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Sociology of Religion: Secularization Debate (1) The Secularization is best defined as the process of a religion beginning to exercise less and less influence of peoples existential mode, within a particular society, as time goes by. The reasons why it happens have been discussed from variety of different point of views. For example, in his famous work The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber suggests that the objective properties of secularization derive out the steady pace of scientific progress, which has been defining the Western civilizations socio-political dynamics, ever since the time of Industrial Revolution: The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by the disenchantment of the world (Weber, M. , 2001: 35). In other words, peoples increased ability to perceive world through the lenses of rationality, as sociological side effect of scientific progress, significantly decreases the degree, to which peoples existential irrationality affects their lives.
Emil Durkheim, on the other hand, suggests that it is not only peoples increased knowledge about the surrounding reality that makes them less dependant of religion, within a context of dealing with lifes challenges, but also the fact that the continuous cultural and scientific progress, closely associated with Western civilization, had brought about a situation when the ritual role of religious institutions (providing people with emotional comfort) has been largely assumed by secular institutions. In his book The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Durkheim states the following: Religion no longer thrills us, because many of its aspects have passed into common usage to such a degree that we are no longer conscious of them, or because they do not meet our current aspirations (Durkheim, E. , 1954: 120). Why go to Church, during the course of wedding ceremony, for example, when any Justice of the Peace can sanctify the marriage between man and woman for half of the price the newlyweds would have to pay to a priest? However, the Durkheim and Webers theories of secularization have been rightly criticized for being overly mechanistic after all, the majority of people can hardly think of their waning sense of religiosity as such that directly relates to the rise of new technologies.
They simply realize that there is no throbbing need for God can be found deep in their souls. It was namely Sigmund Freud who pioneered in applying psychoanalytical approach, as the instrument of defining the true subtleties of secularization. According to Freud, peoples religious feelings is nothing but a sublimation of what he refers to as existential immaturity, on their part believing in God helps people to deal with their psychological anxieties, related to their subconscious search for fatherly figure. Just as a child, who begins to cry, while being separated from him parents for prolonged period of time, the members of immature societies, cannot effectively deal with their psychological anxieties, without incorporating their vision of God (fatherly figure) into the very core of their existential mode. However, as society matures, its members find themselves being less and less depended on good graces of the imaginary fatherly figure up in the sky: Most of infantile neuroses are overcome spontaneously in the cause of growing up, and this is especially true of the obsessional neuroses of childhood Religion would thus be the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity; like the obsessional neurosis of children, it arose out of the Oedipus complex, out of the relation to the father. If this view is right, it is to be supposed that a turning-away from religion is bound to occur with the fatal inevitability of a process of growth, and that we find ourselves at this very juncture in the middle of that phase of development (Freud, S. , 1989: 145).
Thus, according to Weber, Durkheim and Freud, the process of secularization is deterministic, in its very essence. However, it appears that the objective realities of post-industrial era point out to the fact that it is only in Western countries, where socio-political influence of religion continues to be undermined, as time goes by, whereas in non-White societies, religion remains an important part of peoples lives. In his book The Desecularization of the World, Peter Berger suggests that it is wrong to think of secularization as irreversible social phenomenon: The world today, with some exception, is as furiously religious as it ever was, and in some places more so than ever. This means that a whole body of literature by historians and social scientists loosely labeled secularization theory is essentially mistaken (Berger, P. , 1999: 2). Is it really so? Can we seriously suggest that religious wars might once again reshape the course of history?
Why is it that comparatively few White people feel the urge to attend Church, whereas the public life in Muslim countries totally stalls five times a day, when Muslim believers (that are overwhelmingly young), get down on their knees and pray Allah, regardless of where the time for prayer finds them? What modern political observers appear to be unwilling to admit, is the fact that the issue of secularization has much more to do with biology then with sociology. Apparently, people that belong to a White race are only the ones that continue to evolve, in Darwinian sense of this word, whereas other races became fully specialized that is, non-Whites can only advance culturally, scientifically and socially, for as long as they maintain close social contacts with Whites. Homo Sapiens is nothing but an intermediary link between apes and a supermen (semi-Gods); therefore, we can say that, whereas apes do not need religion yet, supermen do not need religion already.
