TALCOTT PARSONS’S ANALYSIS OF CHRISTIANITY: THE FORMATION OF SECULAR RELIGION IN AMERICA

TALCOTT PARSONS’IN HIRİSTİYANLIK SOSYOLOJİSİ: AMERİKA’DA SEKÜLER DİNİN OLUŞUMU

Abstract

Talcott Parsons’s sociology of Christianity constitutes the main point of this article as one of the most important functionalist sociologists. This article includes partial information about his general theory of religion. According to Parsons principles of Western and American modernization arise from Christianity from an evolutionist perspective which is formed by historical and empirical data. There are five chapters in the article. In the first part, there are Parsons’s point of view about religion and Christianity, general information about his studies on Christianity, also his ideas about the first period of Christianity. In the second part information on Parsons’s comparisons of East and West Church can be seen. His ideas about the effects of Protestantism especially Calvinism on modernization have been descriptively explained in the third part. The next part is about his views on American Christianity and the pioneering role of America on economical and political modernization. In the fifth and result section, what Parsons think about religion in modern society is being critically considered. The aim of this work is reminding how can be contributory the Parsons’s functionalist and Durkheimian paradigm. Otherwise emphasizing the hesitation of using “civil religion” and “secular religion” terms when he identifies holiness and spirituality is another aim of this study. Lastly, the idea of Parsons’s sociology of Christianity has a subjective role on legitimating American modernization or 20th century American society is another crucial point Talcott Parsons’s sociology of Christianity constitutes the main point of this article as one of the most important functionalist sociologists. This article includes partial information about his general theory of religion. According to Parsons Principles of Western and American modernization arise from Christianity from an evolutionist perspective which is formed by historical and empirical data. There are five chapters in the article. In the first part, there are Parsons’s point of view about religion and Christianity, general information about his studies on Christianity, also his ideas about the first period of Christianity. In the second part information on Parsons’s comparisons of East and West Church can be seen. His ideas about the effects of Protestantism especially Calvinism on modernization has been descriptively explained in the third part. The next part is about his views on American Christianity and the pioneering role of America on economic and political modernization. In the fifth and result section, what Parsons think about religion in modern society is being critically considered. The aim of this work is reminding how can be contributory the Parsons’s functionalist and Durkheimian paradigm. Otherwise emphasizing the hesitation of using “civil religion” and “secular religion” terms when he identifies holiness and spirituality is another aim of this study. Lastly, the idea of Parsons’s sociology of Christianity has a subjective role on legitimating American modernization or 20th century American society is another crucial point. Talcott Parsons, as one of the most important functionalist sociologists, considers religion both theoretical and historical/empirical perspectives. His sociology of religion constitutes of a crucial synthesis with analytic, theoretic and empirical/historical materials. The role of modernization through associating needs of the system with empiric world leads him to analyze the history of Christianity. In this study his historical analyses of Christianity and the correlation he put between the modernization of West and Christianity (especially Calvinist Protestantism) will be considered. Although K. Marx and M. Weber, as sociologists in capitalistic world, considered the analysis of modern economical structure, Parsons was mainly interested of the complete analysis of modernization. According to him American society is the most important and dominant case of modernization and this situation is an outcome of combined French democratic revolution and British industrial revolution which this combination can be seen in no European country. When he tried to explain the success of American modernization, he also considered Christianity with its evolutionary/modernizing function. Parsons acknowledged institution of religion as the forth evolutionary universals along with relationship, language and technology, but specifically Christianity is the most evolutionary religion among others. According to him, Christianity makes its modernizing and evolutionary functions actual by using cultural heritage and providing moral motivation to religious people, but not directly manipulating political and social life. Therefore, from one side society getting more secularization which means differentiating religion and politics, on the other side Protestantism (or Christianity) maintaining its informal control on society because cultural norms are formed by religion. American ethos is a reflection of institutive and cultural Christianity (Protestantism); also, all attempts of secularization constitute an expound of Christian patterns in secular world. Parsons’s interest of religion evolves through his curiosity on modernization and evolution. According to him the evolution begins with Ancient Greece which is the cultural back ground of Jewish and Christian culture. And this process respectively continuous with the emerge of the intuition of the church, separation of western church from Eastern Church, the advanced institutionalization of Christian societies, Protestant reformation and developments through modernization. Among these, the most important step is Protestantism. Because Parsons claims that turning point for modern society is not the industrial revolution in 18th century but the Protestant movement in 16th century. At this point he is not agree with the idea that says Christianity, as a religious movement, generates

Özet

Bu makalenin temel eksenini işlevselci sosyolojinin önemli temsilcilerinden oluşturmaktadır. Sosyoloğun genel din kuramı hakkında ise kısmî bilgilere yer verilmektedir. O, çeşitli yazılarında tarihsel ve ampirik verilerden hareketle evrimci bir Hıristiyanlık analizi yaparak, Batı ve Amerikan modernliğinin temellerini Hıristiyanlık dinine bağlar. Makale beş kısımdan oluşmaktadır. Birinci kısımda Parsons'ın din ve Hristiyanlık hakkındaki görüşleri ve Hristiyanlık üzerine yaptığı çalışmalar hakkında genel bilgiler ile Hıristiyanlığın ilk dönemine ilişkin analizlerine yer verilmektedir. İkinci kısımda Parsons'ın Doğu ve Batı kiliseleri karşılaştırmaları hakkında bilgiler verilmektedir. Üçüncü kısımda modernitenin oluşumunda Protestanlığın özellikle Kalvinizmin etkisi hakkındaki düşünceleri betimsel olarak aktarılmaktadır. Dördüncü kısımda Parsons'ın Amerikan Hıristiyanlığı ile Amerika'nın ekonomik ve siyasal modernleşmedeki öncü rolü hakkında görüşleri aktarılmaktadır. Çalışma buraya kadar birincil kaynaklar üzerinden betimsel olarak kurgulanmıştır. Beşinci ve sonuç kısmında ise ikincil kaynaklardan da yararlanılarak, Parsons'ın modern toplumlarda dinin durumu hakkındaki genel düşünceleri eleştirel bir değerlendirmeye tâbi tutulmaktadır. Bu çalışma, din sosyolojisinde sekülerleşme kuramının başat konumunu kaybetmeye başladığı günümüzde Parsons'ın Durkheimcı ve işlevselci paradigmasının din olgusunun anlaşılmasına farklı katkılar sunabileceğini hatırlatma; Parsons'ın modernitedeki kutsallık ve dinsellik olgusunun analizinde başvurduğu "sivil din" ve "seküler din" kavramlarını kullanırken yaşadığı tereddüdün altını çizme; onun Hıristiyanlık sosyolojisinin yirminci yüzyıl Amerikan toplumunu veya Amerikan modernitesini meşrulaştırma gibi öznel bir çabanın ürünü olduğunu gösterme gibi amaçları bulunmaktadır