- Quote: "In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is a multilayered concept that generally denotes 'a transition from a religious to a more worldly level.'"
Discusses the process of secularization and its impact on religion in society.
- Quote: "Most versions of secularization do not lead to atheism, irreligion, nor are they automatically antithetical to religion."
- Quote: "Secularization has different connotations such as implying differentiation of secular from religious domains, the marginalization of religion in those domains, or it may also entail the transformation of religion as a result of its recharacterization."
- Quote: "Secularism's origins can be traced to the Bible itself and fleshed out through Christian history into the modern era."
- Quote: "Furthermore, secular and religious entities were not separated in the medieval period, but coexisted and interacted naturally."
- Quote: "Significant contributions to principles used in modern secularism came from prominent theologians and Christian writers such as St. Augustine, William of Ockham, Marsilius of Padua, Martin Luther, Roger Williams, and John Locke."
- Quote: "The first use of 'secular' as a change from religion to the mundane is from the 16th century that referred to transforming ecclesiastical possessions for civil purposes, such as monasteries to hospitals; and by the 19th century, it gained traction as a political object of secularist movements."
- Quote: "In the 20th century, 'secularization' had diversified into various versions in light of the diversity of experiences from different cultures and institutions."
- Quote: "Scholars recognize that secularity is structured by Protestant models of Christianity, shares a parallel language to religion, and intensifies Protestant features such as iconoclasm, skepticism towards rituals, and emphasizes beliefs."
- Quote: "The secularization thesis expresses the idea that through the lens of the European enlightenment modernization, rationalization, combined with the ascent of science and technology, religious authority diminishes in all aspects of social life and governance."
- Quote: "In recent years, the secularization thesis has been challenged due to some global studies indicating that the irreligious population of the world may be in decline as a percentage of the world population."
- Quote: "Christian sociologist Peter L. Berger coined the term desecularization to describe this phenomenon."
- Quote: "Secularization rates are stalling or reversing in some countries/regions such as the countries in the former Soviet Union or large cities in the Western world with significant amounts of religious immigrants."
- Quote: "Even global studies show that many people who do not identify with a religion still hold religious beliefs and participate in religious practices, thus complicating the situation."