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Evaluate the secularization thesis.
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| Submitted: Mon Dec 22 2003
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Evaluate the secularization thesis Secularization as defined in the Oxford dictionary of Sociology (Marshall G, 1998) is the process whereby, especially in modern industrial societies, religious beliefs, practices, and institutions lose social significance. The secularization thesis argues that this has occurred in modern societies, due to a number of factors. This essay will assess whether this theory has value. I will present the main definitions of religion and the contrasting points of view, as the meaning of religion and both sides of the secularization thesis have to be understood in order to evaluate it. To be able to comprehend the secularization thesis, religion must, first of all, be defined. There are two main approaches that have been presented by sociologists, the functional and substantive definitions (Haralambos and Holborn, 2000). The functional definition relates to the purposes of religion - what it does. It states that one of these purposes may be to...
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