Sociology of religion

My interest in the sociology of religion was first sparked while observing the differences and dichotomy in people 's behavior and orientation in the context of organized religions and spiritualities. Living for part of my life in Hong Kong, I have been aware of many scandals and controversies regarding various religion. Various news reports have indicated that some monks participate in activities that violate their beliefs in China, such as visiting prostitutes and abusing the donation system of their religious institutions for their personal benefit. Living in the United States in recent years, I 've also witnessed controversies within Christianity. Many of the ways in which religious organizations are institutionalized, at their very core, contradict many of the tenants they claim to support. Several of these examples might be explained by the secularization thesis (which indicates that religion will shift from a public sphere to a private sphere, and eventually be replaced by other institutions), I think we also need a more nuanced understanding of the complexities involved. There is increasing global attention to the rise of ISIS and extremist Islamic groups, the social problems presented in Israel, and the conflict between religious groups in the Middle East. The continuing endeavor of conservative Christians…

Final The objective of this course was to open our eyes to the sociological perspective of religion and to develop an understanding of tolerance towards it. The combination of articles, discussions, and books that we read certainly has an impact on my view of religion. Sociology of religion is the study of the religion what religion is, how it works, and its effect. This study requires an atheistic standpoint when approaching the subject of religion, meaning sociologists must follow a scientific…

believe religion is interesting. Before one person can understand why sociologists believe religion is interesting, you must understand what religion means. One word “religion” can be described differently depending on everyone you ask, so what is religion? Religion does not have one standard definition that everyone uses; however, there are two books Religion Matters and Sociology of Religion that give a definition that everyone can use and accept no matter their religion or personal beliefs.…

are true and the resources are available, why does hunger still exist? If there is not enough consensus among members to unite the church towards the eradication of just one inequitable human evil, then what is the real purpose of religion, particularly Christianity, if not social equality and justice for all, as Jesus taught? It would seem that the least available and least sought after benefit gained from the church, under the presumption that Christians are following Christ’s teachings,…

I sat down at the dinner table with my family. My parents ask me how my semester went and to share some interesting things that I have learned at school. I begun with the question ‘how do you define religion?’ followed by ‘what do you think the role of religion is in our world?’. I understand very well those are very personal questions and no right answer. However, these simple questions can reveal so much from the person’s identity to their personality to their openness to diversity and wisdom.…

Introduction This reaction paper explains “Revitalization movements” by referencing to ideas presented in the book–– Social and Cultural Anthropology: A Very Short Introduction and an article published in American Anthropologist. Revitalization movements can be described as “deliberate, organized attempts made by some members of a society to construct a more satisfying culture by rapid acceptance of a pattern of multiple innovations” (Wallace 1970: 188). I found this topic intriguing because it…

SAFTB has truly become bigger than Barstool Sports. For Freud, I think the most interesting aspect of this movement would be the gendered language, and the motivation behind that specific language. Concerning religion’s origin in human psychology, Freud writes, “Religion would thus be the universal obsessional neurosis of humanity; like the obsessional neuroses of children, it arose out of the Oedipus complex, out of relation to the father” (Freud 87). In this sense, Freud sees religion as an…

The United States has long been considered exceptional Religious Identity Formation Durkheim (1976) provided his own definition of religion as having two elements, Religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things which are set apart and forbidden-beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them. (Durkheim 1912/1976:47) Religious identity Erik Erikson’s influential psychosocial theory of…

Isidore E. Sharpe Dr. John H. Walker RSO 101: Sociology of Religion 26 January 2017 Summary Paper Week 3 The Principal of Totemic Belief is not just about a particular belief or object; it is a variety of things, ranging from a group of ancestors or a single ancestor, to mystical, emotional, and reverential behaviors. The images of totemic being are more sacred than the totemic being itself (Monahan, page 23). The Totemic Principal can be the outward or visible form of god, as an emblem, a…

constructing of religion. He talks about religion organizations, theorizing, and the rules of religion, chaplaincies and diversity. Under the section “ Religion organizations” in paragraph one Beckford says “the other of the coin, of course, is to consider how far ostensibly non-religion organization display characteristics that are widely associated with the with the sacred and religion.” The organization or anything that have to deal with religion it must have two thing one being that is…