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Volume 2, # 9 VOTF PERSPECTIVES October 16, 2005
The Map of World Cultural Values, Secularization, and Roman Catholicism
The new Pope, Europe and secularization
Is the world becoming more secular?
The tradition vs. secular values dimension of the world cultural map
The survival vs. self-expression dimension of the world cultural map
Why have Catholic cultures resisted secularization better than Orthodox and Protestant?
Why have the English speaking cultures resisted secularization?
Why has the USA resisted secularization so well in comparison to similar countries?
Cultures, modernization, evangelization and the next Christendom
By Jack Rakosky
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Summary of article in regular type and Commentary in italics of
Modernization, Cultural Change, and the Persistence of Traditional Values
By Ronald Inglehart and Wayne E. Baker
American Sociological Review, 2000, Vol. 65, 19-51.
Information on the World Values Survey may be found at http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/
The article (one of many recent publications) may be downloaded or printed in pdf format from:
http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/Upl oad/5_19-51_IN.PDF
Color map found at http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/organization/set_intro.html .
Load in a window or print a copy for use while reading this article!!!
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The new Pope, Europe and secularization
Pope Benedict XVI is very concerned about the secularization of Europe, especially the pursuit of rationality and freedom without religious values. He expressed his views about this process as Cardinal Ratzinger in a lecture “On Europe ’s Crisis of Culture.” This lecture took place April 1, when he received the St. Benedict Award for the promotion of life and the family in Europe . Ratzinger appears to think that scientific rationality has produced changes in cultural values, such as elimination of the importance of God in human life. The great German sociologist Max Weber had a similar notion and expected Germany would become increasingly secular. It has become very secular, but did scientific rationality cause the lower level of interest in God and religion now found in Germany ? The USA is very scientific but has far higher levels of belief in God and church participation than Germany . In fact, across the world societies with greater belief in the science have greater belief in God. Some of the European countries that are most skeptical of religion are also very skeptical of science.
Many of the founders of psychology and sociology had little use for God; often they assumed religion would vanish with the march of progress. This fact may have influenced Ratzinger’s assessment of the dangers of scientific rationality. Such secular attitudes were widespread in the sixties. The situation has changed in the last several decades, at least here in the USA . Both psychologists and sociologists have rediscovered the importance of God and religion. The study of religion gets substantial time at the annual meetings of psychologists and sociologists, and participants feel free to express their own religious values. The growing conviction of many psychologists and sociologists that religion is central to both disciplines needs to be reciprocated by theologians and religious professionals valuing the social sciences as essential for their work.
Is the world becoming more secular?
To what extent are values changing around the world? Why are values changing? Are some cultures more resistance than others to changes in values? Social scientists have extensive data on world values, how they are changing, and why they change. The article by Inglehart and Baker reviews data from 65 societies and more than 75 percent of the world’s population during the time frame from 1981 until 1998. Pope Benedict XVI has a right to be concerned about secularization. In many places such as Germany there has been a decline of belief in God and other traditional values. But the Pope should also be encouraged. There is much evidence to indicate resistance to secularization not only in Catholic cultures but also in English-speaking cultures, and most especially in the USA !
People in more countries around the world are adopting secular values at the same time that more and more people are becoming religious. How can this be true? Poor people are both more religious and have larger families. People in poor, agrarian countries believe in God and have large families so that most of the world’s population growth is in these countries. People in rich countries tend to lose their belief in God and traditional values. However they also have far fewer children. So while more and more countries are becoming part of the developed world, the population of the developed world is shrinking as a percentage of the world population. Will this continue? While just decades ago many were fearful of world population explosion, it is now possible that the world’s population will reach a peak in a few decades, and then begin to decline. However, predicting future population trends has proven not to be a very exact science.
Although being in a poor country is a strong predictor of being religious, and being in a rich country is a strong predictor of being secular, existing cultures still have powerful effects upon values. Most people within any country have relatively similar values. Those values are determined far more by the national culture in which people are raised than by the religion in which people are raised. American Catholics and American Protestants have very similar values. Religion, however, does have a powerful indirect effect through its historic shaping of cultures. Countries with similar cultural backgrounds, e.g. English speaking countries, the European Protestant countries, and the European Catholic countries cluster together in their values. The World Values Map illustrates this very well.
