Chapter 11 Religion

Front 1

Why do we need religion? What does religion do for us?

Back 1

Religion meets certain basic needs; human questions about the meaning of life, the finality of death, or whether injustice and cruelty will ever be ended cannot normally be answered by science or by every-day experience.

Front 2

What is the sacred realm?

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As sociologist Emile Durkheim pointed out, humans generally view such questions as belonging to a realm of existence different from the mundane (ordinary) or profane (irreligious) world of experience.

Front 3

Religious guidelines, beliefs, and values dictate rights and wrongs

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which provide answers to the big questions of life, and instill moral codes and ideas about the world in members of each society or subculture.

Front 4

Religions are extremely important

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in controlling everyday behavior of individuals (Durkheim 1915, 2002).

Front 5

Religion is more than a set of beliefs about the supernatural

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It often sacralizes (makes sacred and unquestionable) the culture in which we live, the class or caste position to which we belong, the attitudes we hold toward other people, and the morals to which we adhere.

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What are the components of Religion?

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a faith or worldwide that provides a sense of meaning and purpose in life (which we will call the meaning system), a set of inter-personal relationships and friendship networks (which we will call the belonging system), ans a stable pattern of roles, statuses, and organizational practices (which we will call the structural system) (Roberts and Yamane 2012).

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A religious group cannot survive in the modern world unless

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it undergoes routinization of charisma. That is, the religious organization must develop established roles, status, groups, and routine procedures for making decisions and obtaining resources (Weber 1947).

Front 8

Learning the meaning system of a religious group is both formal and informal process. Formal teaching in most religions takes place primarily in the temple, church, or mosque. (Mitzvah class, Sunday school or parochial school in a madrassa)

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while the informal process occurs when we observe others "practice what they preach".

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Religious group also try to socialize members

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to make sacrifices of time, energy, and financial resources on behalf of their faith. And that individuals more likely to feel commitment to the organization, and the structural system (Kanter 2005; Sherkat and Ellison 1999).

Front 10

Recent research on people who switch religious affiliations or join new religious movement indicate

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that loyalty to a friendship network (belonging system) usually come first, followed by commitment to the meaning and structural systems. In many cases, accepting a new meaning system is the final stage rather than the initial stage of change (Roberts and Yamane 2012)

Front 11

According to symbolic interactionist perspective theory

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it focus on how people make sense of the meaning ( purpose) of things and how we construct our worlds. (Through meaning system)

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Religious meaning systems are made up

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of three elements: myths, rituals, and symbols.

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What is myths?

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are stories embodying ideas about the world. When sociologists of religious use the term myth, they are not implying that the story is untrue, such as reincarnation of abstracted ideas.

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Regardless of the literal truth or fiction of myth stories

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it transmit values, and a particular outlook on life. And it provides messages for appropriate behavior in selected group; thus, whether a myth is factual or not is irrelevant. Because myths are always "true" in some deeper metaphorical (figurative, symbolic) sense.

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What is rituals? (Ritual is sacralized)

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are group activities in which myths are reinforced with music, dancing, kneeling, praying, chanting, storytelling, and other symbolic acts.

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What is Orthopraxy in Islam religion?

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it is a conformity of behavior in rituals and in morality. (Praying five times a day in Mecca, is a example of Orthopraxy)

Front 17

What is Orthodoxy in Islam belief?

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it is a conformity to beliefs or doctrine. (Preston 1998; Tipton 1990)

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What is a symbol in religious belief?

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a symbol is anything that can stand for something else. Because religion deals with a transcendent realm, a realm that cannot be experienced or proven with the five senses, sacred symbol are central part of religion. They have a powerful emotional impact on the faithful and reinforce the sacredness of myths.

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Rational choice perspective believe

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people with religious freedom make rational choices to belong to a religious group or change to another religion after weighing the costs (financial contributions, times) and benefits of belonging (eternal salvation, a belonging system, and a meaning system) (Finke and Stark 2005; Warner 1993).

Front 20

What is religious "commodities" (Sherkat and Ellison 1999) in the rational choice perspective?

