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26 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Features of Churches |
Large organisations, often with large memberships such as the Catholic Church Run by bureaucratic hierarchy of professional priests - wealthy powerful leaders Claim a monopoly of truth Universalistic aiming to include the whole of society although they are largely attractive to higher classes because hey are ideologically conservative and often closely linked to state. Few demand or restrictions of members of which they do not withdraw from society. |
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Features of Sects |
Small exclusive groups Hostile to wider society and they expect a high level of commitment. Isolated Draw there members from the poor and oppressed Many led to charismatic leader rather than bureaucratic hierarchy. Claim monopoly of truth |
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Features of Denomination |
Lying midway between church and sects Membership is less exclusive than sects but they don't appeal to the whole of society like churches. Like churches they broadly accept society's values but are not linked to the state. Impose minor restrictions on their members such as forbidding alcohol but are not as demanding as sects Tolerant of other religious organisations and do not claim monopoly of truth. |
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Features of cults |
Highly individualistic, loose knit and usually small grouping around shared themes and interests but without sharply defined and exclusive belief system. Least organised usually practitioners or therapists who claim special knowledge. do not demand strong commitment from followers who are more like customers or trainees than members. May have little further involvement once they have acquired the belief or technique it offers. |
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Similarities and Differences between the various types of organisation |
How they see themselves - Churchs and Sects claim that their interpretations of the faith is the only legitimate or correct one. Denominations and cults accept there can be many valid interpretations. How they are seen by wider society - Churches and denominations are seen as respectable and legitimate whereas sects and cults are seen as deviant. |
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Criticism of the traditional types of organisations |
Bruce argues that the idea of church as having a religious monopoly only applies to Catholic church before the 16th century - Lost their monopoly and been reduced to the status of denominations competing with the rest. |
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What is World Rejecting and its features - Wallis |
1. World rejecting NRMs Similar to sects. Examples; moonies, children of god, People's temple. Vary greatly in size from a handful to hundreds to thousands. Religious organisations with clear notion of god. Highly critical of outside world and they seek for radical change To achieve salvation, members must take a sharp break from their life. Restricted communities - brainwash Conservative moral code e.g. about sex. |
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What is World accommodating and its features - Wallis |
2. World accommodating Breakaways from existing mainstream churches or denominations such as Neo-Pentecostalists who split from Catholicism. Neither accept or reject the world and focus on religious rather than worldly matters. Seek to restore religion back to purity. |
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What is World Affirming and its features - Wallis |
3. World Affirming They differ from other groups as they lack conventional features of religion such as collective worship and not always highly organised. The offer followers access to spiritual or supernatural powers. Scientology, Human potential. they accept the world as it is and optimistic and promise followers success in terms of main stream goals, values, such as careers. Non exclusive and tolerant of other religion. Claim to offer special knowledge or techniques to enable followers to unlock their own spiritual powers and achieve success or overcome problems. Most are cults whose followers are often customers rather than members 0 the movement places few demands and they carry out normal lives. World affirming are the most successful according to Wallis - 1200 moonies in UK but 165,000 Scientology members. |
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Evaluation of Wallis's |
Useful way of classifying new religious movements thta has developed recent decades. Wallis himself recognises that real NRMs will rarely fit into his typology as some such as Healthy Happy Holy Organisations fits in al 3. He ignores the diversity of beliefs that may exist within an NRM |
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How does Stark and Bainbridge criticise Wallis |
Reject the idea of constructing such typologies altogether. Instead we should distinguish between religious organisations based on the degree of conflict or tension. |
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Stark and Bainbridge argue what? |
Identifies two types of organisations in conflict with each other sects and cults. Subdivide cults according to how organised they are: 1. Audience Cults (Least organised) - do not involve formal membership or much commitment. participation may be through media - astrology, UFO cults. 2. Client cults - based on relationship between consultant and a client. emphasis is on therapies promising fulfilment and self discovery - Homeopathy, Spiritualism 3. Cultic Movements (most organised) - demand high level of commitment. the movement aims to meet all memebers needs and rarely allowed to belong to other religions at the same time - moonies. |
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Evaluation of Stark and Bainbridge |
make some useful distinctions between cults. Idea of using degree of conflict with wider society to distinguish between them is similar to Troeltsch distinction between church and sects (accepting or rejecting society) Some examples used do not fit into one category. |