While culture strongly affects the persistence of values, modernization is a very powerful source of value change. This is the process of socioeconomic development that includes both industrialization and the transition to a service economy. There is clear evidence the process of industrialization erodes traditional values, including the belief in God. There is clear evidence that even greater economic wealth and a service economy promotes democracy, freedom and self-expression, and a greater concern for the meaning of life.
In poor nations around the world, people hope in God; in agrarian economies like the foxholes of war there are few atheists. Even the rich in these countries recognize how vulnerable they are to nature. As nations industrialize people begin to trust in their ability to get rich rather than in God, or their families, or authority. As nations become wealthy and transition to service economies, people have the leisure that enables them to become concerned with the meaning of life. God gets our attention with quiet whispers as well as with storms and earthquakes.
The traditional/secular values dimension of the map of world values
Modernization has highly consistent effects across nations on two value dimensions. The first dimension is the traditional/secular values dimension(the vertical dimension on the color map referenced above). Societies near the bottom of the map have very traditional values. People in these societies say that God is very important in their lives, that abortion is never justifiable. They say that children should learn religious faith more than independence, they have a strong sense of national pride, and they favor respect for authority.
Americans, while near to the center of this dimension, endorse these traditional values more than their opposites, i.e. secular values. Americans believe in God, country, the family and the rule of law. There is great value consistency among Americans that is increasing not decreasing. Red and blue states are media hype!
African, Latin American and South Asian countries have very traditional values and therefore appear in the lower part of the map. Protestant Europe (including Germany) the Confucian countries (China and Japan) and the ex-Communist countries (except for Poland) are near the top of the map. They are very secular countries that no longer believe in traditional values.
Catholic Europe and English-speaking countries are in the middle, halfway between traditional and secular values. Except for Ireland and Poland, the USA is the most traditional among this middle group of countries, being slightly on the traditional side of the continuum whereas most are slightly on the secular side of the continuum.
The largest predictor of secularization is industrialization . The more industrialized a country the more likely it is to have secular rather than tradition values. However, the USA is a very large exception to this general rule. We are not nearly as secular as would be predicted on the basis of our wealth, long history of industrialization and Protestant heritage.
The survival/ self-expression dimension of the map of world values
The second dimension to world values is the survival/self-expression dimension. People in countries with survival values say that economic and physical security is more important than are self-expression. They describe themselves as not very happy. They have never signed a petition and would never do so. They say that homosexuality is never justified, and one has to be very careful about trusting people. Self-expressive people hold the opposite opinions.
Being a service-oriented economy is a very strong predictor of self-expressive values . In other words, socioeconomic modernization has two stages. In the first stage, industrialization promotes secular rather than traditional values as incomes rise. People become focused upon getting a better job, upward mobility, and more money. They often move from their roots. In the second stage, as people become even wealthier a postindustrial service economy develops with a different set of values. A service economy promotes self-expression rather than survival values, or even just getting ahead values. Self-expression values are strongly linked to increased democracy and greater equality for women. People become concerned with the quality of life, and the meaning of life.
Among traditional societies at the bottom of the map, South Asian and African societies on the left side are very survival oriented while Latin American countries toward the right side are more self-expressive.
Among secular societies at the top of the map, Protestant European countries are very self expression, while the Ex-Communist countries are very survival oriented with the Confucian countries midway between. Sweden (in the upper right hand corner of the map) is the poster child for modernity. It could be joined by most of Protestant Europe (and even Japan).
Among the countries in the middle of the map on traditional values, the English speaking countries are strongly on the expressive side while Catholic Europe is right in the middle of the world map on both value dimensions.
Unlike the case with traditional values, the USA is very strongly on the self-expression side of this dimension. During the several decades of these studies the USA has not changed on the traditional values scale but we have steadily become more self-expressive. There are many conflicts between traditional values and being self-expressive, however these take place within each of us, not between two different cultures within our country.
While the USA shows strong effects for modernity because of our adoption of self-expressive values, we have gone a very different path than the rest of the industrialized world by resisting secular values.
Catholic Europe has resisted secular values more than Orthodox and Protestant Europe
The historically Catholic cultures of Europe have resisted secular values better than the historically Protestant and Orthodox cultures of Europe. Why? Evaluating this issue is difficult. Almost all the Orthodox cultures were subjected to communism. Catholics and Orthodox are very close in both doctrine and ritual so these are not likely important factors. The industrial revolution began in Protestant countries so some have suggested that Catholic countries have simply entered the secularization process later. They point to the major declines in church going in Catholic countries in recent decades; however this fails to take into account the effect of Vatican II upon church discipline.
