Desecularization

Importance of religion by country in a 2008-2009 poll by Gallup.

In sociology, desecularization (also spelled desecularisation) is a resurgence or growth of religion after a period of secularization. The theory of desecularization is a reaction to the theory known as the secularization thesis, which posits a gradual decline in the importance of religion and of religious belief itself, as a universal feature of modern society.[1] The term desecularization was coined by Peter L. Berger, a former proponent of the secularization thesis, in his 1999 book The Desecularization of the World.[2]

Demonstration during the Iranian Revolution. The banner reads: We want an Islamic government, led by Imam Khomeini.

Proponents of the theory of desecularization point to examples such as the Islamic revival since the 1970s, in particular the Iranian Revolution, the resurgence of religion in Russia and China, where governments have practiced state atheism, and the growing Christian population in the Global South.[2] Berger also cited the rise of evangelical Christianity in the United States and elsewhere, rising religiosity in Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, and the prevalence of religious conflict as evidence of the continued relevance of religion in the modern world. He claimed that the world today "is as furiously religious as it ever was".[3]

The skeptic Michael Shermer wrote: "At the beginning of the twentieth century social scientists predicted that belief in God would decrease by the end of the century because of the secularization of society. In fact… the opposite has occurred… Never in history have so many, and such a high percentage of the population believed in God. Not only is God not dead, as Nietzsche proclaimed, but he has never been more alive."[4]

Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart argue that it is both true that (1) "virtually all advanced industrial societies" have become more secular in recent decades, but also that (2) people with religious beliefs represent a growing share of the world population, due to the higher fertility rate in poorer countries and among religious believers.[1] Vyacheslav Karpov states that secularization and desecularization are not mutually exclusive, but rather involve an interplay between the two phenomena.[2]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Karpov, V. (2010-03-01). "Desecularization: A Conceptual Framework". Journal of Church and State. 52 (2): 232–270, 232. doi:10.1093/jcs/csq058. ISSN 0021-969X.
  3. ^ Berger, Peter (1999). The desecularization of the world : resurgent religion and world politics. Washington, D.C.: Ethics and Public Policy Center. p. 2. ISBN 978-0802846914. OCLC 41445734.
  4. ^ How We Believe: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God by Michael Shermer, Preface to the book, 2003