The Notion of Secularization and Its Development - Essay Example

Running Header: Secularization Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Secularization Introduction Secularization has been defined in different perspectives by different scholars and theorists. However, the whole idea revolves around the change of religious values attached to people towards being closely identified with secular institutions or civil society. Several individuals have dedicated their knowledge in ensuring they convince people and society on the existence and development of secularization. Max Weber, Sigmund, Karl Marx, and Emile Durkheim are some of the individuals who have contributed greatly in this field of Secularization. Several individuals have continued to contribute and give their views on Secularization even in the current world like Mark Chaves and Demerath. Definition and development of Secularization David (1999) argues that, according to social theorists like Max Weber, Sigmund, Karl Marx, and Emile Durkheim, Secularization is the transformation or conversion of a society from being closely identified with religious institutions and values to irreligious or non-religious values as well as secular institutions. Max Weber continues to say that Secularization is the property transfer from ecclesiastical to be possessed by civil society. According to Charles Bradlaugh who was a political activist, secularization is an activity which involves changing something like education, morality or even art so that it is no longer under religion influence or control. Secularization thesis is the belief that as society advances, and in particular through rationalization and modernization, there is loss of authority by religion in all perspectives of governance and social life. Secularism can be said to be the right to be free from the teachings and rules of the religion according to Karl Max. It is the right to be free from religion imposition by government on the people within a neutral state on matters regarding belief. Weber (2002) maintains that Social theorists like Max Weber, Sigmund, Karl Marx, and Emile Durkheim suggested that, society modernization include a decrease in religious levels. They claimed that it was the manner in which religious creeds, institutions and practices were losing their social significance. A modern theorist Moojan Momen (1999) described five ways of viewing secularism. He implied that secularization is decline or decrease in popular involvement in religion that is institutionalized. He related this to decrease in baptisms, marriages and attendance in church. He also defined it as decrease of influence by religious organizations. He termed it as a society separation from world of religion so that religion becomes a matter that is purely personal. Moojan’s view on secularization was that, it was loss of sacred ideas; as understanding of humanity in science increase, area of supernatural and religion decreases. Moojan said that secularization began and developed when religious groups became more concerned with science world things other than spiritual world. According to Moojan, secularization in Europe came forth in the nineteenth century. He commented that secularization has slowly permeated the Christians in the world. He noted that the much influence that Christianity had on political and social life had declined in Europe by nineteenth. According to Moojan, this was the initial process of secularization development. Secularization theory enlightens that the advancement of modern society leads to a more secular world. This is accompanied by religion becoming hollow. The rise of science and technology has been attributed with the rise of secularization. Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber are said to be sociology founders who noted this decline. William James who was a lecture in 1901-1902 also noted this change in religion influence. Originally, secularization referred to as the transfer of religious property to state or civil ownership. Secularization was recorded first after 30 years of war in 1648. It was meant to transfer lands that were owned by church to the state in England. In 17th century, huge pieces of lands were owned by Christian churches as well as Christian institutions even in non-Christian countries. Christian churches controlled large properties even in non-Christian countries which states increasingly secularized. Dissolution of monasteries by Henry VIII in England was one of the secularizing steps. Over time, secularization has become primarily a process by which influence by religion over government, behavior, ideas and institutions has greatly reduced. The reliance over worldly aspects has increased greatly. Taylor (2007) maintains that in the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) and Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) enlightened about philosophy and science as major influencers of society rather than religion. There argued that great watchmaker who created the earth did not intervene after creation. This was refurbished so as to fit theories of evolution. This enlightenment on secularization by Thomas and Benjamin spread widely among many intellectuals of the time. A number of intellectuals encouraged secularism with their writings like John Stuart Mill’s on liberty in 1859 and John Locke’s A letter Concerning Toleration of 1689. Their writings were advocating religious toleration. Enlightenment writers put a lot of weight on anticlericalism and went ahead to attack Catholic Church. Other theorist who encouraged secularization was Voltaire (1994-1778) who argued that religion was only good for lower classes so as to keep them peaceful, diligent and honest. Such theorists got support during French Revolution from anti-church violence. According to Clarke (2009), the rise of nationalism and nation states also encouraged secularism except in countries like former Yugoslavia, Poland, and Ireland where nationalist and religious boundaries coincided. Urbanization, industrialization, and rise of economic class group’s role assisted in undermining religious ties and promoting ideologies on secular issues regardless of whether liberal, socialist, or nationalist. The socialist movement that was