The historic Protestant experience of Christian values has been a relationship to God through scripture within the context of a local congregation. The historical Catholic experience of Christian values has been through a liturgy within the context of an international church. The historical Orthodox experience of Christian values has been through a liturgy within the context of a national church tied closely to national political authorities. People in Protestant countries looked to their neighbors for their values. People in Orthodox countries looked to their national religious and secular leaders for their values. People in Catholic countries looked to an international church with a center in Rome with many international institutions such as religious orders. The international outlook of Catholic countries may have helped them resist secularism.
English-speaking Countries tend to maintain traditional values
Catholicism may, however, be not the only key to resisting secularism. Modern Roman Catholic countries of Europe (Spain, Italy and France) while more traditional than Protestant Europe (Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden) are in fact less traditional than English speaking countries (except for Great Britain). So there must be something in English- speaking countries that resists secularism.
Among the English speaking countries, the USA (except for Ireland) is the most traditional. This is particularly evident when looking at the importance of God in people’s lives. Half the people in the USA give God a “10” on a ten point scale of importance. That is the same as people in Mexico, and actually higher than Ireland. Only people in low income societies have higher percentages.
In Europe the figures for the importance of God are very low: Sweden (8%), France (10%), Norway (12%), West Germany (16%), Great Britain (16%) Italy (29%), Spain (26%), Ireland (40%). Pope Benedict certainly has a big problem in Europe. Maybe he could learn from English-speaking countries, especially the USA? The USA is distinctive as a wealthy, highly modern economy with a Protestant heritage that promotes the importance of God, religion, and traditional values.
Why are Americans so religious?
Why do Americans think God and religion are so important? The standard answer given by many sociologists is religious competition. The Protestant and Catholic churches of Europe are state-established and/or funded. Here in the USA, church professionals have to compete for the time, talent and treasure of church members. This explanation has is problems since both Ireland and Poland are highly religious countries with little competition for the Catholic Church. Let me suggest that religious competition has made the USA unique among the nations in the world because it has created an emphasis on the importance of personal religious experience (being spiritual) and of voluntary associations (i.e. religion in the USA is carried out by volunteers more than by professionals).
“I am spiritual but not religious.” An increasingly large percentage of people who do not go to church are saying this. It frightens many clergy, and even a few sociologists. However “being spiritual” may in fact be the one of the keys to the popularity of God and the success of religion in the USA. Nearly everyone who says they are religious (i.e. they go to church regularly) also says they are spiritual. Being spiritual means having some personal relationship to Christ, God or whatever one considers transcendent. The great majority of people experience this in the context of being a member of a church congregation.
Historically in the USA Protestants attracted church members through revivals that appeal to people’s emotions. Being saved and being reborn became important ways to build church congregations. The Catholic Church had to protect immigrants from this by appealing to their emotions through devotions, retreats, and more recently small groups. All of this has resulted in a national culture that favors personal, emotional relationships to the divine i.e. “being spiritual.” It has been said that there is an American Civic Religion. Perhaps there is also an American Spirituality. Being “spiritual,” having a particularly personal relationship to the transcendent, is a part of that American Spirituality.
Churches in the USA operate as voluntary associations. Voluntary associations have long been recognized as a very distinctive feature of American culture. American uses voluntary organizations to provide services where other countries depend upon either the rich or the state. Therefore religious professionals in the USA have had to compete not just for members and treasure but also for time and talent. Most of the philanthropy and voluntarism in the USA is done through religious organizations. Churches and religious organizations have become involved in a very large network of services beyond worship and religious education.
Religion in the USA therefore serves as a rich environment where people can meet other people and do things together. Churches thrive when they provide such environments. They can do this by being highly structured churches such as the Mormons who require members to give ten percent of their time. Or they can be very charismatic churches that emphasize spontaneity and talents of their members. The decline of mainline Protestant churches has often been attributed to the content of their message. It may have something to do with the distance between their church professionals and the people in the pew. Perhaps it is “professional’ churches that are declining while churches that promote “amateurs” are flourishing.
