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NEW AQA Sociology Shortened Cards at PHS > Beliefs > Flashcards

Beliefs Flashcards

1
Q

What is the difference between and open and closed belief system?

A

Open belief system, open to scrutiny, criticism and testing by others.

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2
Q

Who regarding religion as “The opium of the masses”?

A

Karl Marx

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3
Q

According to Bruce, what are the 5 main features of a New Age Religion?

A

Emphasis on Self, everything is connected, self is the final authority, Global Cafeteria, Therapy.

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4
Q

Identify 2 characteristics of religious fundamentalism.

A

Traditional Beliefs, Them V Us Attitude, use of modern technology to spread message, Literalism, Aggressive Action, Patriarchy.

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5
Q

What is meant by the term sect?

A

A religious group that has broken away from a larger, established religious denomination, or movement, because of a set of beliefs that differ in some key way

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6
Q

What are the 4 CUDOS norms?

A

Communism, Universalism, Disinterestedness, Organised Scepticism

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7
Q

Which sociologist is associated with the inclusivist definition of religion?

A

Giddens

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8
Q

Who regarding religion as “The gin of the masses”?

A

Lenin

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9
Q

Who refers to the “female prism” which all feminist perspectives on religion agree?

A

Abbott and Wallace

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10
Q

Who found that there are two main characteristics of those that join NRM’s: Social Grievance and a strong bond with those that recruited them?

A

Stark and Bainbridge.

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11
Q

Who said secularisation is a long-term decline in the power, popularity and prestige of religious beliefs and rituals.

A

Steve Bruce.

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12
Q

What are the three main types of NRM according to Wallis?

A

World Affirming, World Rejecting and World Accommodating.

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13
Q

Outline three characteristics of a sect.

A

They are Not Bureaucratic& Hierarchical but are more Egalitarian, they are Radical in Nature, they withdraw from society, they have Closed/Controlled Membership, they are Intolerant of others.

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14
Q

What are the three categories of cult according to Stark and Bainbridge.

A

Audience, Client, Cultic Movements.

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15
Q

Outline three characteristics of a church.

A

They are Bureaucratic & Closely linked to the State, Conservative, They Integrate with the Social & Economic Structure of Society, they are Universalist with Open Membership, they tend to be Intolerant& Hegemonic, they make up the Ecclesia of a Country.

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16
Q

Which gender is the biggest consumer of religion?

A

Female

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17
Q

What is a Millenarian Movement?

A

Those that believe that a significant event will change the world and lead to 1000 years of blessedness for the saved.

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18
Q

Give one example where religion could be said to have brought about social change.

A

Civil Rights Movement, Latin America in the 1960’s, IranianRevolution1979, Poland in 1989

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19
Q

Decline in what three areas could be said to be evidence of secularisation.

A

Practice, Belief and Power

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20
Q

What is an ideology?

A

A worldview or set of ideas and values.

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21
Q

Who argues that the world is going through a ‘Spiritual Revolution’, what they called Resacralisation.

A

Heelas

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22
Q

Who argue that NRMs emerge as a form of religious or social protest?

A

Stark and Glock.

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23
Q

What is meant by the term “Stained Glass Ceiling”?

A

Women are barred from the higher positions of power within mainstream religion.

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24
Q

What four factors determine if religion is a conservative force or a force for social change according to McGuire & Robinson?

A

Nature and extent to religious belief, significance of religion in society, social involvement of religion, degree of central authority in religious organisation.

