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Sociology > Beliefs > Flashcards

Beliefs Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Durkheim - Function of Religion

A

Function is to create a collective consciousness

All societies separate the world into two - sacred and profane

Sacred items - totem poles in which people come together to worship

Modernity - Religion is rejected and we turn to science

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2
Q

Malinowksi - Function of Religion

A

Ethnographic research into Trobriand Islanders

Religion maintains social solidarity and clan during times of emotional stress

Rituals used whilst fishing in Barrier Reef but not the coast - used for stress

Religion is a conservative force

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3
Q

Parsons - Function of Religion

A

2 functions

1: Construct norms and values for all to follow - value consensus

2: Allow individuals to make sense of uncertainties in the world

It is a conservative force

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4
Q

Marx - Marxist Approaches

A

Religion is a state institution created to maintain a false class consciousness to preserve the ruling class

Opiate of the people - proletariat told that their suffering will lead to a perfect afterlife

Prevents the proletariat from revolting against the bourgeoisie

Religion is conservative

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5
Q

Gramsci - Marxist Approaches

A

Catholic church has its own set of hegemonic values.

This justifies its privileged position in Italian society.

Two forces which control Italian society - the church and the ruling class

If church changes values to equal the ruling class it’ll be revolutionary, if not, it is conservative.

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6
Q

Maduro - Marxist Approaches

A

Catholic priests led and encouraged anti-facist revolutions in south america.

Archbishop Romero outspoke about the plight in El Salvador - murdered by CIA to prevent communism in south america.

Function of religion is to break the status quo - Revolutionary change

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7
Q

De Beauvoir - Feminist Approaches

A

Gendered stratified society

Function of religion is to maintain patriarchy.

Women will be awarded in the afterlife for their oppression - dull the pain of oppression

Conservative force

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8
Q

Stone - Feminist Approaches

A

Orthodox Judaism - men seized control of the Torah to change it in order to maintain patriarchy

Ensures marginalisation

No female equivalent to a bar mitzvah - women not celebrated

Conservative force

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9
Q

El Saadawi - Feminist Approaches

A

Islam maintains patriarchy

Stoning is a punishment for men and women for adultery - men can have multiple wives

Fathers are allowed to murder their daughters in honour due to shame

Conservative force

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10
Q

Weber - Religion has Initiated Social Change

A

Calvanist Protestant Movement maintains capitalism

Predestination - god has decided where someone will go at birth

Worked hard and denied pleasure in order to try and get to heaven

Spirit of capitalism

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11
Q

Redding - Religion has Initiated Social Change

A

During cultural revolution, communist dictators banned religious institutions.

China has decided to move from communist to capitalist - a lot of the bourgeoisie are religious.

If they were not religious, social change would not have happened

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12
Q

Nelson - Religion has Initiated Social Change

A

American Civil Rights movement led by MLK Jr was possibly mainly because of the role of the church.

Liberation Theology became a powerful force

Islamic Revolution in Afghanistan led to Al-Qaeda’s power

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13
Q

Almond et Al - Secularisation and Fundamentalism

A

Rise of fundamentalism in developing nations stopped social change due to secularisation

Faith groups’ beliefs have been watered down due to trading.

Stretched gap between poor and rich and led to migrants arriving in these countries with different beliefs

Changing holy texts

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14
Q

Armstrong - Secularisation and Fundamentalism

A

Saddam Hussein’s brutal dictatorship maintained order and control in Iraq

After the USA assassinated Saddam, no thought on how Iraq would function without a leader was considered

This led to the uprising of IS who now control many parts of Iraq

Terrorism increase.

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15
Q

Giddens - Secularisation and Fundamentalism

A

People have welcomed their free will to do what they want - cosmpolitanism

NRMs and Sects emerged to combat this free will

Wanted to go back to times when Religion would be the main source of control of free will

Modern technology directs new converts to their own version of their faiths

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16
Q

Huntingdon - Secularisation and Globalisation

A

People throughout the world identify themself as part of one of nine civilisations

Each of these have a religion that is an integral part of their identity

Because of globalisation, people from different civilisations come into contact with eachother

These differences can lead to genocide of ethnic cleansing

Britian is far from being secular

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17
Q

Nanda - Secularisation and Globalisation

A

Sudden rise of religiosity in India due to globalisation

M/C entrepreneurs should reject religion due to hindu beliefs of wealth

Postmodern religious practice led to television being controlled by gurus who allowed their wealth.

religion flourishes more in capitalist society

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18
Q

Davidman - Secularisation and Globalisation

A

Womens rights movement - many jewish women had either secularised or converted to Liberal/Reform Judaism

More focus on gender inequality than religion

Rise of conflict in middle east and general anti-semitism linked to globalisation

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19
Q

Bruce - Participation

A

British people are not as religious as we used to be

Middle / Victorian Age - 40% of UK population present in church

2000 - only 7.4%

Church attendance continues to fall

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20
Q

Stark - Participation

A

Never a golden age of religion

Old statistics arent reliable

Just because 40% attended church doesnt mean theyare religious

Could be going for gossip or met ups.

Cant be secular if never religious

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21
Q

Davie - Participation

A

Believing without belonging - someone can believe in god without attending church

Census - only a small % ok UK citizens labelled as atheist

Many people still believe in something

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22
Q

Bruce - Disengagement

A

Church is less influential in making decisions in the modern era

1997 - Church advocated for helping the poor and nuclear disarmament but the government denied both

God is not seen as top of the hierarchy in modern society

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23
Q

Martin - Disengagement

A

Religion lost influence on political decision making since Henry VIII

Modern religion has detached from politics in order to focus on the religious needs of its participants.

