Types of religiosity

in young people

Antonio Muñoz García

Visiting professor at Center for Psychology of Religion.
Associate professor at University of Granada (Spain)
Louvain la Neuve, March, 21, 2006
 General Objective
 To describe the complexity of
religious realm, and how it influence
contents of Psychology of Religion
(e.g. religious development).

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 What we will see?
1.Introduction
2.Religion in U.S.A.
3.Religion in Europe.
3.1. A broad outlook.
3.2. United Kingdom.
3.3. Belgium
3.4. Spain

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 Introduction: Psychology of
Religion and its look toward social
reality.

Is Psychology of Religion really connected

with social realm?
 Psychologist of Religion is a researcher at
University (Social function).

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Social reality is stimuli for promoting research
and training in Psychology of Religion:
Discrimination
Racism
Prosocial attitudes
Religion and moral behavior
Terrorism and fundamentalism…
 Religion in society…
…

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Introduction: Psychology of Religion and its look toward social reality.
Why observe society?

 To define new concepts.

 To suggest theories.
 To propose new lines of research.
 To understand the significance, perspective,
and transcendence of our work.
 To give more vitality to our research and
teaching. We need more interdisciplinarity.

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Introduction: Psychology of Religion and its look toward social reality.
 Reality is complex: We will select American and
European context:

 To understand that there are different

perspectives and manners of interpreting reality
and that a theory can be more adequate than other
to explain a fact depending on cultural context.

 To identify objectives, problems, needs…

that Psychology of Religion can assume.

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Introduction: Psychology of Religion and its look toward social reality.
1. America and Europe: different
manners of being religious

 Religiosity in Europe can be “the exception, not the

rule”, specially countries of Catholic tradition.

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Religion has increased in north Europe
(Russian and communist countries).

Religion has decreased in United Kingdom,

Netherlands and France.

Religion has not change in traditional Catholics

countries.

America and Europe: Different manners of being religious

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 Situation in Europe is….

Types of cases
Commons cases
(95%)

Rare cases Rare cases

(2,5%) (2,5%)

America and Europe: Different manners of being10

religious
 SWEEDEN

NORWAY

POLAND
BENELUX
GERMANY
CZECH REPUBLIC

FRANCE AUSTRIA
SWITZERLAND

ITALY

PORTUGAL SPAIN GREECE

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 Decline in Europe is…. (Voas,2004)
 Constant
 Similar through time
 Similar through countries. We find the same pattern
in neighbouring countries and culture alike.
– Switzerland & Austria
– Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
– Norway & Denmark
– Italy, Portugal, Spain

America and Europe: Different manners of being12

religious
 Each generation is less and less religious.
 People who was born first is more probably
that were religious.
 This can be attributed to modernization…but
U.S.A. is an exception. Why does happen this?

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Religiosity = Religious affiliation + Attendance frequency
+ prayer frequency + self-description as religious +
importance or religion in life.
Religiosity = Religious affiliation + Attendance
frequency + prayer frequency + self-description as
religious + importance or religion in life. 15
Religiosity = Religious affiliation + Attendance
frequency + prayer frequency + self-description as
religious + importance or religion in life.
1.1. Religion in U.S.A.
 Religious involvement is
high and this tendency has
not decreased from sixties.

Go to church, participation in groups or committees,

economic support, relationships with other members
of the church…
Motives are not only religious: business men look
for customers, respect, friendship, education, doing
things with other people, social recognition…

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 60
50
40
30
Pencentage
20
10
0
d en tf. ewish holics s ta n t
Non-
i J Cat Prote

Religion in U.S.A.
 Less Protestant and Jews.
 More Catholics and Muslims.

Why?

Individualism
Relativism
High percentage of immigrants are Hispanics
Religion in U.S.A.
 Religious belonging: Feel of belonging to
religious group. It means that we have a
preference by one group to other.

 Religious affiliation: to register officially as

members of a religious group.
 1/3 of Americans change religious affiliation during life-
span.

Religion in U.S.A.
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 Religious activities out of religious organizations
are significant: prayer, reading Bible…

 Sunday school is accepted by parents who

think public school is not good for moral
and character education.
Religion in U.S.A.
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 Religious believes are the same that in the
fifties but It has been losing faith in Bible
and its divine origin.

 Trusting in religious institutions is not

considered necessary to be a good catholic.

Religion in U.S.A.
 There is a great difference between
believers. In 1984 a 40% of Americans told
to have experimented a feeling of being
very near of a higher power.

Religion in U.S.A.
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Americans are more inclined to be members of
religious organizations, pray and attend religious
services, and to mix religion and politics than the
Europeans.
 Americans are more literal
in their view of the Bible
than the Europeans, and
they tend to believe in a
personal God whereas the
Europeans believe in a
higher power.