arising was anti-religious. The Karl’s Marx (1818-1883) atheism, regarded religion as not essential in a communist state, became common amongst workers and their followers. In mid 19th century in England, George Holyoake (1817-1906) coined the secularism and secularist terms. George Holyoake founded a society that was secularist. This assisted in ending religious discrimination not only in parliament but other places as well. Vincent (2009) argues that Elite ideas in the late 19th century were more secular and atheist. The elite ideas in England were brought around by theorists like Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and Thomas Huxley (1825-1895). Russia’s radical literary critics and new sociology ideas were brought out by theorists like August Comte (1798-1857), Max Weber (1864-1920), and Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) among others. In German, secularization was coined by Richard Straus (1864-1949) while in French land it was Ernest Renan (1823-1892) who coined it where he undermined faith in the religions that were established. Many religions endorsed superiority and control of men to women which led to women’s rights movements that were viewed as secular in their effect. Women were denied rights to political participation, work, property ownership and even control of their bodies. This resistance to women’s rights has mainly been based on anti-secular and religious ideas. According to Somerville (1998), Karl Marx did not outlook his work as an ideological or even as an ethical response to 19th century capitalism. Marx found himself to be doing sociology that was morally neutral for sake of human progress. Marx held that religion was a considerable hindrance to reason behind rights of people. He continued to say that it intrinsically covered the truth as well as misguiding followers. Social alienation was viewed by Marx as the heart of social inequality. He said that the freedom was antithesis to this alienation hence propagating freedom meant to tell truth to individuals while giving them a choice of denying or accepting it. This led to Marx suggesting that religion needed to be prohibited; this eventually led to his ideas on the secularization. He argued against church or Christians believes that those who were rich and with a lot of properties were not going to see kingdom of heaven as suggested by Partridge (2004). He continued to argue against believe that those who suffer poverty and oppression in their life were going to get spiritual wealth, and that they would be rewarded in heaven. These believes made him came with the famous line that “religion is regarded as the opium of the people”. He claimed that religion dulls and soothes their senses to a point of oppression pain. This argument had a strong believe on his secularization theory. He claimed that church had no reason to hold on physical properties and other religious properties as well as education, morality or even art. He claimed that there was need to transfer all those properties to civil people land states. This is the main idea behind secularization development by Marx. Michael (2006) maintains that, According to Weber who was a great theorist, religious groups or individuals were influenced greatly by religious views and perspectives. Weber’s work did not put a lot of emphasizes on the term secularization, but his ideas revolved around the work of secularization. However, he gives a lot of credit to religion because of their effort to shape people’s image in the world. Swedberg (1999) argued that, Weber believed that religion really helped in giving rise to capitalism of modern time. He asserted this in his controversial and most famous work. Christiano (2008) maintains that currently, secularization is understood as sociology of religion by many people and scholars. Scholars and theorist like Mark Chaves and Demerath have came up with the idea that secularization has turned out to be neo-secularization meaning that the religious authority has declined significantly. They argue that religion has diminishing authority on several issues like birth control, and that secularization is taking control although religious affiliation is not declining especially in United States. Conclusion Secularization has developed with time from the influence of some major scholars and theorist like Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley, Ernest Renan, Richard Straus, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. They have contributed greatly towards realization of Secularization as well as its establishment. Several people including scholars and theorists have come up with different definitions of secularization. Secularization can generally be defined as the conversion of a society from being closely identified with religion and all its aspects to non-religious values. Secularization started long time ago since 17th century in England where churches owned large pieces of land and other properties of the country. Prince Henry VIII Dissolution of monasteries in England marked the beginning of Secularization which developed later after some years. References Christiano, K 2008, Sociology of Religion: contemporary Developments, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Clarke, P 2009, The Oxford Handbook of the sociology of Religion, Oxford: Oxford University Press. David, M. 1999, A General Theory of Secularization, New York: Harper & Row. Michael, W 2006, The Idea of secularization in the works of Max Weber: A theoretical outline, Journal of qualitative sociology, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 85-111. Partridge, C 2004, Encyclopedia of New Religions, Oxford, UK: Lion Publishing. Somerville, C. J 1998, Secular Society and Religious Population: Our Tacit Rules for using the term Secularization, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 249- 253. Swedberg, R 1999, Max Weber as an Economist and a sociologist, American Journal of Economics and sociology, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 24-53. Taylor, C 2007, A Secular Age, Harvard: Harvard University Press. Vincent, B 2009, Marx, London: Routledge Press. Weber, M 2002, The Protestant Ethic and the spirit of Capitalism, Los Angeles: Roxbury Company. Read More