beliefs Flashcards
Durkheim (Religion, science and ideology)
‘any belief system can be defined as religious if it functions to inspire individuals.’
Merton (Religion, science and ideology)
Science can only thrive as a major social institution if it receives support from other institutions and values. CUDOS norms: communism, universalism, disinterestedness, organised scepticism.
Popper (Religion, science and ideology)
Science is an open belief system. This is because science is governed by the principle of falsificationism.
Kuhn (Religion, science and ideology)
Science is a closed belief system. mature science is based on a set of shared assumptions that he calls a paradigm. The paradigm tells scientists what reality is like, what problems to study
Mannheim (Religion, science and ideology)
Distinguishes between ideological and utopian thought. Ideological thought justifies keeping things as they are,
Utopian thought justifies social change. Mannheim sees Marxism as an example of utopian thought.
Woolgar (Religion, science and ideology)
a scientific fact is simply a social construction or belief that scientists are able to persuade their colleagues to share e.g little green men
F- Durkheim (theories of religion)
religious institutions maintain value consensus, order and solidarity. Distinguished between the sacred and the profane (rituals)
F- Malinowski (theories of religion)
religion promotes solidarity by performing psychological functions for individuals, helping them cope
with emotional stress that would undermine social solidarity.
F- Parsons (theories of religion)
two essential functions of religion society: legitimates society’s basic norms and values by sacralising them; this promotes value consensus and social stability. It provides a source of meaning, answering ‘ultimate’ questions about life
F- Bellah (theories of religion)
Civil religion- religion unifies society, especially a multi-faith society like America. What unifies American society is an overarching civil religion
M- Marx (theories of religion)
Marxists see religion as dulling the pain of class exploitation and as fostering false consciousness (opium of the masses)
MN- Gramsci (theories of religion)
dual nature of religion- the ruling class maintain their control over society through ideas rather than simply through coercion (force). However, in some circumstances religion can challenge the ruling class – leaders can support WC
NM- Bloch (theories of religion)
dual nature of religion- sees religion as having a dual character. religion often inhibits change, but argues that it can also inspire protest and rebellion. Religion is an expression of ‘the principle of hope’
NM- Maduro (theories of religion)
religion as a force for social change- argues that Liberation Theology (LT) shows religion can be a revolutionary force. LT helped bring about democracy, not threaten capitalism
Althusser (theories of religion)
rejects the concept of alienation as unscientific. This would make the concept an inadequate basis for a theory of religion.
Weber (theories of religion)
argues the Protestant ethic contributed to the birth of capitalism.
Fe- Woodhead (theories of religion)
much traditional religion is patriarchal, this is not true of all religion. There are ‘religious forms of feminism’ (hijab)
Fe- De Beauvoir (theories of religion)
religion is used by men to oppress women and to compensate for them for the second-class status. De Beauvoir argued that historically, men, who have traditionally controlled most institutions in society, also control religion.
Fe- El Sadaawi (theories of religion)
religious patriarchy is the result of patriarchal forms of society shaping religion.
Fe- Daly (theories of religion)
Christianity is a set of patriarchal myths e.g God is portrayed as a man.
Fe- Armstrong (theories of religion)
sees women’s exclusion from the priesthoods of most religions as evidence of their marginalisation (stained glass ceiling)
M- Lenin (theories of religion)
religion as an ideology- spiritual gin
Durkheim (religion and social change)
Conservative- see religion as a conservative force because it functions to maintain social stability and prevent
society from disintegrating
Marx (religion and social change)
Conservative- sees religion as a conservative ideology that prevents social change. By legitimating exploitation and inequality, it creates false consciousness in the working class and prevents revolution
Weber (religion and social change)
Change- the religious beliefs of Calvinism helped to bring about major social change – the emergence of capitalism
De Beauvoir (religion and social change)
Conservative- religion as a conservative force because it acts as an ideology that legitimates patriarchal power
Bloch (religion and social change)
both- sees religion as having a dual character. He accepts that religion often inhibits change, but argues that it can also inspire protest and rebellion.
Gramsci (religion and social change)
both- sees religion as having a dual character and he notes that in some circumstances, it can challenge as well as support the ruling class. some clergy may act as organic intellectuals, they can help workers see the situation
Parsons (religion and social change)
both- defines structural differentiation as a process that occurs with industrialisation as many specialised institutions develop to carry out the different functions previously performed by a single institution, such as the church.