Religion in U.S.A.
 In summary,
 The United States is religiously plural while the
European countries tend to be religiously
homogenous.

 In the United States a religious market exists

compared to the religious mono-culture in Europe.

 Religion is a much more pervasive phenomenon in

the United States and can be found in more
societal spheres than in Europe.
Religion in U.S.A.
 Religion is more
accepted and more
visible in the
public debate in the
United States.

Religion in U.S.A.
 Americans are more involved in the
religious life of the nation and spend
more time and money on religion than
their European counterparts.

 Americans change denomination more

often than Europeans and are also more
tolerant of denominations other than
their own.

Religion in U.S.A.
More reasons to these differences are….

 Religious activities are means to do things

with others.

 Americans appreciate their religion more,

due to the historical separation of church
and state.

 Economical: there is competition between

denominations.
Religion in U.S.A.
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 Americans are politically
conservatives.

 American are more post-

materialistic and European more
authoritative personalities.

Religion in U.S.A.
What can this situation influence
on religious development?
 Hip.1.: People will be less religious.
 Hip.2: People will be more spiritual.
 Hip.3: People could be higher in
religious/spiritual maturity.
 Hip.4: This atmosphere contribute to have a
more positive attitude to resolve existential
doubts with religious elements.

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 2. Religion in Europe
 Three cultural and religious
areas:

– Suiza & Austria (Alpine

pattern)
– Benelux pattern (Belgium,
Netherlands &
Luxemburgo)
– Noruega & Dinamarca
– Italia, Portugal, & España.

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 2.1. United Kingdom
 Religion:

– It is not as extended as time before.

– It is not as significant for people as before.
– It is no so significant at social level than before.

Religion in Europe
 There is less trust in religious institutions but It
has not appeared alternative believes.

 Those believes never are so higher than religious

believes.
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2.2. Belgium
 2.3. Spain

 Strong Catholic tradition.

 Religious pluralism
 Religious indifference
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 80 Percentage of
70 Believers
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
er
Ca lic

t
c

eis
oli

th
ho

h
th

O
At
t
Ca
-
NP
 Religious groups:
12453 Catholics groups & 1388 non Catholics
1000000
groups:
900000 1064 protestant.
800000 10 orthodox.
Believers
700000 4 scientific Christ
600000 1 Witnesses of Jehovah.
500000 1 Mormons
400000 16 Jews
300000 1 Unification church

200000 254 Muslims

100000 11 Baha`I

0 3 Hinduism
Protestant Muslims Jews Budist 21 Buddhists
Scientology Church is present but not as
religious organization
Why Spain is not as religious as
before?
 Religious freedom was guaranteed by
Spanish Constitution of 1978.

 Immigration (1.000.000 Muslims and

1.200.000 Protestants)

 Religion is significant in mass media but

today sociologist says that Spanish
religiosity is defined by “indifference”
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Religious indifference: first, the
Spanish youth
 Parents of young people were who lived
post-dictatorial stage of Spanish history.

 Religious institution lost influence in

educational institutions.

 Family values has changed.

  Sociological study (20041): N=1072 (50%
male). Range: 13-24 years.

 12%: parents separated, divorced or not

married.

 30% private and religious schools.

1 41
González-Anleo, González, Elzo, Carmona (2004)
 13-14 years: the highest in religiosity.
62% - practicing (Catholic).

 Only 10% says to trust in religious

institution.

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 Motivations to believe:

– “it is better to believe in something” (35%)

– “I have faith” (29%).
– “I was teached since I was a child”.

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 Believes:
– In life after die (48%)
– Jesucrist: 25% think that he did not exist, and 55%
believe in his divine nature. Same proportion with
Virgin Mary.
– Women and youngest, the strongest believers.
 Religious practices and ideas
 Ideas about salvation of soul, grace and sin
are almost disappeared.
 Because religious tradition has emphasized
salvation through sacraments, religious
practices have been affected by religious
indifference.

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 There is new rituals and liturgies: origin:
civil religion, fundamentalisms, social
movement against globalization, sects and
NRM, consumerism, ecology, etc.

 Sacramental practices: Confession,

Confirmation and Eucharistic are less
practiced.
 Non institutional religious practices:

 12% Atheist participate in visiting to

Sanctuaries, pilgrimages, or processions, and
almost the half of the sample.
 Prayer: 33%, yes, 50% never in last weeks.
 Reading of religious or spiritual books: 10%.

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 Attitudes toward church:
 Image of church as institution that help
others is positive.

