The Decline of European Christianity - Research Paper Example

?The Decline of European Christianity 0 Introduction Centuries back, European navigators and explorers conquered all edges of the globe to expand territorial domination and to spread religion, particularly Roman Catholicism. Europe was the cornerstone of the roots of Catholicism and its spread that went even as far as Asia and the Pacific and other unexplored territories. Martin Luther, a European, was also the epitome of evangelization through the establishment of Protestantism. Therefore, by looking at these people who made it possible the conquer of nations through religious armor, a vast majority of the world’s population is composed of Christians or the followers of Christ. However, the rise of “religious diversity” at present is challenging the status quo because it allows other ‘non-Christian’ denominations to enter Europe and Asia, for instance, Islam.1 Significant events in history shape the formation of religious pluralism. 2 The 9/11 hijacking permits the flow of migrants from one country to the other. In addition, countries with strict immigration policies now allow people from southern Europe to work or even settle permanently. Those countries with strict immigration policies expectedly shared the same religion and sect until such time that migrants from all over the globe, some of whom were missionaries, also brought with them their religious beliefs, consequently converting Europeans into another religion outside of the realm of Christianity. This essay will explore some of the fundamental reasons why Christianity (both Catholicism and Protestantism) has declined in terms of popularity. It is noted that secularization is considered as one of the reasons of the “slow and steady death” of religion. 3 According to some critics, under secularization theory lies issues about religious fundamentalism especially in the Muslim world and the decreasing popularity of churchgoers. These and other reasons will be discussed in this report. 2.0 Reasons for the Decline of Christianity 2.1 Secularization Theory Secularization is defined as deinstitutionalization or a “decline in the social power of once-dominant religious institutions whereby other social institutions have escaped from prior religious domination.” 4 This observation is evident by the lesser power possessed by the “once-dominant” religious institutions such as the Catholic priests and bishops and even Lutheran and Anglican bishops. 5 An initial result that comes to mind would be the decline in the patronization of religion. C. John Sommerville interpreted Rodney Stark’s ideas towards secularization as merely an observation of people’s adoration towards the culture that associates with the religion; in simple terms, secularization meant the cultural interpretation of people towards their religion and not concerning the spiritual aspect that binds them together.6 In another perspective, secularization theory prompted not only the possible demise of religion in the future but also its “reinvention” and “resurgence” of traditional religions, as well as the rise of newer religions.7 This is an offshoot to the common notion regarding secularization theory as merely predictive of the future rather than focused on the past and present. Historical events, by the way, pointed out to the significant role of religious denominations in affecting the political state of the country. Among such events were the Christianity’s impact into overthrowing the communist empire in the former Union Soviet Socialist Republic, and the impact brought by the September 11, 2001 attack in the United States. The lack of religion in Europe is primarily being asserted by the secularization theory, particularly with respect to Christianity. Along with modernization comes the discovery of other religions outside the traditional Christian affiliations. Authors of the book Predicting Religion state that there is a continued increase of the number of Christians who are no longer attending church. From 15% church attendance in 1903, the percentage of attendees in Christian masses has already declined to 8 % in 2000. 8 Most noteworthy among scholarly works in secularization is Bryan Wilson’s “notion of evolution” that states the evolution trend that corresponds to technological knowledge to that of religion.9 Wilson pointed out that religion, or in particular Christianity, has lost its popularity as modernization comes in because it signals technological advantage, knowledge, and the development of rationality that are necessary components in discerning superstition from fact. 10 In addition, secularization entails that men are now starting to question whether any religious activities by the Christian faith have played significant roles in their lives. “Most modern men, for most of their time, in most of their activities, are very little-touched--if they are touched at all--by any direct religious intimations.”11 2.2 Lesser Influence on Politics Apparently, Christianity is having a lesser influence towards Europe’s politics, particularly in Great Britain, because accordingly it died with “the Empire”.12 Even in affairs that concern with immigration flows in the European Union, religion or Christianity plays little or no importance at all. Looking back at history, even still in the fourth-century, Christendom was already criticized by non-Christians for too much interference in the affairs of the state and the other way around.13 This was evident by church leaders forced conversion of non-Christians, while criticizing customs and practices that were considered as unchristian. Eventually, this state has undergone metamorphosis; from being too involved in their respective affairs, Christendom is just considered to be a phase in the existence of Christianity. People have different views though in this issue. Some celebrated the demise of Christendom in Western Europe while others were saddened for its dying popularity in the modern era. In addition, the demise of Christendom was also a result of the eventual separation of church and state. For instance, the period of Reformation required all of European citizens to emulate the religion of their kings. 