Imagination And Secularization

Register to read the introduction… Secularization refers to the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values toward non-religious values. It refers to the belief that as societies progress, particularly through modernization and rationalization, religion loses its authority in all aspects of social life and governance. Stark provides many pieces of evidence that disagree with the theory of secularization. He believes that secularization is an exaggeration that has been passed over the years - a theory that will never come …show more content…
Starks shows that these five conclusions about secularization are what make the theory of secularization myth. First, it is agreement that modernization will be the reason that religious views will no longer exist. As industrialization, urbanization, and rationalization increase, religiousness will decrease because of rational thought. However, modernization is a long, slow, and gradual process that has been ongoing for years, which means secularization must be a long, gradual process that must have started already because modernization has. This means secularization must be on ‘ongoing’, but we have not seen any significant downward trend in religion in the past years. Secondly, all secularization prophecies do not direct their attention to the institutional differentiation, but to personal piety and the beliefs of the individual. It is hard to judge personal beliefs because of all the different forces that affect a person and how they view religion. Thirdly, of all the different aspects of modernization, science will be the most important factor in the process of secularization. However, scientists are as about religious than any other person, and any connection of science and secularization seems mythical. The fourth thing to notice is that secularization is regarded to as an irreversible state, that once achieved, religion will be terminated …show more content…
However, modernization has been an ongoing factor in society and yet we see no start of secularization. The answer to the theory of secularization is the sociological imagination itself. Every person has many different natural forces that shape the life they live, and all of these factors play into the decisions a person makes daily. Since there are so many forces, which play into a person’s life, modernization alone cannot make one person lose faith in the supernatural. Every person’s supernatural beliefs are based on so many different factors that come from all different angles. Modernization alone cannot bring an end to religion because of those other factors that play into a persons’ private