Not so indifferent after all? Self-conscious atheism and the secularisation thesis

Commenting on the lack of self-conscious atheists in apparently secularised Western European societies, the British sociologist Steve Bruce has argued that strong expressions of unbelief are in fact symptomatic of religious cultures. In 1996’s Religion in the Modern World, for instance, he writes: ‘it should be no surprise that, though there are more avowed atheists than there were twenty years ago, they remain rare. Self-conscious atheism and agnosticism are features of religious cultures and [in Britain] were at their height in the Victorian era. They are postures adopted in a world where people are keenly interested in religion.’ (Bruce 1996: 58.) Likewise, discussing possible ‘endpoints’ of European secularisation in 2002’s God is Dead, Bruce states: In so far as I can imagine an endpoint, it would not be conscious irreligion; you have to care too much about religion to be irreligious. It would be widespread indifference (what Weber called being religiously unmusical); no socially significant shared religion; and religious ideas being no more common than would be the case if all minds were wiped blank and people began from scratch to think about the world and their place in it. (Bruce 2002: 42, my emphasis.)Paradoxical though it may sound at first, Bruce’s basic­ argument makes considerable sense. The idea that certain forms of particularly positive atheism – by which I mean a definite belief in the non-existence of a God or gods, as opposed to the simple absence of a belief in the same (negative atheism) – might be motivated, conditioned, or reinforced, by contrast with certain, socially prevalent religious beliefs or practices is scarcely controversial. After all, it would be strange to take one’s atheism seriously in a society where no one took theism seriously. A society that is indifferent to manifestations of religion (such as Bruce and others depict many late-modern western societies as being) ought, therefore, to be just as indifferent to manifestations of ‘nonreligion’

Economic models of church life: Three nudges towards better behaviour

Economic ideas have long shed light on diverse spheres of social and cultural life. Religion is no exception and has spawned a large and thriving subfield. However, whereas recent decades have famously witnessed a ‘behavioural’ turn in economics – with Nobel prizes going to two pioneers of the field, Daniel Kahneman in 2002 and Richard Thaler in 2017 – there has yet to be significant work done in the ‘behavioural economics of religion’. This is a shame; there are good reasons for thinking that behavioural-economic theories and findings might be particularly well suited to illumine several areas of practical church life. In what is hopefully a light and quasi-entertaining way, this article offers (wildly speculative!) applications of behavioural economic ideas to three live topics within the sociology of religion and/or pastoral theology: the ‘empty’ church, the success of US megachurches, and church planting

Explaining the Rise of “Nonreligion Studies”: Subfield Formation and Institutionalization within the Sociology of Religion

As recently as 2008, a major reference work in the sociology of religion could (correctly) describe the study of atheism, secularity, and nonreligion as ‘meager, fragmentary, and unappreciated’. Only a decade later, this situation has been radically transformed. Not only is there a substantial, ever-growing, and constantly diversifying (methodologically, theoretically, geographically) research literature, but ‘nonreligion studies’ now possesses a full ‘academic architecture’ of conferences, journals, monograph series, professional communities, and grant successes. Over this period, the study of nonreligion has become increasingly institutionalized as an established subfield of the sociology of religion. This has not simply come about by magic. On the contrary, there are very good sociological reasons i) why, for over a century, nonreligion failed to take off (outside of certain, telling milieux) as an area of sustained sociological interest; and ii) why and how this has – seemingly so rapidly – changed

Power, Preferment, and Patronage: Catholic Bishops, Social Networks, and the Affair(s) of Ex-Cardinal McCarrick

Social Network Analysis (SNA) has shed powerful light on cultures where the influence of patronage, preferment, and reciprocal obligations are traditionally important. We argue here that episcopal appointments, culture, and governance within the Catholic Church are ideal topics for SNA interrogation. This paper presents preliminary findings, using original network data for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. These show how a network-informed approach may help with the urgent task of understanding the ecclesiastical cultures in which sexual abuse occurs, and/or is enabled, ignored, and covered up. Particular reference is made to Theodore McCarrick, the former DC Archbishop recently “dismissed from the clerical state”. Commentators naturally use terms like “protégé”, “clique”, “network”, and “kingmaker” when discussing both the McCarrick affair and church politics more generally: precisely such folk-descriptions of social and political life that SNA is designed to quantify and explain

Contemporary Catholicism in England and Wales: a statistical report based on recent British Social Attitudes Survey Data