Being spiritual and being a member of a voluntary association are key elements of American religious experience, or an American Spirituality. They could become key elements of a service economy experience of religion world-wide as nations adopt postmaterialist values.
Cultures, modernization, evangelization and the next Christendom
Roman Catholic evangelization must adapt to the complex value situation of the world. Secular post-Christian postmaterialist Protestant Europe is very different from secular postmaterialist Japan. These different greatly from the secular post-Communist industrial situation of Eastern Europe, or the agrarian traditional values present in Africa. The Church faces a great variety of situations around the world; one size will not fit all. The tremendous challenge for Catholicism will be maintaining unity while adapting to this diversity.
Catholic Europe is near the center of the map of world values, being slightly secular and slightly self-expressive. However, half of the world’s Catholic population is located in the New World. These Catholics retain traditional values much more than Catholic Europe. More than half these Catholics rate God as very important in their lives whereas only about a fourth of Catholic Europe rates God to be very important. The “next Christendom,” to borrow a phrase from Philip Jenkins, has already arrived and is in the New World.
Since some countries of Latin America are industrial while others are still agrarian, continued modernization may make Latin American more secular. Will the result be more secular like Catholic Europe or religious like the USA? The inroads of Protestant evangelicals in Latin America suggest that it may become more like the USA than Italy with Roman Catholicism becoming the largest or even the majority denomination of a Christian Latin America.
Philips Jenkin’s has argued that the next Christendom will consist of very traditional Christians from the poor nations of the world. Certainly sectarian, other-worldly religion has always had a market in the poor of the world. Catholicism successfully used a sectarian model to build the immigrant Church in the USA. That model could be useful elsewhere around the world.
However, both the Western European and Byzantine Christendoms of the past were built among the wealthy and the powerful of this world. Catholicism is a this-worldly as well as other-worldly religion. The success of religion in the wealthy, powerful and postmaterialist USA may well be the model for the next Christendom. This next Christendom unlike previous ones will be built from the bottom up, founded upon a majority who think God is important, and who value family life. Political and economic elites while nominally secular will be constrained by these values from below. Clerical elites will derive what influence they have from their close relationship to religious people rather than their relationships to those with power and money.
Additional Reading
Cardinal Ratzinger On Europe's Crisis of Culture Zenit.org- Archive for July 26,27, 28,29 2005. Here is a translation in four parts of the lecture given in Italian by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Benedict XIV, in the convent of Saint Scholastica in Subiaco, Italy, the day before Pope John Paul II died. This lecture took place April 1, when he received the St. Benedict Award for the promotion of life and the family in Europe.
John Allen (National Catholic Reporter Rome Correspondent) A Global Church in a Globalized Worldhttp://www.nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/word092305.htm
Allen emphasizes the complexity of the situation faced by the Global Church. However, All en is too influenced by the North (liberal and wealthy) versus South (traditional and poor) contrast. My assumption is that Latin American countries will progress economically and leave the traditional and poor South and become either more like either the religious USA or secular Catholic Europe. Allen does not recognize the importance of the USA as a model for the religious future in a postindustrial, postmaterialist service economy.
Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide
Cambridge University Press, 2004. This summarizes the implications of the World Values Study on religion, nations and cultures. The first chapter gives a good introduction to the sociology of religion especially to the issue of secularization. The authors give a their argument for a modern version of the secularization hypothesis while giving balance to the importance of culture in maintaining traditional values. Their attempt to explain away the uniqueness of the USA, however, is weak and unconvincing. They also fail to give adequate attention to the role that religion may pay in a postmaterialist world concerned with self/expression and the quality of life. The great religions of the world have always had a substantial following among the rich even thought the poor might have found themselves to be in a situation where religion is necessary.
Ronald Inglehart and Pippa Norris, Rising Tide: Gender Equality and Cultural Change around the World . Cambrige Press, 2003. This summarizes the implications of the World Values Study for the progress of equality between men and women, and its links to socio-economic change and its accompanying value changes. While women begin to make some gains in industrial society, the major changes toward increased equality have taken place was nations move into postindustrial service economies. Traditional values, especially as articulated by religious traditions have slowed this change toward greater equality. The strongest opposition to the equality of women has occurred in Islamic societies. However, Catholicism also has had a milder effect in retarding equality.
