Substantive definitions - these attempts to explain what religion is
Functional defitions - define religion in terms of its uses and
purposes for individuals and societies
Polythetic Defitions - these define religion by creating a list of
possible characterisitics that make up a religion but accept that
no one example will share them all
Functionalism
Religion plays an important role in creating and maintaining vlaue consensues, order and solidarity
The Sacred: DURKHEIM believes religion is not about a belief in GOD, spirits or the supernatural rather the things that are powerful
Sacred symbols represent societies collective conscience - shared norms,values, beliefs and knowledge that bring society together (social solidarity/intergration
Cogitive functions of religions: helping people to reason and think conceptually
CRITISMS - cannot be applied to large-scale societies where is more than one relgion, Postmodenist argues does not apply to multicultural diverse societies, ignore conflicts
MALINOWSKI: religion provides psychological functions for individuals, heling them cope with emotional stress
Helps when the outcome is important but uncontrollable and uncertain
At times of life crisis
PARSONS: helps indivudals cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes
CIvil Religion
BELLAH; notes the religion unfies society, even a
multi-faith society. Civil religion is a belief society that
attaches sacred wualities to society
Civil relgion in america is expreseed in various rituals,
symbols and beliefs such as the national anthem
Evaluation
Emphasis the postive functions ignoes negative aspects
ignore the idea that religion is a source of oppression to women or poor
ignore religion as source of conflict and division
Marxism
In a classless society there would be no need for religion
Ideology and False Consciousness
MARX - religion provide ideology to distort people perception of reality in way the serve the interests of the ruling class
helps the poor accept their postion by providing flase conciousness
Evaluation
ignore postive functions religion performs
NEO- Marxists see some form of religion as assisting the development of class consciousness, not hindering
Feminist would argue that the main source of oppression in religion is for women
Feminists
Places of Worsip
Some places of worship segregate the sexes - favouring the man
For Example - In Islamic mosques, women are seating at the back behind screens, while
men occupy the central and more sacred seats
Womens participation may be restricted
For Example: not being allowed to preach or read sacred texts, inlcuding taboos regarding
menstruating such as not being able to touch the Qur'an when menstruating
Religious Organisations
Religion is a patriachal institution and religious functions legitmate female subordination
Religious organisation are male dominated with males at high postion of authority in the hierarchical structure
For example: In Judaism and Catholicism - women
are forbiden to become priests - KAREN
ARMSTRONG - Clear evidence of marginalisation
Sacred Texts
Sacred texts largely focus on the doings of men - male gods, prophets
They are usually written and interpreted by men
Religious laws
Many religious laws generally give women fewer rights then men
For Example: marriage laws (how many spuses then marry, denied access to divorce
decision making, dress codes (Islamic women must not show their faces, exploitation)
Many religious also legitmate the traditional domestic and reproductive role of the women
For Example: the Catholic church bans contraception and abortion
Religion in the past
ARMSTRONG argues that in early religious, women were often placed at the centre of the religious beliefs
For Example - mother goddesses and female priests were found
throughout the Middle East until around 6000 years ago
EL SAADAWI see the rise of monotheism as legitating the power of men over women. However relgious is
used as source of oppression, it is not the direct cause of women's subordination
For Example - ment interpret the relgious beilefs in a way that
favours patriarchy which exists in society
WOODHEAD; criticies feminst explanations for ignoring the fact that not all religions are patriarchal, she argues that there are many forms of 'religous feminism' - ways in which women use religon to gain greater freedom and respect
For Example; WOODHEAD argues that some muslim chosse to wear the hijab to escape a judgemental and materialsitc society - hijab is seen as liberating and as symbol
For Example: evangelical churches hold the beilef that men should respect women, giving women more power to influence men's behaviour.
