EBOOK Secularization:In Defence of an Unfashionable Theory

The decline in power, popularity and prestige of religion across the modern world        is not a short-term or localized trend nor is it an accident. It is a consequence of        subtle but powerful features of modernization.Renowned sociologist, Steve Bruce,        elaborates the secularization paradigm and defends it against a wide variety of        recent attempts at rebuttal and refutation. Using the best available statistical and        qualitative evidence Bruce considers the implications for the secularization        paradigm of the extent to which new religious movements or New Age spiritualities        are replacing religion; changes in the nature and power of folk religion and        superstition; rational choice alternatives to thesecularization paradigm; the        popularity and political influence of religion in the USA; religious change in the        developing world; reactions to Islam in Europe; and the effects of recent        controversies over the public place of religion.Bruce presents a robust defence of        the secularization paradigm, clarifying its arguments for the benefit of all sides        of the debate.