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, when churches receive a large influx of attendees. Furthermore, Steve Bruce’s account is reasonable because the only understanding of historic religion we have is recorded in books and observed based on lavish European architecture. We cannot assume that the majority of the individuals that were living during these periods were, in fact, religious, because these pages and structures were commissioned by the wealthy. There is no confirmation therefore that the middle and lower classes held the same values as the upper class and royalty. Thus, we can assume that their dedication to religion reflects modern behaviors; some individuals are religious while others place less focus on these values.

The early modern appearance of governmental religious neutrality and individual religious freedom contributed to the present condition of religion. Although it is possible that individuals living during the Middle Ages and Renaissance were not religious, they behaved as if they were to please the wealthy and the church, who held the most power. However, the allowance of religious freedom by the government triggered a fundamental change in the practices of society. People were no longer required to practice the religion of their state which extends to the ability to choose to practice no religion. We see an increase in secularization since the 1500’s due to this phenomenon. However, it is difficult to tell whether this is due to changed beliefs or renewed freedom to practice these beliefs. Either way, the implementation of governmental religious neutrality contributed to this effect.

Historical Consequences Questions

The likely long-term consequences of the current trends in religious life in American society and Western societies in general is that individuals will continue to change how they practice religion and there will be an increase in those who choose to practice no religion. Provided that governments remain to avoid intervening in the practice of religion, individuals will not be required to follow specific religious values. Therefore, they will continue to adapt their own religion in ways that are easier to practice and has more meaning for them. It is possible that this will result in decreased church attendance because individuals will favor private personalized worship over shared rituals in public. On the surface, it will appear that religion has diminished value to society. However, this will not be the case. It will simply be exercised differently which will make these religious practices more difficult to detect. Ultimately, the illusion of secularization will continue.

Some individuals will consider these aforementioned trends as good, while others will consider them to be bad. In a sense, human beings are religious by nature because they seek to find answers to many questions unique to our situation in the universe. While many individuals turn to religion for these answers, others turn to scientific fact. If people continue to turn to religion to answer intrinsic questions about their existence, organized religion will continue to have a place in society. However, those that believe these religious answers are not adequate will turn to science for these answers and are more likely to adopt agnostic and atheist beliefs. The shifting of religion into personalized practice is not necessarily bad. While it marks the disappearance of religion as we know it, it allows people to answer their own questions about life in a manner that is meaningful to them. In the past, organized religion existed due to groups of people sharing these beliefs. However, since people’s opinions concerning existence are becoming more and more complex, it is preferable to allow them to practice on their own. Therefore, religion is changing form in some instances and disappearing in others. While we consider Christians to be those that believe in the miracles of Jesus Christ, it is essential for us to notice the diversity of beliefs in Christian groups. Among these groups, there exists dissenting opinions to some degree. Therefore, as religious beliefs are becoming more and more detailed, it will become impossible to form large groups of individuals who identify with identical beliefs and agree upon the proper way to practice. While the dissolution of organized churches are unlikely to occur in this lifetime, this trend appears to be approaching.