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Weber explaining marginality as an explanation of growth of NRMs |
Sects tend to arise in groups who are marginal to society - such groups feel disprivileged - not receiving just economic or social status. Sects offer a solution by offering their members a theodicy of disprivilege - a religious explanation and suffering for there suffering and disadvantage. Explain their misfortune as a test of faith - promise of afterlife rewards. Millenarian movement recruited from the marginalised poor. |
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Marginalisation within middle class? |
Moonies hace recruited from more affluent groups of often young, middle class, white educated groups. Wallis argues that this does not contradict Weber's view as many of these individuals have become marginal to society. Despite being middle class, many were hippies, drop outs and drug users. |
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Relative deprivation as an explanation for growth of religious movements |
The middle class can also be relatively deprived. It may be that although middle class are well off, they feel they are spiritually deprived in today's materialistic world. - May turn to sects for sense of community. |
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What does Stark and Banbridge argue about relative deprivation? |
That it is the relatively deprived who break way from church to form sects - when middle class members of church compromise its beliefs in order to fit in society, deprived members are likely to break away to form sects that safeguard the original message. E.g. the derived may stress the claim of the camel but the better off play it down. The deprived may want to emphasis the message of the "meek shall inherit the earth". They argue the World rejecting sects offer the deprived compensation of after life. The privileged need no compensation but are attracted to world accepting churches as they express further success and earthly rewards. |
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Social change an explanation of growing NRMs - Wilson |
Argues that periods of rapid change bring disrupt and undermine established norms and values producing anomie. In response, those affected may turn to sects. For example, the dislocation by industrial revolution led to the birth of methodism which offered a sense of community, warmth and clear norms and values with the promise of salvation. Bruce sees the growth of sects and cults today as a response to social change by modernisation and secularisation. |
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Explanations for the growth world rejecting and world affirming groups? |
World rejecting Wallis points to social changes from 1960s impacting young people as they spent longer in education and gave freedom from adult responsibilities and enabled a counter culture to develop. Also the radical political change gave alternative ideas about the future. WR was attractive because it offered young people a more idealistic way of life. World affirming NRMs Bruce argues growth of modernity and rationalisation of work. Work no longer provides meaning and a source of identity but we are still expected to achieve but may lack opportunities to do. WA provides both a sense of identity and techniques of promise success in this world. |
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Why sects are short lived? - Niebuhr |
Second generation - Born into the sect lck commitment and fervour of the parents who consciously rejected the world and joined voluntarily. The protestant ethic effect - Sects that promise asceticism tend to become more prosperous and upwardly mobile and so members are tempted to abandon it for worldly gain. Death of the leader - either collapses , or a more formal bureaucratic leadership takes over transforming it to denominations |
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Stark and Bainbridge - the sectarian cycle |
sees religious movements working going through a cycle. 1. Schism - Deprived members break way from church to find world rejecting sects. 2. Initial fervour - charismatic leadership and tension between sect and wider society 3. Denominalisation - protestant ethic effect and second generation 4. Establishment - sect becomes more world accepting and tension with wider society reduces. 5. Further Schism |
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Evaluation of Sectarian cycle |
Wilson argues that not all sects follow the patterns as many have survived for generations - Mormons. Second generation - many sects succeeded in socialisation their children into high levels of commitment. Wilson argues that globalisation will make it more difficult for sects to keep separate from wider society. However, it makes it easier to recruit from third world countries. |
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Two common themes that characterise the new age movements - Heelas |
Self spirituality De-industrialisation |
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What does John Drane argue? |
The appeal is a shift towards post-modern society Loss of faith and truth and science promised to make world better but failed making more problems - genocide, war, environmental destruction and global warming. As a result people lose faith in scientists and doctors and turn to new age movements to meet their spiritual needs |
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New age and modernity |
Bruce argues the new age is more softer and watered down beliefs which makes them palatable for the growing freedom in modernity society. - pick and mix.
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Heelas- 4 ways new age and modernity linked |
A source of identity - Many roles causing fragmented identities - offer a source of authentic identities Consumer culture - creates dissatisfaction as it never delivers what is promised e.g adversing. NA offers alternative way to achieve perfection. Rapid social change - provides a sense of truth and certainty. Decline of organised religion - modernity leads to secularisation thereby removing traditional alternatives to NA. NA is strongest when church going is lowest in California. |