 It is not recognized Church authority

about spiritual live (60% claim that
“Belonging to church has not many sense
to me”, and 75%, “I can believe in God
even without Church”)
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 Catholics

n
io
ig
l
Re 20.6%
25.6%
(catholics on
earth)
25% Catholics
against church
Church + Church -

i ty
9.5% Hedonist non-

al
tu
believers

i ri
sp
n
er
od
19.2%
M

Not believers
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 Catholics pro-church (20.6%)
 Values = Catholic church To carry out moral
 They identify themselves as rules is more important
members. than believe in God.
God is judge.
 Traditional attitudes to  55% women.
drugs, sex, abort,
 Age: 13-14.
euthanasia…
 ¾ Religious education.
 Low value of friendship.  Believes in God, live
 To carry out moral rules is after death, resurrection,
more important than sin.
believe in God. God is
judge.
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 Catholics on Earth (25.6%)
 High value of money,  Critical attitude to
professional achievement, sexual morality of
to buy things, sexual Church, but positive to
relations, friendship… its social function.
 Religious practice but  Positive attitude to
irregular.
religious education of
 53% men. their children.
 2 of 3 studied in catholic
schools.
 88% God believers.
Religious doubts.
Non-ecclesial Catholics (25%)
 Religious practices and
norms are not
necessaries to belong to
 Low prayer.
church.  Most student from
 Believers in God but not University and women.
in Church, sin, life after  “Sociological Catholics”
death, heaven,
resurrection, etc.
Reincarnation believe is
higher.
 Religious education was
small.

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 Hedonist Non-believers (9.5%)
 Positive attitude to take  They did not received
drugs, infidelity, urban religious education in
violence, sexual school or at home.
relations in pre-  3 / 4 do not go to church.
adolescence…
 Only 1 of 4 believe in
 “I have not any reason
to believe in God”.
sin, or 1 of 2 in God.
 Age 15-20.
 More men.
 Secondary school, and
less University students.
 Non-believers (19.2%)
 “God does not exist”.
 Older: 18-20 /21-24
 Only 10% believe in God.
 85% out Catholicism.
 Even in this case, 16% told that they will baptize their children
 Negative attitude toward Catholic Church.
 Religious development

Religiosity Mythical-literal Critical Personalization/

of children Individualization
(Intuition) (Personal experience of God?)

Catholics Catholics Non- Hedonist Non-

pro-Church on Earth ecclesial non- believers
Catholics believers
21-24- 33.6% 21-24- 40.9% 21-24- 43.5% 21-24- 37.3% 21-24- 39.8%
18-20- 29.2% 18-20- 28.9% 18-20- 36.8% 18-20- 39.7% 18-20- 39.3%
15-17- 12.7% 15-17- 16.8% 15-17- 10.7% 15-17- 19.5% 15-17- 12.6%
13-14- 24.5% 13-14- 13.3% 13-14-8.9.3% 13-14- 4.1% 13-14- 8.3%
 How is describe this process
from religion to non religious
spirituality (sociologically).
 Confidence in religious institution is lost.
 Religious practice is lower.
 Religious participation is less but religious
believes continue.
 New frames appears to give meaning to this
believes, and new practices.
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 Different positions regard to spirituality and
religiosity:

To be spiritual but not religious.

To be religious and spiritual.
To be religious but not spiritual.
Not religious- not spiritual.

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 Social scientist try to explain changes from traditional to modern
religiosity by secularization process.

 Yes, It does exist a secularized Europe.

 No, It does not exist a secularized Europe but religiousness is
changing. What change?

– Affiliation
– Participation
– Activities
– Commitment
– ….
 It is not possible to generalize because Europe is shaped by
different societies, and it is easy to observe a variety of
phenomena. Secularization hypotheses is not valid.

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Religion and Spirituality:
the traditional perspective

“Spirituality is the
experiential dimension of
religious experience”
(James,1961)

Believes, relationships,
behaviors, emotions, practices,
motivations, experiences

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 Religion and Spirituality:
common-centered perspectives

Related to Related to
institution, ideas, Sacred: transcendence,
believes, doctrines, God, meaningfulness,
ritual, organized divinity… individuality…
and social issues,
theology, dogmas…

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 Religion and Spirituality:
particular-centered perspectives.
When spirituality become non religious

Functional,
Substantive, static, Sacred: dynamic,
institutional, God, personal,
objective, believe- divinity… subjective,
based experience-based

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 Spirituality: religious or not
-Spirituality is a dimension of Contents of non religious
human development. spirituality:
• Hope • Optimism
-The development of spirituality
• Meaning • Compassion
can be religious or not religious.
• Purpose in life • Rituals
• Honesty • Awe
• Connectedness • Creativity
• Forgiveness • Love
Connectedness with others and
sacred, search for meaning, • Generosity • Life in context
self construction in social and • Gratitude • Regulation of
historical context… • Humor emotions

• Resilience …