Religion, Renewal and Choice

Several sociologists have challenged the secularisation thesis by arguing that religion is not declining but transforming. Rather than disappearing, religion is taking new forms — becoming more individualised, privatised, and diverse. This lesson examines the key theorists who argue for religious renewal and choice: Grace Davie, Danièle Hervieu-Léger, David Lyon, and Paul Heelas and Linda Woodhead.

Key Definition: Religious renewal refers to the revitalisation or transformation of religious belief and practice, taking new forms rather than simply declining. Religious choice refers to the idea that in late-modern societies, individuals choose their religious beliefs and practices from a range of options, rather than inheriting them from tradition.

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Grace Davie: Believing Without Belonging

Grace Davie (1994) challenged the secularisation thesis with her concept of "believing without belonging." She argued that the decline in church attendance does not necessarily indicate a decline in religious belief. Many people in modern societies continue to hold religious beliefs — they believe in God, pray, and consider themselves spiritual — but they no longer feel the need to express these beliefs through regular participation in organised religious institutions.

Key Arguments

• Church attendance is not a reliable indicator of religiosity. People may believe deeply without attending church regularly. Davie drew a distinction between organised religion (institutional participation) and personal belief (private faith).
• Davie described religion in modern Britain as "vicarious religion" — religion performed by a small, active minority on behalf of a much larger number who approve of and draw comfort from its existence without actively participating. Many people who never attend church still want churches to be available for weddings, funerals, and christenings; they still turn to the church in times of crisis; and they still expect the church to represent moral values in public life.
• Davie compared European patterns to those in the USA. In Europe, religion is like a public utility — maintained by professionals for the benefit of the population, who use it only when needed. In the USA, religion is more like a market — dynamic, competitive, and driven by individual choice.

Evaluation of Davie

Strengths:

• Davie's analysis explains why survey data on religious belief in Britain consistently shows higher levels of belief than church attendance figures would suggest. For example, the British Social Attitudes survey has repeatedly found that a significant proportion of people who never attend church still describe themselves as believers.
• Her concept of vicarious religion captures an important feature of British religious life — the "just in case" attitude many people hold towards the church.

Weaknesses:

• Bruce (2002) challenged Davie, arguing that if people do not practise their religion, their beliefs become vague, superficial, and declining. "Believing without belonging" is not a stable, sustainable form of religiosity but a transitional stage on the way to not believing at all. Each generation inherits weaker beliefs than the last, and without institutional reinforcement, beliefs fade.
• Voas and Crockett (2005) analysed data from the British Social Attitudes survey and found that both belief and belonging are declining in tandem — contradicting Davie's claim that belief remains stable while belonging declines. They describe a process of "fuzzy fidelity" — vague, uncommitted religiosity that declines across generations.

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Danièle Hervieu-Léger: Religion as Cultural Memory

Danièle Hervieu-Léger (2000) argued that what has declined is not religion itself but the cultural memory that connects individuals to a chain of belief stretching back through generations. In the past, religious beliefs and practices were transmitted automatically from parents to children within stable communities. Modernisation has disrupted this process of intergenerational transmission.

Cultural Amnesia

Hervieu-Léger argued that modern societies suffer from a kind of "cultural amnesia" — the break in the chain of memory that once connected each generation to its religious heritage. Young people are no longer socialised into religion as a matter of course. They are exposed to a diversity of worldviews, and religion is just one option among many.

Two New Types of Religion

However, Hervieu-Léger argued that religion is not simply disappearing. Instead, it is being replaced by two new types of religious expression:

1. Pilgrims: Individuals who follow their own personal spiritual path, drawing eclectically on different religious traditions and practices. They are not committed to a single institution but move between different sources of spiritual inspiration — meditation retreats, yoga classes, New Age practices, etc. This represents a privatised, individualised form of religiosity.

2. Converts: Individuals who join strict, demanding religious groups that offer a strong sense of community, clear moral rules, and an unambiguous identity. This includes evangelical and Pentecostal churches, new religious movements, and fundamentalist groups. Converts are seeking the certainty and belonging that mainstream religion no longer provides.

Evaluation of Hervieu-Léger

• Hervieu-Léger provides a nuanced account that explains both the decline of traditional religion and the growth of new forms of spirituality and strict religious groups.
• Her pilgrim/convert typology is useful for understanding contemporary religious trends.
• However, her analysis may overestimate the significance of pilgrims — many people who dabble in spirituality do so superficially and do not treat it as a substitute for religion.
• The concept of cultural amnesia may apply more to Europe than to other parts of the world where intergenerational religious transmission remains strong.

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David Lyon: Jesus in Disneyland

David Lyon (2000) approached religion from a postmodern perspective. He argued that secularisation theory is a modern theory that does not apply to postmodern society. In postmodernity, religion is not declining but being re-enchanted and transformed.

Postmodern Religion