A secularization theorist himself, Detlef Pollack (University of Münster, Germany) still claims to be surprised to see a dramatic decline of religion in many regions of the world, as he releases the third, revised edition of his book (in German), Religion in der Moderne: Ein internationaler Vergleich (€ 49), co-authored with his colleague, Gergely Rosta. “Whereas in the first two editions we cautiously sought evidence for secularization theory,” they write, “this now constitutes the very foundation of our argument.” The book holds that the plausibility of religion is being put into question by a growing number of people, although Pollack and Rosta recognize that “when religious identities are linked to political, economic, or national interests, this often helps strengthen religion and the church,” giving the example of Russia. But they add that “religious ties often weaken again once the political, economic, or national goals pursued through religious means have been achieved.”
The book argues that the decline of belief in a personal God is a sign that secularization is progressing, and “the surveys in the study show that a diversity of spiritual options does not help strengthen faith.” Except for a minority, most people won’t continue to be religious after turning away from church institutions and communities. The wide range of non-religious activities available leads to “a gradual process whereby people re-prioritize their values” for the benefit of secular practices. Regarding the recourse to religion as an identity resource in the face of foreign cultures, the authors argue that this does not automatically lead to stronger religious commitments: “the perceived threat posed by competing belief systems seems to have a reinforcing effect on religiosity only if it is already deeply rooted in the population.” Pollack and Rosta observe a recent “reignition of the debate on secularization theory,” and their new volume will obviously contribute to it. Additional details about the 656-page-long third edition can be found here: https://www.campus.de/buecher-campus-verlag/wissenschaft/soziologie/religion_in_der_moderne-17852.html
