Modern Challenges:
1. Introduction
Across Western societies and increasingly elsewhere, significant numbers are leaving organised religion, identifying as religiously unaffiliated (‘nones’) or adopting spiritual-but-not-religious (SBNR) identities. This analysis explores the phenomenon using sociological, psychological, philosophical, and cultural perspectives, situating it within secularisation theory and its critiques.
2. The Secularisation Thesis
2.1 Classical Theory
Secularisation theory argues that modernisation – through rationalisation, scientific advancement, and economic development – leads to:
- Decline in religious belief and practice
- Marginalisation of religion in public life
Key theorists: Max Weber (1922) – rationalisation and disenchantment; Émile Durkheim (1912) – religion’s social function declines with differentiation; Bryan Wilson (1982) – institutional marginalisation.
2.2 Empirical Evidence
Western Europe
- Sharp decline in church attendance and affiliation (Bruce, 2002).
- UK: Church of England Sunday attendance <2% of population (Church of England Statistics, 2019).
- Scandinavia: high cultural Christianity but low religious practice (Davie, 2000).
United States
- Historically high religiosity but increasing ‘nones’ (26% in 2019) (Pew Research Center, 2019).
3. Reasons for Leaving Organised Religion
3.1 Intellectual and Scientific Explanations
3.1.1 Rationalisation
Scientific worldviews undermine supernatural explanations. As knowledge increases, reliance on religion to explain natural phenomena declines (Wilson, 1982).
3.1.2 Education
Higher education levels correlate with religious decline, especially in natural sciences and humanities (Voas & Crockett, 2005).
3.2 Social and Cultural Factors
3.2.1 Individualism
Modern individualism prioritises personal autonomy over communal authority, leading many to reject institutionalised religious structures (Taylor, 2007).
3.2.2 Moral and Ethical Disagreements
Divergence between religious teachings and modern social values, e.g.:
- Gender equality and women’s ordination
- LGBTQ+ inclusion
- Sexual ethics
This leads to disaffiliation, especially among younger generations (Wilkins-Laflamme, 2016).
3.3 Psychological Factors
3.3.1 Religious Trauma and Negative Experiences
Abuse, hypocrisy, or spiritual manipulation within religious institutions drive some away (Ward, 2011).
3.3.2 Cognitive Dissonance
Experiencing conflict between scientific knowledge and literalist religious teachings leads to existential doubt (Sherkat, 2014).
3.4 Cultural and Media Influences
3.4.1 Media Exposure
Digital media exposes believers to diverse worldviews, undermining exclusivist truth claims (Campbell, 2012).
3.4.2 Popular Secularism
Cultural representation often normalises secular lifestyles while portraying religious commitment as extreme or outdated (Zuckerman, 2008).
3.5 Demographic Trends
Lower birth rates among secular populations once slowed religious decline. However, religious disaffiliation now outweighs demographic replacement in Western societies (Pew Research Center, 2019).
4. The Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR) Phenomenon
Many who leave organised religion:
- Retain spiritual beliefs (e.g. afterlife, karma, energy).
- Prefer unstructured, personal spiritualities over doctrinal systems (Fuller, 2001).
This indicates transformation rather than total decline of spirituality.
5. Critiques and Revisions of Secularisation Theory
5.1 Global South Exception
Secularisation is uneven. While Europe and Australasia secularise, religiosity remains high or grows in Africa, Asia, Latin America (Casanova, 1994; Jenkins, 2011).
5.2 Religious Transformation
Peter Berger (1999) argued secularisation is not linear; religion adapts, diversifies, and sometimes reasserts public influence.
6. Philosophical Reflections
6.1 Charles Taylor’s Secular Age
Taylor (2007) argues secularism is not mere unbelief but an age where faith is only one option among many. Choice replaces inevitability.
6.2 Existential Displacement
Late modernity’s loss of communal religious identity can generate existential anxiety, leading some towards new spiritualities, political ideologies, or nihilism (Bauman, 2000).
7. Conclusion
Why are many leaving organised religion today?
- Intellectual shifts towards scientific rationalism
- Cultural individualism and moral divergence
- Psychological harm or dissatisfaction with institutions
- Media and digital exposure to alternative worldviews
However:
- Spirituality persists in personal, eclectic forms (SBNR).
- Globally, religion remains resilient, transforming rather than disappearing.
Thus, secularisation involves both decline in organised religion and transformation of spiritual life in the modern world.
8. References
- Bauman, Z. (2000). Liquid Modernity. Polity Press.
- Berger, P. L. (1999). The Desecularization of the World. Eerdmans.
- Bruce, S. (2002). God is Dead: Secularization in the West. Blackwell.
- Campbell, H. (2012). Digital Religion. Routledge.
- Casanova, J. (1994). Public Religions in the Modern World. University of Chicago Press.
- Church of England Statistics. (2019). Statistics for Mission 2019.
- Davie, G. (2000). Religion in Modern Europe. Oxford University Press.
- Fuller, R. C. (2001). Spiritual but Not Religious. Oxford University Press.
- Jenkins, P. (2011). The Next Christendom. Oxford University Press.
- Pew Research Center. (2019). The Future of World Religions.
- Sherkat, D. E. (2014). Changing Faith. NYU Press.
- Taylor, C. (2007). A Secular Age. Harvard University Press.
- Voas, D., & Crockett, A. (2005). Religion in Britain: Neither Believing nor Belonging. Sociology, 39(1), 11-28.
- Ward, K. (2011). Why There Almost Certainly is a God. Lion Books.
- Wilkins-Laflamme, S. (2016). Secularization and Religious Change. Social Compass, 63(2), 239-257.
- Wilson, B. (1982). Religion in Sociological Perspective. Oxford University Press.
- Zuckerman, P. (2008). Society without God. NYU Press.