Secularization and Religious Transformation in Modern Spain
The Secularization Thesis
The primary emphasis is on religious practice and determining the extent of its change using empirical arguments. We propose three objectives:
- To present and discuss the thesis of secularization (TS) – the idea that modernization diminishes the relevance of religion.
- To outline the features of Spanish secularization.
- To examine the religious practices of the Spanish people.
There is a strong historical and theoretical correlation between modernization and secularization: as modernity advances, organized religion loses social significance. After more than a century of Enlightenment, following the Reformation, religion came to be seen by positivists as an atavism, a relic of the past that institutionalized ignorance and superstition.
- Marx denounced religion as an instrument of domination, calling it “the opium of the people.”
- Tocqueville, observing the French Revolution, noted that after undermining the government and societal foundations, it seemed poised to challenge God himself.
- Durkheim stated that “the old gods age or die, and others are not yet born.”
- Max Weber spoke of living “in a time… [when] God is behind [us],” referring to the “disenchantment of the world.”
What aspects of modernity oppose religious practices? Primarily, the “process of rationalization of the world and life, characterized by a pragmatic approach.”
- The success of cognitive science undermines the dogmatic foundations of religion.
- The development of industrial capitalism promotes individualism, dissolving traditional forms of coexistence and community, including religious infrastructure.
Religious Change in Spain: Empirical Data
Spain historically had a high degree of religious homogeneity. A hypothesis suggests that greater homogeneity correlates with a higher status for pre-modern institutional religion. The interdependence of Church and State in Europe is cited as a reason why the decline in beliefs and practices among citizens is greater than in the U.S., for example. Tocqueville argued that this politico-religious coercion is a prerequisite for religious indifference once state support for the Church diminishes.
Those favoring political regime change challenged the privileged position of the state-supported confession. The Spanish people gradually dissociated themselves from Catholicism as political coercion relaxed. Secularization led to a societal decline of the Catholic Church, resulting from the disintegration of National Catholicism and the diminished religiosity of the Spanish people.
Spanish Secularization: Societal Dimension
Spain’s peculiarity lies in having maintained, until relatively recently, a politico-religious structure characteristic of a pre-modern era: National Catholicism. This involved:
- A state religion.
- A society steeped in sacred symbols.
- Powerful religious elites.
- In short, a close alliance between the Franco regime and the Church.
This created a hermetic religious culture in the country, isolated from the transformations occurring in other societies. Key features included:
- Religious Monopoly: No significant rival religious elites.
- Confessional State: Public recognition of the Church as a leading institution.
- Adapted Legislation: Laws aligned with Catholic morality.
- State Funding: The Church benefited from state resource transfers.
- Government Presence: State involvement in religious organizations’ conduct.
- Control: Influence over the conduct and consciences of the Spanish population.
The end of the Franco regime initiated societal secularization. With the 1978 Constitution, Spain ceased to be a confessional state. The Church’s social functions have decreased in intensity, it has lost media influence, and priests have often been replaced by therapists in providing guidance. Beginning in the 1980s, there was a growing rejection of Church intervention in political life.
Compounding these issues is the crisis of the priesthood. There are significant difficulties in recruiting new members, and the prestige of the priesthood has declined compared to other professional occupations.
Spanish Secularization: Individual Dimension
Since 1975, there has been a marked increase in non-practicing Catholics and the emergence of agnostics and atheists. This sharp decline is consistent with three phenomena:
- Weakening Beliefs: Fewer people adhere to traditional religious beliefs such as heaven, the afterlife, sin, or hell. The foundational belief system has weakened.
- Reduced Relevance: For many, the Church no longer provides satisfactory answers to spiritual needs or moral questions (e.g., regarding divorce, abortion, contraceptives).
- Modernized Conscience: The modernization of the Catholic religious conscience itself contributes to changing attitudes and practices.