14 However, it was also noted that there was, to some extent, a hint of toleration among state and empire leaders when it comes to their citizens’ religious affiliation, particularly in Augsburg, Germany and in Poland. In fact, Christianity was viewed during the “French Wars of Religion” as a “threat to the peace of the kingdom.”15 2.3 Changes in Ideas and Thinking McLeod and Ustorf describe the period of Enlightenment as an era of changed ideas and thinking in respect to the Christian faith especially in Western Europe.16 The period of Enlightenment was also the era when there was an enormous rise of the number of educated elite who saw Christianity as incompatible with the knowledge and understanding they possessed after their scholarly undertakings in the fields of politics, science, morals, and law. Most of them aired anti-Christian sentiments, especially in the areas of France. However, other theorists also believed that the influence of the Enlightenment period was not that effective to impact more lives that were under the stronghold of the priests and clergy.17 Other social theorists often believe that there was a decline, not in Christianity as a whole, but to a more rational and conservative form of Christianity. People started to see the differences in the various shades of Christianity because of education and learning. The Enlightenment allowed them to read books that were never available during the Dark Ages. There was the freedom to be educated with the many philosophies in religion and mere human existence. People started to question even their existence and the religious dogmas that they follow. Thus, Christianity, or the more popular Christian denominations, had suffered a decline. 2.4 Influx of Immigrant Religions Despite a growing popularity of Christianity in the whole European areas in the past, the Muslim communities were also flourishing in Germany and other parts of Western Europe due to diplomatic ties between Turkey and Germany. As a result, the Muslim community was also growing, and even in non-communist countries such as Great Britain, Islam has slowly penetrated into the scene.18 In addition, Muslims also became involved with civic and social activities, such as establishing buildings and attending to social gatherings that concern their religious and social lives.19 They also built their own mosques in London, a milestone in their eventual entry to Christian-dominated areas. The influx of Muslim immigrants started when Europe’s immigration policies became lax, allowing foreign immigrants to work and permanently settle in the countries without strict rules and policies for their entry. In France, the influx is characterized not just as a one-time reception of foreigners but a phase that is still continuing in the present time. Adding to that is the changing or inconsistent government of Algeria in terms of labor which prompted Algerian nationals to migrate to France in the 1960s.20 At first, France was hesitant to accept the overwhelming number of immigrants, but the country later on adopted the Algerians. In addition, Judaism has also a fair share of converts in Western Europe.21 From 1960s up until the present times, there are also European who practiced Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikh religions which suggest a new perspective in Europe’ s religious pluralism.22 Because of these religious denominations, Europeans now have an array of choices for the religions they want to follow and can even compare and contrast one sect from the other by multiple exposures to religion. As a result, Christian followers are slowly declining or merely opened to other ideologies and dogmas. 3.0 Conclusion Three important factors were mentioned for the demise of Christianity in Europe. The term demise is not yet proven based on given statistics alone. Reinvention and rediscovery of other Christianity dimensions are more appropriate since Christianity is not totally out of the picture. There is a decline in the number of followers of orthodox and popular Christian denominations due to secularization controversies, lesser influence of Christianity as a church to political affairs, and the influx of immigrant religions. This is to say that, along with modernization, Christianity also corresponds to the evolution. It continues to reinvent because it is not a static entity. Until it finds truth and wisdom, Christianity continues to reinvent and seek its place in the world. BIBLIOGRAPHY Casanova, Jose. “Immigration and the New Religious Pluralism: A European Union/United States Comparison.” In Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, edited by Thomas Banchoff, 59-62. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Davie, Grace, Linda Woodhead, and Paul Heelas, eds. Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular, and Alternative Futures. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2003. Foner, Nancy, and Richard Alba. “Immigrant Religion in the U.S. and Western Europe: Bridge or Barrier to Inclusion?” International Migration Review 42 (2002): Abstract. Knippenberg, Hans, ed. The Changing Religious Landscape of Europe. Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis, 2005. McLeod, Hugh, and Werner Ustorf, eds. The Decline of Christendom in Western Europe, 1750-2000. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Nielsen, Jorgen S. Muslims in Western Europe. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2004. Norris, Pippa, and Ronald Inglehart. “Uneven Secularization in the United States and Western Europe.” In Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, edited by Thomas Banchoff, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Sommerville, C. John. “Stark’s Age of Faith Argument and the Secularization of Things: A Commentary.” Sociology of Religion 63 (2002): 361. Stark, Rodney. “Secularization, R.I.P.” Sociology of Religion 60 (1999): 249-273. Tschannen, Oliver. “The Evolutionary Principle in the Study of Religion and Society.” In Predicting Religion: Christian, Secular, and Alternative Futures, edited by Grace Davie, Linda Woodhead, and Paul Heelas, 40. Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2003. Read More