Secularization in America

This week the class discussed the Secularization theory, with a focus on the United States and Europe. Secularization is the theory that religion is in decline due to modernization, urbanization and regulation of religion. In Finke’s  article, he argues that America is actually unsecular and religion has been steady since 1926. There is no evidence that religion in the United States is in decline. In fact strict and demanding churches have been experiencing a period of growth since 1972. The could be due to people searching for a community and answers. Strict churches dictate majority of things in peoples lives. As the world becomes more uncertain, people crave the stability that a strict church can provide. The only churches that have been experiencing a decline in membership are the liberal and modern churches. This is probably due to people finding other communities and no longer needing a church to be that outlet. Religion in the United States is different from many other countries because of separation of church and state. This mens that there isn’t a set definition of what a church is. The start-up cost of a church in America is so low compared to other countries, that people can create their own church. People in America are making their own religions or spinning off existing religions so that fits their needs. American religion is not declining due to secularization, in fact, the numbers so that the rate of religious people in urban areas never falls below that of the surrounding suburbs.