The secularization of religion and television commercials.
Sociology of Religion › Vol. 59 Nbr. 2, June 1998
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The secularization of religion and television commercials.
Do television advertisers use religious symbolism to sell goods and services? An answer to this question is important because it is relevant to the continuing debate about the status of religion in modern American society. Content analysis of 797 commercials offers a partial answer to the question, but before considering the research findings, some theoretical groundwork is necessary.
SECULARIZATION THEORY Secularization theory is as important as it is controversial (e.g., Roberts 1995: 337-359; Yamane 1997). In general, the theory holds that science, rationality, institutional differentiation, and technological progress combine to undermine the influence of religion in social life. Indeed, most social scientists would probably agree that the "modern empirical worldview has replaced the miraculous religious worldview" (Roberts 1995: 337). Nevertheless, in recent years, secularization theory has come under serious attack (Hadden 1995; Stark and Iannaccone 1994; Sta...See the full content of this document
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