Peter Berger ( 1967 )

Secularisation theory has argued that modernisation has undermined religion. The importance of science and technology on economic development and rational worldview on which they depend on are seen as destroying the belief in supernatural. However religion can contribute to development, but most recently sociologists have examined what role religion may play in development in today’s globalising world.

Secularism is a religion to get rid of the control of the social life and political

This work investigates the implications of theories of global change for the study of religion generally and, through a series of case studies, applications of those theories to specific religious movements. In particular, Beyer is interested in the seeming contradiction of the persistence of conflict between social units within a globalizing world that is more and more becoming a "single place." The first half of his book, the introduction and four chapters, is taken up with theoretical definitions of religion as a social system and the position of that social system with regard to other systems. The second half of the book, five chapters, explores applications of Beyer’s theorizing to a wide range of world religious particularities.

Secularism is the indifference to or rejection of formal religion. The most secular countries today are in Europe. Secularism has become more widespread during the past century due to the rise in democracy. Democratic governments disadvantage the traditional practices of a religion because they offer freedom, whereas other forms of government may force it's population to practice a specific religion. For example, the predominance of Islam in the Middle East can be associated with the influence of Taliban, a militant movement in the area that enforces the Islamic religion.

Sociologists argue that in Britain, there has been an overall steady decline in the importance of religion since the 19th century, which has led some sociologists to suggest there was a ‘golden age’ of religiosity. Many sociologists have proposed explanations for the secularisation thesis, for example Weber, Berger and Bruce. However Postmodernists criticise the secularisation theory as they believe that religion hasn’t declined it has just become modernised. Other theories, such as religious market theory and existential security theory, also go against the view that Britain is becoming a secular society as they believe religion takes form in

The Interviewee John has had experiences with secularisation throughout his life from being in a cult religion in a very religious region of America to having no involvement in a formal religion and living in an Australian region with little to no religious influence. John has seen many changes in rationalisation from living in a traditional society based on the past and now in a society and time that promotes rationalisation and individual thoughts and ideas. We will further explore additional connections, of our interviewees experiences to these processes of modernity.

Religion is a very important factor that plays a key role in the radicalization of an

Religious movements are gaining influence in many parts of the world and offer people guidance on a wide variety of personal, social, and political issues. The impact of religion differs on cultures and societies and does not occur with any degree of predictability. According to Max Weber, religious beliefs often shape human institutions that in turn influence human behavior; this is true of Iraq. During the 1970s, Iraq was a reasonably prosperous, developing country with emerging secular views among the populace; however, the destruction brought by economic sanctions, the Iran-Iraq War, and the Gulf War eroded the Iraqi sense of well-being. Religion became a place of safe-haven; a place that provided a common language and means of communication among members of a group. It provided social services for the poor, and used religious taxes

Over the course of the last century, the Islamic Republic of Iran (formerly known as Persia) has seen colonialism, the end of a dynasty, the installation of a government by a foreign power, and just over three decades ago, the popular uprising and a cleric-led revolution. These events preceded what could be considered the world’s first Islamic state, as politics and fundamentalist religion are inextricably linked in contemporary Iran. Looking at Iran from the mid 1940’s until the present day, one can trace the path that led to the rise of fundamental Islam in Iran in three distinct periods. The first is that which began with the rise of secular nationalism and the decline of Islam. In

The term of “fundamentalism” was originally used in the United States at the early of the 20th century, when the Protestant expresses their will to go back to the fundamental of their faith (Ammerman, 1998). The main goal of fundamentalism is to put religion at the center stage of political and social life. According to Karen Armstrong, the followers of fundamentalism, unlike extremisms nor conservatism, represent a kind of revolt or rebellion against the secular hegemony of the modern world (Armstrong, 2002). Armstrong also describes fundamentalist movements as embattled forms of spirituality, which emerged as a response to a crisis. For example, the Islamic fundamentalism emerges following the second Arab-Israeli War in 1967 where the Arabs lost control over Jerusalem; home of the Islamic holiest sites such as Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, and Al Aqsa Mosque. Thus, generated religious crisis within Islam (Silberstein, 1993). The second examples would be the Jewish fundamentalism, which also the immediate result from the Six Day War in 1967 (Lustick, University of Pennsylvania).

In the late 20th century, the world was shaken with the news of two major Islamic revolutions. The first one happened at Iran and the second one happened in Afghanistan. As a result Islamic law and religious oppression ruled both of these countries. Although religious fundamentalism played a big role in these revolutions, both of them had very different cultural, political and economic reasons for happening.

When Joris-Karl Huysmans wrote 'En route' in the late nineteenth century, I gauged it as a cultural clone of today's values - ye-s, secularism resided in Paris back then. Indeed back in Huysmans's day, he was responding to Catholicism, but you quickly unfathom the rule of pious indoctrination is much of a muchness.... Huysmans states... "The Church is the divine breeding ground, the heavenly dispensary of souls; she gives them suck, nourishes them, and heals them; she bids them understand, when the hour of sorrow comes, that true life begins, not at birth, but at death. The Church is indefectible, before all things admirable, she is great — Yes, but then we must

The Fifth Element illustrates an advanced society that is characterized by sociocultural evolution, long-term social trends resulting from the interaction of continuity, innovation, and selection (Schaefer, 2013). The film is reflective of the society’s cultural advancements in technology, industry and media. Known for being a blockbuster action sci-fi, The Fifth Element contains several sociological concepts which include secularization, agents of socialization, conferral of status, and Marx’s “Power Elite”. The secularization theory refers to the belief that as societies progress, particularly through modernization and rationalization, religion loses its authority in all aspects of social life (Norris, 2004). Émile Durkheim hypothesized

The way in which ideas are constructed, shared, and interpreted is largely a result of one’s culture, philosophy, and experience. These elements are a result of one’s environment, and education; as if one grows up in the United States, in modern day and a normative household, then they will understand and experience religion differently than one growing up in Iran. One example in the United States is the separation of Church and State, a foundation United States principle, while this idea is not commonly believed possible in Iran. This difference in thought is largely a result of both nations, or cultures different understandings of religion, with the United States being largely focused on ritualistic and organized movements that worship a

Religious Fundamentalism is not a modern phenomenon, although, there has received a rise in the late twentieth century. It occurs differently in different parts of the world but arises in societies that are deeply troubled or going through a crisis (Heywood, 2012, p. 282). The rise in Religious Fundamentalism can be linked to the secularization thesis which implies that victory of reason over religion follows modernization. Also, the moral protest of faiths such as Islam and Christianity can be linked to the rise of Religious Fundamentalism, as they protest the influence of corruption and pretence that infiltrate their beliefs from the spread of secularization (Heywood, 2012, p. 283). Religious Fundamentalists have followed a traditional