Assignment 5: The Changing Role of Religion as an Agent of Socialization

Socialization is a process through which individuals learn how to behave appropriately in a particular society. It is described by David Newman as a transformation wherein “the needs of the society become the needs of the individual” (Newman, 137). The socialization process is by definition not static, nor is it something we undergo during a confined time frame of our lives. It continues  over the span of our lives, ever evolving in response to cultural shifts and demands of society.

Institutions serve as vehicles through which social skills, values, and other cultural elements, all inherent to the socialization process, are transmitted to the population. Religion is one such institution. In fact, religion has long been considered of the most powerful institutions worldwide, along with education, and mass media. However, in recent years, the role of religion in socialization has been called into question. Three specific patterns in religious affiliation have emerged within the US, which have the power to collectively change the role religion plays in socialization.

The first of these movements has shown particular disease with the role religion currently plays as an institutional body in the US. Individuals on this end of the spectrum are generally grouped together under the category “unaffiliated.” They include individuals who have, never been a part of a religious tradition or have left the tradition they were once apart of. Agnostics, atheists, and people who consider themselves spiritual, but aren't associated with a specific tradition also fall into this category.

Figure 1: Pew Research Center

In 2012, the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life released a poll depicting trends in religious affiliation in the US over the span of five years (figure 1). From this data we can conclude that since 2007, the number of people who consider themselves Christian has been decreasing and the number of people who consider themselves unaffiliated has been increasing.

Figure 2: Pew Research Center

Another interesting poll from the Pew Research Center shows views among the general public, religiously unaffiliated individuals, and religiously affiliated individuals regarding religious institutions (figure 2). Considering this poll in relation to the rise of unaffiliated individuals within the US, a  question regarding the future of religion as a powerful social institution arises: Is it the fate of religion  to become a more individualized realm in society, with diminishing power as an institution driving socialization processes?

Before we jump to conclusions, let us consider the resurgence of religious fundamentalism and the popularity of new religious groups in post modern America. Geoff Boucher describes the fundamentalist's view of religion as “cultural cement” (Boucher, 2006). A perceived inerrancy of the Bible, in the case of Christian fundamentalist groups, has led some individuals to criticize political policies such as legal abortion, as well as institutional bodies, such as schools, for teaching scientific evolution to children, for example. Thus, fundamentalist groups typically aim to be highly involved in the socialization process, and require an institutional body through which they can voice their beliefs.

Relatively new religious groups also promote the existence of socialization via religion. Consider this statement while viewing one of the Church of Scientology's television advertisements below.

This advertisement actively reinforces the acquisition of self, a “unique set of traits, behaviors, and attitudes that distinguishes one person from the next” (Newman, 137). Newman describes the self as “the most important outcome of the socialization processes” (Newman, 137). The video shows that the Church of Scientology, founded by L. Ron Hubbard in 1952, welcomes various kinds of “selves,” including innovators, rebels, and artists, young and old. By emphasizing the self, the Church of Scientology is showing its role as an agent of socialization.

The examples above, though from various parts of the religious spectrum, are all profound indicators of the changing nature of culture. It is clear that the role of religion in socialization is in a state of flux. With the polarization of attitudes regarding religion in the US, our society has been forced to take a close look at the intricacies of religious institutions in order to determine for ourselves, and as a collective society, what role we want them to play as agents of socialization in the future.

Sources:
Newman, David (2012). Sociology: Exploring the Architecture of Everyday Life: 9th Edition. SAGE Publications. 

Pew Forum, 2012: http://www.pewforum.org/unaffiliated/nones-on-the-rise.aspx

Boucher, 2006: http://ethicalpolitics.org/audio/fundamentalism.htm

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/churchofscientology?v=8Y800s8y9Zg