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Sociology of Religion
Chapter Outline
Religion in Historical Perspective Sociological Perspectives on Religion Types of Religious Organization Trends in Religion in the United States Religion in the Future
Questions that Sociologists Ask about Religion
How does religion affect society as a whole (does it divide/unite)? How does it affect social institutions like: › Marriages, Political Structures, Economy
How does religion, as a social institution, affect the wellbeing of individuals?
What does it mean to be ‘religious’? How does one define and measure religiosity?
Measuring Religiosity
Religiosity is the extent to which a person does one or more of the following: › (1) believes in and “feels” or experiences
certain aspects of religion› (2) becomes involved in religious activities
such as attending church or reading sacred texts
› (3) believes in the teachings of the church, › (4) lives in accordance with those teachings
and beliefs.
Religion and the Meaning of Life
Religion seeks to answer important questions such as why we exist, why people suffer and die, and what happens when we die-the ‘sacred canopy’
Things that people do not set apart as sacred are referred to as profane—the everyday, secular or “worldly” aspects of life.
Elements of Religion
Most religions have four elements: Ritual (ex. Prayer, communion) A sense of the Sacred A system of beliefs-in the
supernatural and a set of ethics OR a set of abstract ideals
Organization-each religion has a public component
Types of Religious Organization
Ernest Troeltsch (1931) created a typology of three varieties of religious organizations:
Ecclesia Church (Denomination) Sect Cult (now called New Religious
Movements, NRMs)
Characters of Churches and Sects
Organization Membership Worship SalvationAttitude
Toward Other Religions
Church
Large, bureaucratic
organization,led by professional
clergy
Open to all; members
usually from upper and
middle classes
Formal, orderly
Granted by God Tolerant
SectSmall group,high
degree of lay participation
Guarded membership, usually from lower classes
Informal, spontaneous
Achieved by moral purity Intolerant
Ecclesia
Encompasses all members of a society
People are primarily born into the ecclesia, do not convert
Influential in government affairs
Church/Denomination
Stable, institutional organization
Well-educated clergy
Elaborate rituals and beliefs
Tolerant of religious pluralism and the secular world
Sect Less organized than
denomination Charismatic, less
educated ministers Growth by recruiting,
rather than being born into church
Higher levels of devotion Reject worldliness and
‘impure’ denominations Tend to draw recruits
from the lower classes
New Religious Movements (NRMs)
Offer completely new beliefs, rituals, and means of transcendence
Live in stark opposition to the world
Informally organized, led by self-styled, charismatic leadership
Recruit people who have economic and psychological deprivation
Four Categories of Religion
Simple supernaturalism - the belief that supernatural forces affect people's lives positively or negatively.
Animism - the belief that plants, animals, and elements of the natural world are endowed with spirits that impact events in society.
Theism - belief in a God or Gods. Transcendent idealism - belief in sacred
principles of thought and conduct, such as truth, justice, life and tolerance for others.
Major World Religions
Christianity Islam Hinduism Buddhism Judaism Confucianis
m
No. of Adherents 1.7 billion 1 billion 719 million 309 million 18 million 5.9 million
Founder Jesus Muhammad No specific founder
Siddhartha Gautama
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob K’ung Fu-Tzu
Dates Founded
1st century C.E. ca. 600 C.E ca. 1500
B.C.E500 to 600
B.C.E.ca. 2000 B.C.E. 500 B.C.E
Sociological Observations of Religion in the U.S.
