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Religion in Western sociology Universalist discourses and particularist indicators

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Title: Religion in Western sociology Universalist discourses and particularist indicators


1
Religion in Western sociologyUniversalist
discourses and particularist indicators
  • Introduction do discourses and indicators apply
    beyond Western nations? religion from a
    sociological and empirical (large-scale survey)
    perspective
  • Discourses secularization, religious pluralism,
    supply-side theory
  • Indicators theory on religion as a universal
    condition humaine, but indicators applying to
    Western markets only key concepts from EVS/WVS,
    ISSP and RAMP
  • Conclusions

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
2
DiscoursesSecularization
  • Unclear content fall church membership and
    visits or orientation on worldly issues (the
    immanent) or waning interest in decisive reality
    above daily reality (from the divine to the
    human) or declining role religion in daily lives
    and society
  • Imprecise cause modernization heralding reason
    and manifest experiences (is a belief itself)
    all facets of modernization cause secularization
    or just a few and why exactly
  • Contradicting facts popularity new movements
    rising fundamentalism no linear decline
    European or American exceptionalism (Americans
    forget that state and pace secularization in
    Europe differs)

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
3
DiscoursesSecularization
  • A three level perspective (Dobbelaere)
  • societal functional differentiation secular
    institutions take over roles of the religious
    (education, health care)
  • subsystem functional rationality governs
    subsystems, e.g., economy, politics, etc., and
    even new religions (offering immediate insights
    and potencies)
  • individual secularization-in-mind loose
    communities, individualization of choices,
    compartimentalization of orientations (religious
    bricolage, religion à la carte, including mix
    from popculture, science etc.)
  • Empirical search for links of levels still open

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
4
DiscoursesReligious pluralism
  • Religion, geo-identity, and power (a.o. Martin)
    relationships national, e.g., identity and
    authority
  • Complete pluralism relationships weak, competing
    denominations (US?)
  • Qualified pluralism stronger relationships,
    competition between (within) churches and elites
    (UK, Scandinavia)
  • Segmented pluralism rival groups and subcultural
    elites in separate regions (NL, Germany)
  • The stronger the power ties to institutions, the
    longer the presence of churches at least at the
    elite level (secularization weaker in fully
    Catholic societies)

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
5
DiscoursesReligious pluralism
  • Diversifying religious markets (Luckmann,
    Norris Inglehart, Jagodzinski)
  • Theory of the invisible religion emergence
    religion that do not need institutional framework
    AND provide meaning fits pluriform society
  • Problem What to NOT include as religious,
    religion e.g., search for charismatic power (can
    be sports team) that helps block existential
    questions
  • Theory of rise, decline, and alternatives rise
    in insecure societies in secure decline AND
    search for meaning of life answers in
    non-hierarchical, non-totalist, non-absolutist,
    tailor-made initiatives
  • Religiosity is not in decline, traditional forms
    are secularization theory is partly right/wrong

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
6
DiscoursesSupply-side theory
  • Religion as a market place (Stark, Iannaccone,
    Fink) Engagement stimulated if religions
    compete (opposes secularization notion that
    competition undermines authority) religions aim
    for market share -gt thus accommodate members -gt
    higher religious activity citizenry
  • Problem tests with church membership proper
    proxy of activity? cross-cultural validity? new
    religions not always membership-based in nations
    in which competition is outlawed, activity is
    high (Arab world)
  • Problem 2 idea of free choice is disputable, but
    not tested idea of stable demand, variable
    supply based on disputable and tautologic notion
    of universal need for religion

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
7
IndicatorsOr, how to make Western religious
activity universal
  • European Values Study (EVS)/World Values Survey
    (WVS)
  • Based in search for religious values
  • 1981 1990 1999/2000
  • Almost all European countries in last EVS-wave
  • International Social Survey Programme (ISSP)
  • Changing subjects each wave/module
  • Religion 1991 1998 2008
  • About 40 Western and non-Western countries
  • Religious and Moral Pluralism (RAMP)
  • Aimed at secularization debate
  • 1997-1999 data
  • 11 European countries

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
8
IndicatorsExploring the codebooks
  • Denomination Do you (RAMP considering yourself
    to) belong to a religious denomination? In ISSP
    too much variation in wordings. Is first question
    in EVS/WVS and only opportunity for those
    adhering to non-monotheistic religions all
    subsequent questions presuppose monotheism and
    sometimes simply Christianity God as a singular
    entity, whose word is in the Bible, to whom you
    can have personal relationship
  • The question of forced choice (religion A or B)
    and the theoretical debate on bricolage no good
    indicator for the latter