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Religion produce religious commodities like rituals, meaning systems, sense of belonging, symbols, etc in order to meet the demands of consumers.

Front 21

What is Ecclesia?

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A official state religions (a church of congregation), it referring to religious group that claim as members everybody within the boundaries of a particular society (Robert and Yamane 2012). They try to monopolize (control) religious life in that society, have a close relationship with the power structure, have a formal structure with officially designed full-time clergy, and have membership based on birth into the society.

Front 22

In societies that do not have official religions

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such as Canada and the United States, religions takes several forms: denominations, sects, and NRMs (or cults).

Front 23

What type of religion associations are denominations?

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in the United States, Congregationalist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist, and other mainline Christian religious groups.

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Denominatons are

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voluntary religious associates (not part of a state church) that accept members without strict prerequisites such as a particular national or ethnic membership or literal interpretation of scriptures.

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The denomination is seen

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as a legitimate form of religious expression but dose not have religious dominance or monopoly in the society. Each religious group appeals to a particular segment of the population, often related to class, race, ethnicity, and sometimes regional area. Denominations coexist with and usually are accepting of others (Christiano, Swatos, and Kivisto 2008; Roberts and Yamane 2012).

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The Roman Catholic Church is an Ecclesia in Spain (or Italy, France, Latin American countries ) because it is the official state religion

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but it is a denomination in the United States and Canada, where it is one of many religious groups and is not affiliated with or supported by the state.

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Most of these Roman Catholic Church are large and financially secure (members socially who hold positions of power and influence, which Karl Marx (conflict theorist) feel

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that religion was used to keep the social power structure from changing, because of the comfortable accommodation between denominations and the existing social order.

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Who is John Wesley (1703-1791)?

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the founder of a movement now known as the Methodist Church, began a renewal movement in the Church of England. Which his evangelical revival called followers to lead Christian lives through a method of strict discipline (prayers, worship, study, and mutual support groups).

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The name Methodists (once a sect) arose

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a term that was originally derogatory (disrespectful attitudes) It refers to people whose worship was too enthusiastic to be decent and orderly; the standard of worship among Anglicans and Presbyterians.

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What is a sects?

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is a voluntary and exclusive religious group with demanding membership standards requiring high levels of commitment. And are religious group that break away to protect against their parent religion, rejecting their parent churches as compromised and the social order as ungodly (Roberts and Yamane 2012; Stark and Bainbridge 1985).

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Members of the Methodist church believe that the true religious doctrines are being abandoned

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people are becoming contaminated by worldly ways, and the group must save itself by returning to the true religion.

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Sects are often characterized by their separation from other religious and even social groups

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a type of counterculture (an extreme isolationist sect), is the Old believers of the Russian Orthodox Church.

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Members of Christian sects in North America are often socially separated from those of higher social classes

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Sectarians substitute religious status for social status (pope 1942, 1965). For those who are less well-off, a sect gives the feeling that members are God's chosen, even if they do not have much social prestige in this world. (Old believer communities in Alaska; a Russian Orthodox sect).

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What is NRMs (New Religion Movements) or cults?

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like sects, are protect or splinter groups; however, unlike sects, if NRMs survive for several generations, become established, and gain some legitimacy, they become new religions in the society rather than new denominations of the existing faith. And they are founded on a new revelation (or insight) or on a radical reinterpretation of a old teaching.

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As functionalist perspective theory contend that religion has positive consequences

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helping people answer questions about the meaning of life and providing part of the glue that helps hold a society together.

Front 36

According to functionalist, what are the social function of religion?

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there are social cohesion (sense of belonging and unity with others), legitimating social values and norms (religions often sacralizes social norms), and social change (like evolution of civil right movement).

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Conflict theorist Karl Marx (1844, 1963) states

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the view of the relationship between religion and class, which religion helps perpetuate the power structure in the society, and he called religion the "opiate of the people", because for the proletariat or working class, religion is a sedative, a narcotic that dulls people's sensitivity to and understanding of their desperate situation.

Front 38

According to Max Weber (1946), what is the elective affinity?

