Religious Observance

Religious observance includes all overt kinds of religious behavior. Research in this area shows the extent and patterning of religious activities in various populations and makes it possible to test theories about the causes of religious behavior. ^[1] Religious commitment is lower in countries with higher education, higher GDP and greater income equality. ^[2]

Sociological and psychological factors

There are sociological and psychological sources of variation in religious observance. Sociological factors include historical trends, social class and minority groups. Psychological factors include age, sex, and personality traits. Research and studies carried out between 1900 and the present day in UK, the US and Europe shows the extent and patterning of religious activities in the population and makes it possible to test theories about the causes of religious behavior. ^[3]

Measures and indexes

Religious observance may take the form of a religious element of a school morning assembly (e.g. prayers or hymn singing), a visit to a church for a service or a visit by a minister to a classroom where children are encouraged to join in prayer or are told that doctrinal material is fact, rather than it being discussed in a comparative or historical context. ^[4] Parents should have the statutory right to withdraw their child from religious observance. Some schools across Europe inform parents of this right. ^[5]

Variations

Variations raise questions of Why does A go to church while B does not? The answer involves three possible forms: ^[6]

• Social learning and group pressures
• Individual differences in personality
• Socioeconomic categories

Criticism

Whilst parents should be informed of their right to opt out of Religious Observance, a UK YouGov poll of 1000 parents found 39% of parents were not aware of their right to withdraw. ^[7] This was commissioned by the Humanist Society Scotland in April 2012. On 3 June 2013 the Scottish Secular Society launched a petition to ensure every parent gave express permission for their child to attend RO. ^[8] In 2018, the Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus suggested abolishing five religious dates marked as school holidays. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

References

1. "Religious Observance". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
2. "Why do levels of religious observance vary by age and country?". Pew Research Center. 13 June 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
3. "The Social Psychology of Religion, Prejudice and Intergroup Processes". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
4. "Education Scotland: Religious Observance - About". Education Scotland. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
5. "The Scottish Government : Provision of Religious Observance in Scottish Schools". Scottish Government. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
6. "How do European countries differ in religious commitment? Use our interactive map to find out". Pew Research Center. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
7. "The Humanist Society Scotland: A Survey into Parental Knowledge and Attitudes Towards RME and Observance in Scottish Schools" (PDF). The Humanist Society Scotland. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
8. "PE01487: Religious observance in schools - Getting Involved : Scottish Parliament". Scottish.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2013-08-17.
9. "Archbishop suggests abolishing five religious dates marked as school holidays (Update 1)". cyprus-mail.com. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
10. Zembylas, Michalinos; Loukaidis, Loizos; Antoniou, Marios (2019). "The politicisation and securitisation of religious education in Greek–Cypriot schools". European Educational Research Journal. 18. journals.sagepub.com: 69–84. doi:10.1177/1474904118788990.
11. "A shake-up of religious education is centuries overdue". cyprus-mail.com. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
12. Zembylas, Michalinos; Loukaidis, Loizos; Antoniou, Marios; Antoniou, Petroula (2018). "The Political Function of Religious Education in an Ethnically Divided Society: Greek-Cypriot Teachers' Perspectives on Conflict, Peace, and Religious Teaching". Religion & Education. 45 (2). Journal of Religion & Education: 226–248. doi:10.1080/15507394.2017.1419771.