The secularization of the western world was a very trying and dramatic process. It involved many different ideas that were changed and reinterpreted to mean a variety of things. Most importantly the secularization of the western world gave rise to many of the current beliefs trends, and commonalities of daily life.
The way that this is described by Ronald Brown in his lectures is a rather common way of looking at the western world's secularization process. The radical form is the form that is presented as the take home midterm. The lectures detail the humanities side of how the west was secularized. They deal with the old thought and show the transition to the new thought and why that transition took place. The lectures start by outlining the three ways that one can look at the earth: Mythologically, Rational/Aesthetically, and Empirical/Mechanistically. These three views outline the total dynamic that the secular world can be interpreted by. I believe that the most widely accepted belief is the rational/aesthetic way of looking at the world. This perspective of the world most commonly reflects what a majority of people believe. Also I feel that this belief just so happens to be the exact opposite to what the "secular progressiveness- explains.
When comparing the two many questions came to mind. I asked, "How do you know which is the correct way to see the world?- To find the answer to this question I realized that I needed to understand both ideas extremely well, in order to put forth a valid argument. I feel personally that the "secular progressiveness- is a fantastic way for the world to be looked at. It is exactly the way I see the world. As I science major I tend to want to find out why something happens and the purpose of it. With that in mind you can easily see why I chose the "secular progressiveness- as the way I see the world.
It is true that in the past people did believe in god, and spirits.