Evaluation
Functionalists argue religion does not favour men over women and instead creates solidarity, uniting all members
Marxists focues too much on oppression of women than the poor
Religion as a Conservative force
It is tradional - society should be organised a certain way
It functions to preserve things how they are - stablising society
Many oppose changes that would allow individuals more freedom in personal and sexual matter
For Example: the catholic church forbids divorce, contraception and abortion. It opposes gay marriage and condemns homosexuality
Relgions upholds and instills 'family values' favouring a traditional patriacrchal domestic division of labour and male domestic authority
For Example: The Christian vows for the bride include the word 'obey', the grooms vows do not
Social Change
WEBER: demonstrates that religion can contribute to social change, using the example of the Calvinists protestant ethic that drove capitalism
Calvinists are a group of Catholics who follow a this-worldly ascetic lifestyle and have what is known to be 'the protestant ethic' - working hard but shunning all luxuries
Evaluation of Weber - Marxists have criticised for placing too mcuh focus on religion. KAUTSKY argues that he underestimates economic factors in brining about capitalism
The American Civil Rights Movements
BRUCE describes the struggle of the black civil rights movement of the 1950's as an example of religiously motivated social change
Rosa Parks - civil rights activists
BRUCE argues that they were ablie to influence whites into changing the law by appealing to their shared Christian values of equality
BRUCE believes religious organisations are well equipped to deal with social change
Black Clergy pointed out the hypocrisy of white leargy who preached 'love thy neighbour' but supported racial segregation
The New Christian Right Movement
Political Protestant Fundamentalist movement
Aim to take America 'back to god', back to the fundamentals
wish to illegalise abortion, homosexuality and divorce
campaign for the teaching of creationism & to ban sex education
BRUCE suggest the main reason the NCR movement failed and the
Civil rights movements didnt is the fact they failed to connect with the
mainstream beiliefs about democracy, equality and religious freedom
Secularisation
the process whereby religious beilefs, practices and institutions lose significance
overall stedy decline which led to some sociologist to suggest there was a 'golden age' of religiosity
Church attendence has fallen from 40% in the 19th century to 10-15%by the 1960s and futhur 6% in 2005
An Increse in the average age of the churchgoers
Fewer marriages 2006 1/3, 1971 3/5
Decline in the number holding traditional Christian beliefs
Greater religious diversity
Explanations
Rationalism
For Example: Martin Luthur King JR started the process of rationalisation,
changing the 'magical' worldview of religion to a 'disenchantment' view
Technological, Scientific Explanations
PARSONS: Structural Differentiation
the process of specialisation that occurs with the development of industrial society
For Example: the church has lost its influence it once had on education, social welfare and the law
BRUCE argues that religion has lost many of its former functions. He argues that religion has become 'privatisied'
Social and Cultural Diversity
Industrialisation
Religious Diversity
Evaluation
Postmodernist argue that religion is not declining but simply changing
Focusing on church attendance ignores the fact that people may beilieve but not practice in church
Secularisation is not universal; religion has not declined everywhere, and
not for all religious groups.There is no overall declining trends
Religion may not be necessarily declining just changing how it is practised, for example throught the media
STARK AND BAINBRIDGE (religious market theory) would argue that diveristy does not lead to
a decline in relgion; it leads to an increase in religions
In India, despite a rise in scientific and technological thiking, there has been an increase in religious partcipation
Gender, Ethinicity & Youth
Postmodernism (DAVIE)
Believing Without Belonging
Personal choice to attend church
Hold beilefs dont attend church
Vicarius Religions
people practise religion from a second glance - similar to
audience cults; clergy practise on behalf of a wider audience
Critisms
BRUCE argues that the fact people aren't willing to invest time in religion only reflects their declining strength of their beliefs
many people still use the church for religious rituals and support, showing their commitment
Spiritual Shopping
HERVIEU-LEGER argues traditional religion may be declining, but there is a rise in new religions and spiritual shopping
cultural amnesia - lost collective memory of traditional religion
religion has faded away from everyday life leading to a increase in personal choise - individual consumerism
Pilgrims - follow an individual path in search for self-discovery, for example new age movements or spiritual therapy
Converts - join religious groups that offer a strong sense of belonging, usually based on a shared ethnic background or religion
Globalisation: LYON
increased importance of media and communications, and the growth of consumerism
Religious consumerism
where people have become religious consumers making
personal choices on which elements of religon suits them
Religious Market Theory
STARK AND BAINBRIDGE argue that religion only declines where is a lack of a religious
market;if there is suffcient supply, there will always be a demand for religion
human nature to seek rewards and avoid costs
religions operate like corporations, selling goods in a market
Supply-led religion
consumers can find a religion that meets their needs. Therefore there is a religious monopoly