The purpose of this report is very simple: it aims to provide a set of reliable, up-to-date statistics on the overall state of Catholicism in England and Wales. Each of the four chapters covers a key area: • The place of Catholicism within the religious make-up of England and Wales as a whole. • The demographic profile (age, sex, race/ethnicity) of the Catholic subpopulation. • Levels of retention, disaffiliation, and conversion. • Levels of church attendance. While the natural focus of each chapter is on Catholics, where useful and appropriate, comparisons will sometimes be drawn to the general population, 'Christians in general', and/or selected other denominations. This is most obviously the case in chapter one, which presents data on English and Welsh religion as a whole. The original analyses in this report are all based upon publicly available data collected as part of the highly respected British Social Attitudes survey (BSA), administered by NatCen Social Research. Most of the charts and tables presented here are based on the BSA's most recently released waves (2012-14 inclusive), although earlier years are sometimes used for the purposes of historical comparison

To Conscience first, and to the Pope (long) afterwards? British Catholics and their attitudes towards morality and structural issues concerning the Catholic Church

Background The attitudes of Catholics in Britain have undergone significant liberalisation on social moral issues across recent decades, whilst the reputation of the Catholic Church has suffered due to public opposition to its traditional teachings on such issues. But there has been comparatively little recent scholarly investigation into British Catholics’ views on these debates using surveys specifically aimed at this religious community. Purpose This article examines the sources of attitudinal heterogeneity amongst Catholics in Britain on core debates affecting the Catholic Church. The aims are to examine, firstly, which groups within the British Catholic Community are more likely to conform to or to dissent from the Church’s teachings and, secondly, whether the socio-demographic and religious correlates of attitudes vary across different types of issue. Methods This article uses a new, nationally representative survey of Catholic adults (in terms of age, sex, and region) in Britain (n=1,823). The survey is used to examine the sources of variation in Catholics’ attitudes towards a range of issues relating to the Roman Catholic Church. These issues relate to the priesthood, personal morality, and sinful behaviours. OLS models are used to assesses the relative impact of socio-demographic, religious socialisation, and religious commitment variables. Results The findings demonstrate that gender and generational group form important dividing lines within the British Catholic community. Women and post-Vatican II Catholics are much more liberal in their views. Different manifestations of religious commitment are associated with Catholics’ attitudes in consistent ways across issues. Greater commitment is always associated with support for the traditional teachings of the Church. Conclusions and implications By exploring of the sources of attitudinal heterogeneity among Catholics, much light is shed on both the internal dynamics of ‘Britain’s largest minority’, and thus on contemporary British religion in general. We conclude by discussing the potential effects of increasing ‘nonversion’ for interpreting religious statistics – a topic, like much else in this paper, of relevance beyond the denominational and geographical confines of its explicit focus

Why Younger Catholics Seem More Committed: Survivorship Bias and/or “Creative Minority” Effects among British Catholics

The normative value of, and the extent of popular engagement with, different forms of commitment differ across Christian religious traditions, but studies often show women and older people exhibiting greater religiosity in their behaviour and belief. Using a multi-dimensional approach to religious commitment, this study uses a new survey to provide an in-depth assessment of Catholics in Britain. It finds that younger cohorts show greater involvement in some aspects of commitment and that there is very limited evidence for gender differences. Family religious socialisation plays a key role in patterns of commitment relative to the weak impact of schooling. Two potential explanations for this counterintuitively positive ‘youth effect’ seen amongst British Catholics are offered: ‘survivor bias’ and a ‘creative minority’ effect. The study provides an important contribution to understanding how Catholics in Britain engage with their faith and mediate processes of secularisation

'Being There': how Catholic chaplains support seafarers in the UK

Tens of thousands of seafarers visit British ports each year, making brief stops – perhaps of only a few hours – after days or weeks at sea. These ‘people of the sea’ (St John Paul II) remain almost invisible to the rest of the community, even in towns and cities whose own prosperity relies greatly on the shipping industry. The Apostleship of the Sea, continuing a tradition that goes back to the Early Church, offers vital forms of aid and assistance to all seafarers, regardless of religion or nationality. This ‘simple response to immediate needs and specific situations’ which is chief among ‘the essential elements of Christian and ecclesial charity’ (Benedict XVI) takes a variety of forms. In this fifth Centre research report, based on extensive fieldwork at ports across England and Wales, we explore the hard and ‘hidden’ lives of seafarers, and the vital work undertaken by AoS in supporting them

McCarrick, the Kingmaker? A Social Network Analysis of Episcopal Promotion in the Roman Catholic Church

The former Cardinal McCarrick was often dubbed as the “Kingmaker” for his power to influence episcopal promotion in the United States and even in the Vatican. However, most of the information to support this argument is often lacking in context, making the claim easy to downplay. The purpose of this study is to look at one of the networks of Catholic bishops in the United States and to provide empirical evidence of McCarrick as the “Kingmaker” using social network analysis. The result of this study supports the claim that McCarrick was indeed the “Kingmaker” in his appointments of his former subordinates