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25
What is one of the functions of religion according to Malinowski?
Psychological functions to help people overcome life-crisis.
26
Who is associated with the idea of a closed belief system?
Horton
27
Wallis defined which group as ‘life positive’ aiming to release human potential and to accept the world.
World Affirming Movements
28
Who was the leader of the Peoples Temple?
Jim Jones
29
What term is used to explain how women are taught to be submissive, passive and obedient. Traits that are more compatible with religiosity?
Differential socialisation
30
What is meant by the term religiosity?
The extent to which someone sees themselves as religious.
31
What term was used by Voas and Crockett to mean that older generations are more religious due to the time in which they were brought up?
Period Effect
32
Who examined duel identities of ethnic groups, noting a difference depending on the generation that was being questioned.
Momood
33
What were the three stages that Comte believed religion would inevitably pass through?
Theoretical, Metaphysical, Positivity
34
Who studied “Jesus in Disneyland”?
Lyon
35
Who said that religion answered the ultimate questions and thus gave life meaning?
Yinger
36
What did Huntington explore?
Clash of Civilisations
37
What is Animism?
The belief the spirits and ghosts can impact the human and natural world either positively or negatively.
38
What did Berger mean by the Sacred Canopy?
Religion protects its believers from all dangers in the world. Religion comforts its followers by answering the big questions.
39
What is a theistic religion?
A belief in a supernatural power, that could be a single entity or man entities.
40
What did Polanyi mean by subsidiary explanations?
A series of ‘get-out’ clauses which a religious leader can use when challenged on their belief system.
41
What is a paradigm?
A set of guidelines which define a theory or idea.
42
Who studied the Azande tribe?
Evans-Pritchard
43
What are the core principals of science?
Pursuit of facts, Objectivity, Establishing cause and effect, reliable methods.
44
What term is used to describe the changing of beliefs within a religion to remain relevant in the modern world?
Internal Secularisation
45
Which sociologist is associated with the CUDOS norms?
Merton
46
In what way can religion be considered a closed belief system?
It holds a monopoly on the truth and doesn’t tolerate challenge.
47
What did Popper mean by Falsification?
That theories and ideas are open to being proven wrong, and only become fact when they cannot be.
48
What are the 7 civilisations according to Huntington?
Western, Islamic, Japanese, Slavic-Orthodox, Hindu, Confucian, Latin American
49
What are the two types of world view according to Mannheim?
Ideological Thought and Utopian Thought
50
What did Durkheim mean by the term Profane?
Things that are ordinary and mundane. They have no special meaning to an individual or society.
51
What did Durkheim men by the cognitive functions of religion?
Religion gave its followers the intellectual capacity to understand the world around them, by giving meaning to concepts such as time, space and causation.
52
Hamilton criticised functionalist views of religion claiming that religion also had dysfunctions. What two examples did he give to illustrate his point?
Religions as a cause of conflict and encouraging irrational thought.
53
In what way does Engle argue that socialism and Christianity are similar?
They are both aimed at the poor and promise a better life for their followers.
54
Marx suggested that religion supports capitalism in two ways. What are they?
Inequality is God-given and therefore unchangeable. Poverty is a test from God and will be compensated in the afterlife.
55
Other than Christianity which other religion provides a good illustration of how Religion justifies inequality?
Hinduism and the Caste System
56
Who claimed that religion has a duel character?
Bloch
57
What did Bloch mean by religion having a duel character?
It could act as a conservative force as well as a principal of hope which could inspire social change.
58
Who argued that the church can act as a safe outlet for frustration within a dictatorship?
Otto Maduro
59
Which movement developed as a response to the Vatican's failure to help its followers out of poverty in Latin America?
Liberation Theology Movement
60
What are the three types of religious leadership according to Weber?
Charismatic Leader, Traditional Leader, Legal rational Leader
61
What does the term Theodicies mean?
The different religious ideas that different social groups would create in order to understand and explain their experiences.
62
What did Weber believe was the role of religion?
To meet the social and psychological needs of the population.
63
What is meant by the term predestination?
The belief that God has already decided who will enter heaven and who will not and his decision is unchangeable.
64
What are the 4 main beliefs of Calvinism?
Predestination, Divine transcendence, Asceticism, The value of work.
65
Which group does Steve Bruce use to show how religious groups can try influence change but not always be successful?
The New Christian Right
66
What two reasons does Bruce given to explain why the New Christian Right is unsuccessful in creating social change?
Negative Tone of the message, Lack of co-operation with wider society.
67
Give three reasons that Bruce determines is the reason for the success of the American Civil Rights Movement.
Peaceful Protest, achieved public support, negotiated with opposition, shamed those with prejudicial values as being unchristian.
68
Outline two ways in which religion could be seen as patriarchal.
God portrayed as a man, restricting women’s access to top levels in the religion’s hierarchy, depicting women as a bad influence within sacred texts.
69
Who suggests that the only way equality can be achieved in monotheistic religion is to consider that God could be a woman.
Mary Daly
70
Who suggests that Islam is not patriarchal in nature but Arab culture is which has led to patriarchal interpretations of the Qur’an.
El Saadawi
71
Who coined the phrase “Stained Glass Ceiling”?
Karen Armstrong
72
Why do Postmodernists see religion as a meta-narrative?
Because they claim to have a monopoly on the truth.
73
What do postmodernists mean by ‘Spiritual Shoppers’?
