Postmodernists believe that rather than declining, religion is changing. This is due to changes in society such as consumerism and greater individualism. This hints towards less dedication and comitment to religion. Sociologists like Davie disagree with secularisation but agree that everyday use of churchs are a thing of the past.
Davie 07’ says that religion is taking a more privatised form. Although going to church has declined, this is believed to be because attendance is now a matter of personal choice rather than an obligation. However she argues that people still use the church for rights of passage such as baptisms and feel a psychological attachment to the church in one form or another, however they refrain from using the church for everyday use like people did in the past. This argument of ‘vicarious religion’ is supported by Reginald Bibby 93’ and his Canadian study which found that 80% of Canadians had religious beliefs and turned to religion for rights of passage and identify positively with religious traditions, although only a mere 25% attended church regularly. This shows that in todays world we ‘believe without belonging’. People tend to be drawn to the church in times of national tragedy, for example the death of Princess Diana, similarly to personal family losses. Davie argues that we use the church to provide ritual and support, which functionalists would also agree with. On the other hand, the British Social Attitudes Surveys of 1983 – 2000 show that both church attendance and belief in God have declined.
Different societies deal with modernisation differently, for example Britain and America are both modern states, however compared to us, America has a lot higher church attendance rate. Religion almost acts on a demand and supply regime. Participation increases when there is an ample supply of religious groups but declines when supply is restricted. In Japan until 1945 Shintoism was a state religion, however after this religion was...