Scholars and observers from such secular bastions as the UK and Australia are detecting a rising spiritual interest, if not religious revival, while also acknowledging the advances of secularism. The growth of religious affiliation and participation in British cities, a search for authority and meaning among younger generations that has resulted in a self-spirituality and interest in the occult, a resurgence of religious interest among young Muslims, and a decline in “hard secularism,” together suggest, if not a “quiet revival,” then at least a new place for religion in the UK, according to Christopher Baker of Goldsmiths University. Baker presented a talk in early July on religious trends in the UK at an online seminar of the Religious Freedom and Business Foundation, which RW attended. There has been some controversy about claims of a “quiet revival” among young people in the UK, based on a survey last spring [see May RW]. But even as questions surround that study, Baker argues that there are other indicators of an uptick in spiritual and religious interest, even if the spheres of religion and secularism are both expanding. He said that a new visualization feature in the last census in the UK shows how growth in religious affiliation tracks growth in urban areas, not only in London, but in other British cities as well. In short, these cities are part of a “post-secular public sphere” in a world that is becoming “both more religious and more urban.”
Baker cited more anecdotal reports than hard data, such as journalistic accounts of young adults searching for meaning, yet feeling let down by religious leaders and showing more interest in the occult and neo-paganism than the churches. “Generation Z is trying to rebuild the world, having deconstructed it, and is looking for some point of reference and form of authority greater than ourselves,” he said. He cited research by Tariq Modood, finding that third-generation Muslims in the UK are reporting greater spiritual interest than their parents. There is also a new interest in making room for employees’ faith in the workplace, which is related to the growth of large companies in urban areas and the need to include the concerns and identities of a diverse workforce. In sum, Baker sees “hard secularism” declining, but also more divisiveness and backlash in the public sphere as some Christians apply their faith to politics.
Writing from an Australian context, sociologist Adam Possamai argues that Australia and the West in general are experiencing a churning similar to what Baker is referring to, which he calls the trend of “passé secularism.” In an article appearing in Critical Research on Religion (Vol. 13, No 2), Possamai writes that while there has undoubtedly been a trend of declining affiliation and attendance affecting religious institutions, religion has at the same time been making a comeback in public life and self-styled spirituality has gone mainstream. These two trends have been evident for decades and have been associated with what has been called “post-secularism,” but Possamai argues that he is seeing a different twist on these developments. Using Australia as his main case study, he writes that religious freedom and the culture wars are being used by evangelicals not only to protect themselves against discrimination (on issues like same-sex marriage, for example), but also to express their rights to discriminate against other religions (such as in its social service provisions).
While “post-secularism” called for religious actors to enter the public square using the language of reason, religions now “bring their theological language more explicitly than before…[T]he change is about religion having developed new ways of being politically and legally savvy.” Meanwhile, Possamai writes that spirituality and mysticism have not so much undergone a resurgence as they have been democratized and are no longer seen as alternative or pejorative. All this means that, contrary to the forecasts of secularization theorists, secularism no longer is the central narrative and discourse in the public sphere. “Further, if religion is declining in the private sphere, it is partly replaced by spirituality, one that has been mainstreamed over the years. For this reason, [Possamai] argues that despite a decrease in religious identification, we have moved towards a new phase, beyond post-secularism, to that of passé secularism.”
(Critical Research on Religion, https://journals.sagepub.com/home/crr)
