Secularization

thumb|270x270px|Importance of religion by country in a 2008-2009 poll by Gallup In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatically antithetical to religion. 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 recharacter

thumb|Deconsecrated Church of Saint Philomena in Ugento, Italy, used as a city hall.

Postsecularism (also, postsecular turn) refers to a range of theories regarding the persistence or resurgence of religious beliefs or practices in the present. The "post-" may refer to after the end of secularism or after the beginning of secularism.

thumb|270x270px|Importance of religion by country in a 2008-2009 poll by Gallup.In sociology, desecularization (also spelled desecularisation) is a resurgence or growth of religion after a period of secularization. The theory of desecularization is a reaction to the theory known as the secularization thesis, which posits a gradual decline in the importance of religion and in religious belief itself, as a universal feature of modern society. The term desecularization was coined by Peter L. Berger, a former proponent of the secularization thesis, in his 1999 book The Desecularization of the Worl

essay by Charles Taylor

problem in political thought