Bruce (social protest)
Change- compared two case studies of the role of religiously inspired protest movements in America: the civil rights movement and the New Christian Right
Bruce (religious organisations)
fundamentalism come from religious traditionalists thinking globalisation threatens their beliefs and lifestyle.
Berger (religion and social change)
Conservative- Religion provides a universe of meaning, answers universe big questions. sacred canopy: maintaining social solidarity
Stark and Bainbridge (religious organisations)
Two organisation in conflict with wider society – sects and cults. Distinguished between audience cults, client cults and cultic movements.
Woodhead and Heelas (religious organisations)
Identified two common themes among the New Age in their Kendal Study: Self-spirituality and detraditionalisation.
Lyotard (theories of religion)
Religion provides a meta narrative which tries to hold a monopoly on the truth, no longer acceptable in the postmodern world since theres no absolute truth.
Lyon (theories of religion)
spiritual shoppers- emergence of a spiritual marketplace due to religious leaders turning to the media to publicise their beliefs. people will try out different religions in order to find one which matches their own personal belief systems.
Wallis (religious organisations)
Distinguished between world rejecting, world affirming and world accommodating NRMs.
Troeltsch (religious organisations)
Distinguished between Churches and Sects.
Davie (religious organisations)
argues that both religious and secular movements can become fundamentalist due to uncertainties of the postmodernity
Stark and Bainbridge (religious organisations)
there is a historical cycle of religious decline, revival and renewal: as established churches decline, they leave a gap in the market for new sects and cults
Bruce (religion and social groups)- ethnicity
one function of religion is cultural defence – religion unites a community against an external threat
Miller and Hoffman (religion and social groups) - gender
women are more religious because they are socialised to be more passive, obedient and caring – qualities valued by most religions.
Stark and Bainbridge (religion and social groups) - class
argue that it is the relatively deprived who break away from churches to form sects.
Woodhead (religion and social groups) - gender
NAMs appeal to the ‘individual sphere’ of women’s inner self rather than acting out restrictive social roles- no traditional gender roles
Modood (religion and social groups) - ethnicity
Almost all minority ethnic groups in the UK show higher levels of religiosity than the white British
Voas and Crockett (religion and social groups) - ethnicity
As religion declines in importance in society, each generation becomes less religious than the one before it.
Bird (religion and social groups) - ethnicity
cultural defence- religion among minorities can be a basis for community solidarity, a means of preserving one’s culture and language, and a way of coping with oppression in a racist society.
Weber (secularisation)
Rationalisation- is the process by which rational ways of thinking and acting replace religious ones.
Davie (secularisation)
We now have believing without belonging – people hold religious beliefs but don’t go to church
Berger (secularisation)
religious diversity undermines religion’s ‘plausibility structure’ – its believability.
Lyon (secularisation)
The relocation of religion – disembedding and de-institutionalisation. Also religious consumerism – spiritual shopping.
Berger (religion in modern society)
Pentecostalism in Latin America acts as a ‘functional equivalent’ to Weber’s Protestant ethic, encouraging
the development of capitalism
Davie (religion in modern society)
There is a trend towards ‘vicarious religion’, where a small minority practise religion on behalf of a much
larger number of people
Hervieu-Leger (religion in modern society)
There has been cultural amnesia – a loss of collective memory. people have become spiritual shoppers. Religion is now individualised
Hellend (secularisation)
online religion and religion online
Berger (globalisation)
Pentecostalism in latin america
Nanda (globalisation)
Hinduism and tele gurus promoting the spend of wealth has lead to a growth in India’s economy and the emergence of a technical middle class
Giddens (growth of new religious movements)
Secularisation- People look to NRMs to receive comfort and community in NRM’s which the big religions no longer offer.
Wallis (growth of new religious movements)
Status Frustration- argues that marginality may cause status
frustration, as membership can provide some support for an identity and status
Wilson (growth of new religious movements)
Anomie and Social Change- NRMs provide solutions to such periods of
uncertainty as they provide new and clearly defined belief systems or a sense of certainty in an uncertain world.
Weber (growth of new religious movements)
Marginalisation- groups like world rejecting NRMs are most likely to emerge among marginal. The NRMs
appeal by providing a ‘theodicy of disprivilege’
