This section looks at postmodernity and how individuals can make choices about what type of religion to be a part of; the element of choice in a globalised society has meant that there is now a religious market and this therefore competes with the secularisation debate. In this topic we look at:

 

• Theories of late modernity and postmodernity - these argue that religion is not declining but merely changing as society develops.

• Religious market theory - the view that secularisation is only one stage of a constant cycle of secularisation, revival and renewal.

• Existential security theory - the view that religion has declined in richer countries because they are more economically secure.

 

Therefore the learning objectives for this topic are as follows:

• To understand reasons why some sociologists reject the idea of secularisation

• To be able to analyse alternative interpretations of the nature and position of religion today

• To understand and be able to evaluate debates about the nature and extent of secularisation