Followers are rarely loyal to a single religion or movement but try out different ideas and beliefs to see what suits their identity at that time.
74
What do postmodernists believe have replaced traditional religions?
New Age Movements
75
Give two examples of a church as defined by Troeltsch.
Roman Catholics, Islam, Judaism etc.
76
Which religious group is defined by Niebuhr as revolving around a charismatic leader who claims to be chosen by a supernatural being.
Sect
77
What are the 5 types of sect according to Wilson?
Introversionist, Conversionist, Reformist, Manipulationist, Millenarian.
78
Give two reasons for the short lifespan of a sect according to Neibuhr.
Loss of the leader, Children of the original members do not hold the same intensity of belief, movement develops into denomination, dilution of beliefs.
79
Who suggested that the short lifespan of a sect is due to the sectarian cycle?
Stark and Bainbridge
80
What are the 5 stages of the Sectarian Cycle?
Schism, Initial Fervour, Denominationalism, Establishment, Further Schism
81
Give two reasons for the growth of new religious movements.
Marginalisation, relative deprivation, response to social change, practicality, postmodernism, status frustration, globalisation, secularisation.
82
What are the three types of women identified by Woodhead in relation to religiosity and participation?
Home Centred, Work Centred, Jugglers.
83
What type of religious organisations are Transcendental Meditation and Scientology?
Cults
84
What are the 4 main Reasons for Ethnic minority Religiosity?
Cultural Defence, Cultural Transition, Social identity, Marginalisation.
85
Which religious group is associated with Eastern philosophy and the promotion of self-spirituality?
New Age Movements
86
Which social class is more likely to be lifelong theists according to Lawes?
Working-class
87
According to Lawes who are most likely to be lifelong Atheists?
Middle class and university educated.
88
What term is used to describe the phenomenon that people who are closer to the end of their life are more religious.
Aging Effect
89
What three reasons are given for the decline in religiosity in young people?
Lack of religious socialisation, individualism, ritualism and tradition.
90
Who claims that women are more religious than men due to them being involved in the creation of life?
Walter and Davie
91
How does Wilson define the term secularisation?
The process whereby religious beliefs, practices and institutions lose their social significance.
92
What three areas are looked at when measuring secularisation?
Religious Belief, Religious participation, Religious Power.
93
Who argues that decline in public religious practices doesn’t equate to decline in religious belief?
Davie
94
Hervieu-Leger argues that two types of believer have been created by religious pluralism. What are they?
The Pilgrim and The Convert
95
Who argues that fundamentalism is a unique feature of monotheism?
Bruce
96
What does Giddens mean when he refers to Cosmopolitanism?
A way of thinking that embraces modernity, is open to alternative views and modifies beliefs based on new ideas.
97
What is meant by the term Crisis of credibility?
Religions which claim monopoly on the truth are competing and contradicting each other leading to people not knowing who to believe.
98
What term did Parson’s use to explain how some functions of the church have been taken over by other social institutions?
Structural Differentiation
99
What did Weber mean by Desacralisation of Consciousness?
The loss of the ability to experience a sense of sacredness or the mystery of life.
100
What is the cause of third world fundamentalism according to Bruce?
A reaction to external influences particularly westernisation.
101
What does Davie mean when she refers to Secular Fundamentalism?
The adherence to anti-religious ideology that militantly ridicules, mocks, scorns and satirizes the idea of the existence of a deity or deities and or religion
102
Who studied Hinduism in India and how it helped economic growth in the country?
Nanda
103
What are the three main definitions of religion?
Substantive, Functional, Inclusive
104
How can religion be considered an open belief system?
They have adapted their core beliefs in order to be relevant in the modern world. Herberg refers to this as internal secularisation.
105
What term does Durkheim use to describe the shared understanding of the norms, morals and values that promote a sense of belonging in society?
Collective Consciousness
106
Who studied the Trobriand Tribe of Papua New Guinea and how they used religion to overcome grief and uncertainty?
Malinowski
107
Who said that there was no need for religion in a socialist society?
Engels
108
Which country is predicted to be the most Christian nation by 2030?
China
109
Who suggested that the more vulnerable are more likely to be religious as they are less secure in predicting their future.
Norris and Inglehart
110
Who talks about theodicies of fortune and misfortune?
Christiano and Swatos
111
What is the Protestant Work Ethic?
An emphasis on hard work, discipline and frugality.
112
Who discusses the Decline in Metanarratives & the Fragmentation of Belief as a cause of secularisation?
Lyotard and Bauman
113
Which two sects does Aldridge use to show that not all Sects are short lived?
Jehovah's witness and Amish
114
Which two types of sect does Wilson suggest will not survive in a denominational form?
Introversionist &Advent
115
What are three of the characteristics of a Cult?
They have a Loose Structure, they emphasise Opportunity & Success, they expect followers to continue living Normal Lives, they have Open-Membership & are Tolerant of other Religions, may not be religious in nature, See their members as customers /consumers
116
Peoples temple, Hare Krishna and The Moonies are all examples of what?
Sects
117
Who is associated with the concept of civil religion?
Bellah
118
Who argues the religions have a history of preventing revolution and used the Methodist church to illustrate this?
Halvey
119
What does Bruce suggest is the key to achieving social change through religion?
Integration into the population through shared liberal values.
120
What does the term Alienation mean?
A lack of connection or feeling of distance from what a person is doing.

NEW AQA Sociology Shortened Cards at PHS (8 decks)

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