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it referred to the pattern of people belonging to religious groups that espouse values and characteristics compatible with their social status. (Sects tend to attracted more lower and working class, because they focus on the problems and life situation)

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Stratification often found in various world religions, not just Christianity. For example, Hinduism in the upper classes of India conforms much more to the official beliefs of the religion. It is monotheistic (belief of one God) and stressed concepts of transmigration of souls (reincarnation)

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The lower castes believe in a sort of Hindu folk religion that is polytheistic, having multiple gods, and typically believe in heaven and hell rather than in reincarnation (Noss and Noss 1990).

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In some Christian, Islamic, and Jewish worship services (gender, and sexual biases), women must cover their heads or sit separately

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which this symbolizes and communicates the presumed differences between women and men before God. (Douglas 1996)

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Religious fundamentalists such as liberals in the church tend to see the issue of Gays marriage, Gay in church, and ordination of Gay ministers are one of the prejudice against people for a characteristics that is inborn trait and therefore not a sin.

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as appose to conservatives argue that homosexuality is a choice that has moral implications. And see the role of homosexual as a threat to society, family, and the moral order; while liberal view it otherwise, especially their relationship is expressed within a commitment.

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Bigotry is lack of tolerance of other lifestyles

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which is what is offensive. Thus, the core of morality difference is the main focus between liberals and conservatives.

Front 43

What is the issue of same-sex marriage in the church?

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is more of a difference between religious communities rather than a conflict between the meaning system of a religious group and the institutional structure that reward inaction.

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considering the conflict around the world

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many of which are based on religious and class differences, and people are fighting and dying for their religious belief. Religious elicits strong emotions and influences people's definition of reality. Ethnocentric attitudes can be reinforced by religious beliefs, but the social strife would also bring forth change and social solidarity.

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What is Secularization?

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it refers to the diminishing influence and role of religion in everyday life. Instead of religion being the dominant institution, it is but one of many.

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Secularization involves a movement away from supernatural and sacred interpretations of the world

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toward decisions based on empirical evidence and logic.

Front 47

Although religion is still strong in the lives of individuals, it does not have the extensive control over other institutions of education, health, politics, or family that it once did

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Today, it is an institution among others rather than being the dominant one. In 2010, 70% of American felt it was declining in importance (Newport 2010).

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At global level, no particular theological authority (the churches) has power

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to determine policies, religious authority structure are minimal and secularization is well established. Perhaps this is one reason why conservatives of nearly every religious faith are leery of global process and organization (United Nation). Because our global organization are governed by rational-legal (secular) authority, not religious doctrines.

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Crosscutting social cleavages

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reduces social hostilities, while religion has the greatest potential for reducing hatred between groups when share some type of common identification (like a common religious heritage).

Front 50

The rise of religious fundamentalism around the world in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries

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whether Islamic, Buddhist, Hasidic Jewish, evangelical Christian, or Malaysian Dukway, appears to be a reaction against global modernization (Robertson and Garrett 1991; Salzman 2008). In fear of their culture would be obliterated by the secularization of the society, which further threaten their supernatural realm by the material self-interests of religious organization, and fear of interdependence by the powerful Western world.

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The Protestant reformation was launched through Martin Luther, in a vengeance way

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Use the printed word of scriptures to spread his version of Christian Truth, by writing more than other dissenters and published in the common languages of the people rather than in Latin. Because he claimed that the Bible alone was the ultimate source of Truth and religious authority.

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As it noted on the power point, Religion is social significance, and its definition consist

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social action that emcompasses those human responses that give meaning to the ultimate and inescapable problems of existence. Such as birth, death, illness, aging, injustice, tragedy, and suffering. (Abercrombie and Turner)

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According to the power point, Religion is by giving people hope for their problems in life (making people happy)

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and the power of religion is to build social capital through providing answers to the ultimate and inescapable problems, commonly focus purpose and the cause, and create the framework for durable social structure (social control).

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As it is noted, there is no data to tell life existence after death

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and study of the human life through the sciences, is about cost and effect.