Diverse-85 denominations with atleast 50,000 members *
Positive slant of religion-heaven, personal blessings, etc. due to ‘religious marketplace’
Freedom from Anticlericalism-Americans do not have bitter feelings towards priests as protectors of the status quo
Civil religion-God is frequently invoked in American rituals, symbols, etc, with little reference to which God/beliefs
Example of Civil Religion
Rates of Church Membership in U.S., 1776-2000
Secularization of U.S.?‘Proof’ that the U.S. is more
secular‘Proof’ that the U.S. is NOT more
secular
1 out of 4 people between 18-28 yrs. of age were unaffiliated with any
religion
Slighlty more people (38% of population) claims to have had a born again experience in 2008 than 20 yrs
earlier
28% of US adults raised in faith have abandoned faith or chosen another
one
Percentage of people believing the Bible is the ‘inspired Word of God’ is roughly the same in 2008 as 1984
Major denominations, like the Disciples of Christ, PC-USA,
Episcopalians, AME Zion have lost at least 20% of their membership in the
last 20 yrs. (link)
In 2007, 38% of 18-29 yrs old ‘strongly agreed’ that God was
‘angered by human sin’, the highest of any age group
The no. of Americans having never attended church doubled between
1973 and 2008 (link)
33% of the same age group reported witnessing to friends at least once in the past month, the highest of any
age group (Link)
No. of Americans who believe that the Bible is the actual Word of God
decreased from 37% in 1984 to 31% in 2008 (link)
Church membership was nearly 62% in 2000, only 17% in 1776 (Starke &
Finke)
U.S. Religious Traditions’ Membership
Leading Church Bodies
Social Stratification and Religion
Social Stratification and Religion
Theoretical Perspectives on Religion
Conflict Theory and Religion
Religion is the ‘opiate of the masses’ according to Karl Marx-a way for the elites to reinforce the oppression of the lower classes
Later conflict theorists point to the use of religion to justify racism, sexism, and oppression of homosexuals
Focus on the ‘hereafter’ blinds people to current oppression
Conflict Theory and Religion
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Religion serves as a reference group to help people define themselves.
People are socialized into certain roles (ex. Being reverent during communion) through group expectations
People attach sacred meaning to symbols
Symbols and Religion
What does the head covering
for women represent in the Christian faith? (Hint: 1
Cor. 11)
How do head coverings in
various faiths function as a sociological
symbol?
Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism
Max Weber studied the attitudes of Protestants and Catholics in Western Europe towards work and this life in late 19th century
He discovered that Protestants, particularly Calvnists, developed a rational worldview of hard work and thrift that propelled their economic activities
Protestant Ethic spread to America, to non-Calvinists › Example: Ben Franklin is famous for his quote “A
penny saved is a penny earned”
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
Protestant Ethic in Modern Day U.S.
Modern evangelical leaders often express their belief that economic freedom and Bible are compatible
Jerry Falwell once stated: › “God is in favor of freedom, property, ownership, competition,
diligence, work and acquisition. All of this is taught in the Word of God, in both the Old and New Testaments”
Pat Robertson› ”…Communism and capitalism in their most extreme, secular
manifestations are equally doomed to failure,….free enterprise is the economic system most nearly meeting humanity’s God-given need for freedom”.
Functionalist Perspective and Religion
Religion is a ‘social glue’ that binds people with sacred rituals
Religion upholds basic social norms Legitimates governmental authority Religion is a balm for the oppressed
and marginalized But also dysfunctional…. Prevents social change Enhances political conflict
Functionalism and Religion
Events like the “Meet You at the Pole” (pictured below) bind people by sacred rituals
Most monarchies, like Great Britain, invoke a ‘divine right’ of the monarchy to rule the people. Vestiges of this system can be seen in the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II (1952).
Rational Choice Theory and Religion
People engage in a rational cost-benefit analysis when ‘shopping’ for churches
Churches vary in their promise of rewards in this life and the hereafter
Successful churches are those that promise the most rewards
Rational Choice theory explains why prosperity
gospel churches, like Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, gather 40,000+ each week.
Future of Religion
Secularization theory, which believed that modernization, democratization, and globalization would decreased the need for faith, has been debunked
Worldwide surge of fundamentalism(s) across religious traditions
Religious devotion will increasingly be coupled with religious tolerance
Polarization of beliefs within traditions