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
9
IndicatorsExploring the codebooks
  • Church attendance EVS/WVS/RAMP How often do
    you attend religious services in variable
    Likert-scale formats (is not same as attending
    church which presupposed community/organization
    and building) ISSP again much variation in
    wording across countries also taking part in
    activities or organizations of a church or place
    of worship other than attending services
  • Most presuppose activity one undergoes passively
    (a service) that is offered by professional
    (priest, etc.) religions that have
    institutionalized ceremonies with authority
    figures who serve as middlemen between God and
    attendees only

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
10
IndicatorsExploring the codebooks
  • Religious practices EVS Do you take some
    moments of prayer, meditation or contemplation or
    something like that (combining all reflexive
    action in one Q yet answer is yes or no) In
    RAMP also Q on religious services for birth,
    marriage, and death, but only on importance of
    these services, not on the practice
  • No info on frequencies of practices today, even
    when secularization and supply-side theory
    typically call for such info (in general or
    only at crucial life-events)

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
11
IndicatorsExploring the codebooks
  • Religious beliefs beliefs in doctrines God,
    life after death, hell, heaven, sin, and
    telepathy (and seperately re-incarnation with
    explanation - and angels with no explanation).
    EVS yes or no ISSP also probably yes or
    no RAMP also on salvation (very Christian
    wording) and concept of Jesus
  • More precise on the concept of God God with whom
    you can have a personal relationship (builds on
    Judeo-Christian idea that God takes interest in,
    interacts with person) or some life force
    (singular!). In ISSP very confusing choices and
    one-sided question if there is a God who concerns
    Himself with humans (where is the interaction?).
    RAMP also God as something inside each person
    instead of out there a forced choice leaving no
    room for simultaneously possible concepts

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
12
IndicatorsExploring the codebooks
  • Importance of religion EVS/WVS societal and
    individual church adequate to moral needs,
    problems of family life, mans (!) spiritual
    needs, social problems we face (only yes or
    no) ISSP on power church in society and (only
    1998) agreement with better country if religion
    less influence RAMP retrospective on level of
    influence on severlal life domains, but uses
    wordings such should main religions be consulted
    when making laws on moral issues all (except
    ISSP 1998) include importance God in (daily) life
    (and on making important decisions).
  • No real assessment of societal role of church,
    needed for testing secularization theiory
    possible with EVS/WVS, but this is maybe too much
    to ask of surveys of individuals!

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
13
IndicatorsExploring the codebooks
  • Religiosity EVS/WVS Whether or nog belonging
    to church, are you religious person, not a
    religious person or absolute atheist (limited
    choice!) and thinking of meaning of life. ISSP
    self-assessment on 7-point Likert-scale
    extremely (non) religious. RAMP idem, and Do
    you have a spiritual lifesomething that goes
    beyond merely (!!!) intellectual and emotional
    life (suggestive) feel close to church (helas
    filtered for belongers) ever had a religious
    experience of something that exists which you
    may call God (a regretful addition, making it
    again monotheist and probably associated with
    traditional beliefs)

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
14
IndicatorsExploring the codebooks
  • New religions or non-traditional experiences of
    transcendence EVS e.g., feeling in touch with
    something far away, with someone who died (could
    also be part of traditional beliefs no sharp
    distinction between old-new) Q on new religions
    only in 1999 believe in supernatural forces a
    Mighty Power, God, a Spirit (again no
    distinction old-new believers in the
    traditional God could also agree) also
    possession of/believe in lucky charm, mascot,
    talisman ISSP lucky charms bring luck, fortune
    tellers foresee future, persons star sign affect
    course of future, etc. true-untrue 4 point
    Likert (no info on participation) more in RAMP
    prosession of a crucifix or Saint Christopher
    medal (Catholic items!)
  • All seem to dwell on the clairvoyant, new age
    type of experiences no serious alternative
    religions considered, and lacking proper old-new
    distinctions

Henk Vinken KGU Tokyo Study Group Meeting
Tokyo, May 19, 2006
15
Conclusions
  • Majority Q Western (idea personal God choose one
    religion attend services lead by middlemen,
    etc.), Christian, on doctrinal issues between
    Christian factions, or simply only Catholic
  • Lack insights non-monotheist, non-traditional
    religions
  • Problem if these survey go beyond Western
    contexts and are fielded unchanged
  • But also in West more polytheist, non-traditional
    belief systems on the rise (due to immigration
    and globalization) and thus not tapped

16
Conclusions
  • The reviewed surveys are
  • Non-inclusive
  • Othering (Masuzawa)
  • Missing the key theoretical issues
  • Surveys should give respondents more options,
    come up with better questions, go beyond the
    mystic, clairvoyant and obscure (is othering as
    well), start with addressing what it means to be
    religious in other cultures with floroushing
    non-institutionalized, individualized religious
    activities
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