Europe the situation is different -
England is dominated by a state church -
The Church of England
For this reason, the lack of competition and choice has led to a decline
Evaluation
BRUCE rejects the view that diversity and competition increase
demand for religion, he notes that statistics show that diversity has
been accompanied by religious decline in Europe and the USA
Existential Security Theory
the feeling that survival is secure enough that it can be taken for granted
NORRIS AND INGLEHART argues that the reason for viriations in religion between
societies is due to different degrees in existential security. They believe that the main
function of religion is to provide security and therefore societies where people feel
secure will have a low demand for religion
Wealth and religiosity
People face life threatening risks (e.g.famine) and have high
levels of insecuirty and therefore high levels of religiosity
In Western Europe - the trend is towards secularisation
US remains much more religious
America is a very unequal rich societies with inadequate welfare safety net and individualistic values
Evaluation
Interactionist would argue that qualitative data would explore this better than quantitative data on income
Globalisation
Religious Fundamentalism
They beleive unquestioningly in the literal turth of the sacred script and follw it in all aspects of life
They are intolerant of other beliefs and tend to avoid contact with those who think differently
Cosmpolitanists
Tolerant of others and open to new ideas
These are people who jusify their views by rational arguments and evidence, rather than sacred texts and traditions
BAUMAN sees fundamentalism as a response to living in postmodenity, as fundamentalism
offers the certainity and security in an insecure, changing postmoden society
CASTELL argues the fundamenalist take a resistant identity response towards postmodenity as they take
a defensice reaction to the percieved threat of change and retreat into fundamentalist communities
Cultural Defence
where religion serves to unite a community against an external threat
Types of religious organisations
Churches
Large Organisation with millions of member (e.g. Catholic Church)
Run by a hierarchy of priests
Universalistic, include the whole of society
Often appeal to upper classess because they are linked to the state
Place few demands on their members
Claim a religious monopoly of the truth
Sects
Small, exclusive groups
Break away from churches (Often due to disagreements)
Hostile to wider society
Expect high levels of commitment
Often appeal to poor and oppressed
Led by charismatic leader
Believe they hold religious monopoly of truth
Denominations
Do not expect a high level of commitment
Often fairly large organisations
Impose few demands on members
Don't appeal to the whole society (Methodism)
Tolerant of other organisations
Not Linked with the state
Do not claim a religious monopoly of the truth
Cults
Highly individualistic
Group around shared themes and interests
Often without an exclusive belief system
Usually led by 'Therapists' who claim special knowledge
Tolerant of other beliefs
Do not demand strong commitment
Often world-affirming
New Relgions
STARK AND BAINBRIDGE argues that sects and cults are in conflict with society
Identify 3 types of cults
Audience Cults: Least organised, does not involve membership or
commitment, Little interaction between members, particpation
may be throught the media, For Example - astrology
Client Cults: Based on the relationship between a consultant and a client,
provide service to the followers, place emphasis on 'therapies' promising
personal fulfilment and self-discovery, For Example - Spiritualism
Cultic Movements: Most organised, demand high level of commitment, Aims to
meet religious needs of all members, Cultic movements often strive to attract
members, Often try to gain public attention, For example - Doomsday cults
New Religious Movements
World - rejecting NRMs
Similar to sects
Clearly religious organisations with a clear notion of GOD
They are highly critical of the outside world and seek radical change
Members are expected to break away from their life
The movement live communally, with restricted contract from the outside world
They often have conservative moral codes
They can vary in size
For Example - Branch Dacidians and Moonies
World - Accommodating NRMS
Often break away from exisitng churches or denominations
They neither accept or reject the world
Focus on other-wordly matter rather than this - worldly matters
Seek to restore the spirtual purity of religion
Members tend to lead traditional lives
For Example - Neo-Penrecostalist - split from
Catholicism as they want to restore the Holy Spirit
World - Affirming NRMS
Accept the world as it is
Promise followers success in terms of mainstream goals and values (e.g.careers and relationship)
Non - exclusive and tolerant of other religions
Offer this-wordly gratification
Claim to offer specialist knowledge to enable followers to unlock spiritual powers and achieve success
Entry to the religion is often through training
Place few demands on members
Often lack tradtional features of religion, such as collective worship
For Example - Scientology
The New Age Movement
Self-sprituality: look inside themselves to discover it
Detradionalisation: The New Age rejects the spirital authority of tradional
soucres such as priests or sacred texts and instead values personal
experience, believing that we can discover the truth for ourselves
Loosely organised, no structure, audience or client cults
No leadership or sacred texts
Emphasis on environment
Individualistic
Little commitment, anybody can join and choose own commitment
STARK AND BAINBRIDGE argue
that it is the relatively deprived
who break away from churches
to form sects