In his book The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin states: There is no evidence that man was aboriginally endowed with the ennobling belief in the existence of an Omnipotent God. On the contrary there is ample evidence, derived not from hasty travelers, but from men who have long resided with savages, that numerous races have existed, and still exist, who have no idea of one or more gods (Darwin, C. , 1871: Ch. 1). Therefore, we can refer to religion as necessary, but counter-productive element of human evolution. The fact that fact that more and more White people feel themselves being spirituality alienated from Christianity, or any other religion, for that matter, simply indicates that, as representatives of continuously evolutionazing race, they stand on the brink of new evolutionary jump, while other races can be best referred to as the dead ends of human evolution. This is the reason why Arabs, for example, have been living by the word of Allah for 1500 years, without even trying to adjust Koran to contemporary realities (they still require women to wear a black cloak over their faces, while in public), whereas White people have been continuously trying to reinterpret Bible, so that the holy book would make more sense in their eyes. It is namely peoples racial affiliation, and not the particularities of social environment where they live, which defines the degree of their religiosity.
For example, upon coming to Britain, Pakistani immigrants do not only fail to adopt a more secularized mode of existence, but they actually strive to turn Britain into a Northern Pakistan they seriously suggest that the laws of Sharia should be incorporated into a British common law. The ardent supporter of Britains islam ization, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in the article Sharia Law in UK is Unavoidable, stated the following: Adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion. Muslims should not have to choose between the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty (BBC, 2008). Therefore, it is exactly the influx of hordes of non-White immigrants into traditionally White countries that provides the ground for countless experts on religiosity to speculate that it is too early to proclaim the death of God in Western countries. (2) It is important to understand that only mentally deviated Whites can be pious, in full sense of this word, while utter religious possess is absolutely normal for just about any non-White person. For example, the Islamic celebration of Korean Bairam involves cutting a throat of a goat in public, with spectators enjoying the sight of goats convulsions in the pool of blood. In Arab countries, such practice is absolutely appropriate, as Moslems think that there is nothing wrong with torturing animals.
In Bible, we can also find many passages that promote the cruel treatment of animals (after all, Christianity is a Semitic religion, just as Islam). However, if in the centre of London, for example, someone would begin cutting off sheep's head, in order to make a sacrificial offering to Jehovah (as it described in Old Testament), he would be immediately arrested, despite the fact that Britain is a Christian country. This is because Christianity is spiritually alien to White people, whereas for Arabs, the bloodthirsty commandments of Allah make a perfect sense. By allowing non-White immigrants to settle in Britain, British politicians create preconditions for this country to be eventually turned into a clerical state.
Therefore, even though that White people in Western countries are being indoctrinated the race does not matter, the objective realities of living in multicultural societies point out to something entirely opposite race does matter. And it especially matters, within a context of discussing the issue of secularization. As we have stated earlier, the process of people mentally detaching themselves from religious dogmas (secularization), simply corresponds to the process of these people attaining a higher state of consciousness, which in its turn, suggests that these people qualify to continue to remain at the leading edge of biological evolution. Therefore, we can say that, despite the fact that secularization theories of Freud, Weber and Durkheim, do provide us with valuable clues as to the mechanics of this process, these theories are only applicable within racially homogeneous White societies and it is absolutely inappropriate to refer to them, while discussing what defines peoples tendency to live by the word of God in non-White countries, or in Western countries that are being gradually reduced to Third World slums, thanks to celebration of diversity policy. Max Weber was absolutely right when he suggested that the degree of secularization in every particular society corresponds to society elites ability to push forward cultural and scientific progress. However, even in his wildest dreams, Weber could never anticipate traditionally White countries (colonial powers), being subjected to non-White colonization themselves, as it is the case nowadays.
The same can be said about Durkheim and Freud they would never believe that by the beginning of 21 st century, the Islamic law of Sharia was going to be incorporated into a British common law. At the beginning of 20 th century, White people accounted for 30 % of worlds total population, whereas today, they only account for 5 % - it is namely this fact and nothing else that provides us with the insight on the objective properties of desecularization. Once Britain turns into a Northern Pakistan, France into a Northern Algeria and U. S. into a Northern Mexico the world will be plunged into 21 st century's equivalent of the era of dark ages, with citizens of these countries turning into utterly religious individuals once again. Unfortunately, this will also mean the end of scientific and cultural progress in these countries and the beginning of the process of biological evolution being reversed backwards.
Bibliography: Berger, P. (ed) 1999. The Desecularization of the World. Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company, London. Darwin, C. 1871. The Descent of Man.
Internet Infidels, [Online] Available at: web [ 13 December 2008 ] Durkheim, E. 1954. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. The Free Press, New York. Freud, S. 1989.
The Future of an Illusion. W. W. Norton & Company, London.
Sharia Law in UK is Unavoidable. 2008. BBC News, [Online] Available at: web [ 13 December 2008 ] Weber, M. 2001. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Routledge, London. Abstract: In this paper, we argue that the issue of secularization cannot be solemnly discussed from sociological or psychoanalytical perspectives and that only the adoption a racially-biological outlook on the process of secularization, which can provide us with the insight on this process objective essence. Outline: Part one Part two
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