Political structure is secular but religion is still important in life

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24
Q

Casanova - Disengagement

A

Nearly every conflict in the 1990s had religious reasons behind it

Religions has forced itself into the political agenda

Partial secularisation

25
Q

Wilson - Practice

A

Growth of NRMs and Sects challenges secularisation

18th century methodists vs Transcendental Meditation

Methodists improved lives of w/c, TM allowed members to drop out of society.

NRMs filled vacuum of religion

26
Q

Greeley - Practice

A

Biggest recent trend of religious practice is rise of world rejecting NRMs - Jehovahs Witnesses

Members are expected to show total commitment to their faith - JW refuse blood transfusions and allow their children to die

27
Q

Hellas and Woodhead - Practice

A

Kendal project - body count of individuals who engaged in some sort of religious practice to estimate religiosity in the town of Kendal

Wanted to see if sacrilisation and spiritual revolution was occurring

Sacred objects didn’t tell members how to act - not sacrilised

Traditional practice has waned but members too small to determine spiritual revolution

28
Q

Troeltsch - Sect vs Church

A

Two main types of religious organisation - churches and sects

Polar opposites

Churches you are born into, Sects are not

29
Q

Robertson - Sects vs Cults

A

Difference between sects and cults is their attitude to other religions.

Cults are tolerable of other beliefs, Sects are not

Pastafarians

30
Q

Niebuhr - Sects vs Church vs Denominations

A

Third category exists - denomination

Sects will eventually die out and the followers will become more mainstream

Denomination is a small scale church

31
Q

Wallis - NRMs

A

World-Affirming - Live life to the max

World-Accommodating - Offshoot of a church

World-Rejecting - Hostile to outside world

32
Q

Stark and Bainbridge - Typologies

A

Audience cults - a loose knit community who share beliefs but will never meet

Client cults - Members expect a personal gain from their involvement

Cult movements - Complete commitment from followers

33
Q

NRM / NAM Case studies

A

JW - Similar to church, have total monopoly of truth, exceptional level of commitment

Moonies - Monopoly of truth, split from mainstream christianity, total commitment

Wahhabi Islam - Born into membership, exceptional level of commitment, terrorist organisations

34
Q

Berger - Phenomenology and Postmodernity

A

Function of religion is to provide a set of symbols and rituals that makes individuals believe that interaction will give them a sense of meaning.

Religious beliefs have lost meaning in modernity

Vacuum of religion in society

35
Q

Bauman - Phenomenology and Postmodernity

A

Religion no longer determined behaviour and the law now does.

Medieval - Crimes punished by god
Modernity - Crimes punished by law

Law gives people a framework to live by

36
Q

Lyon - Phenomenology and Postmodernity

A

Cant be end of metanarrative if people still share sacred items and rituals

Members now feel like they have a selection of faith rather than being born into it

Religion is a matter of opinion for those who need faith

37
Q

Weber - Why do people join religious movements?

A

Sects provide religious explanation and justification

Marginalised members are drawn into a sect

Member offers a sense of honour and pride in this life or the next

38
Q

Wallis - Why do people join religious movements?

A

Sect members might not be marginalised

Marginalised m/c student is possible

Sect members may be affluent but they dont conform to the mainstream

Joining sects marginalised them from other students, making students join sects but then drop out due to the alternative lifestyles

39
Q

Stark and Bainbridge - Why do people join religious movements?

A

Religious members suffer from relative deprivation if they arent as prosperous as other members

Successful members distort religion to suit their status

Everyone else moves away and joins a sect to cater their spiritual needs.

40
Q

Drane - Growth in NAM popularity

A

Modernist metanarrative that science provides reason made members of society look to find something new spiritually

Dont want pre-packaged spirituality, turn to NAMs

41
Q

Bruce - Growth in NAM Popularity

A

NAMs allow people to unlock their hidden potential

NAMs popular amongst university students who are keen to find their own path

42
Q

Miler and Hoffman - Gender

A

Female’s role of taking care of children and elderly makes them more susceptible to religion.

They think it is their maternal role to transfer their religious beliefs onto their kids

43
Q

Davie - Gender

A

Female life cycle makes women experience more illness and medical threats than men

Women face their mortality more than men, therefore more religious

44
Q

Heelas and Woodhead - Gender

A

80% of Kendal Study participants were women

78% of practices in Kendal Study were led by women

Women’s nature of care make them feel more appreciated in a way that is not traditional to religion

45
Q

Bird - Ethnicity

A

High % of ethnic minorities participating in religion does not make them religious

Join religious institutions to connect with others to reminisce about their past

Keeps their cultural heritage alive rather than conforming to international society

46
Q

Bruce - Ethnicity

A

Ethnic religiosity were not linked to faith/God.

Settlers were homesick so they connect with host-nationality people to help them adjust to their new society

Once adjustment is made, they no longer participate

47
Q

Pryce - Ethnicity

A

Bristol’s Black community - members joined to assimilate, not to integrate

Pentecostalism - religion used as a vehicle to achieve cultural transmission

Rastafarians were the opposite, my culture is better than yours

48
Q

Voas and Crockett - Age

A

20-30s have low % of participation compared to 65+

65+ are more aware of their mortality due to age, henceforth more religious

49
Q

Gill - Age

A

Children grow up in non-religious nuclear family

Never socialised into a faith

As they grow they have no conneciton to religion

50
Q

Dawson - Age

A

Young people born into controlling families find NRMs attractive

Members feel like a family

As they grow they feel rigidity in the NRM and then leave

51
Q

Popper - Open Belief Systems

A

Truths are falsifiable

Scientific belief is based on hypothesis

No sacred cows in science - a new experiment can challenge any idea

52
Q

Evans-Pritchard - Open Belief Systems

A

Azande tribe - use witchcraft to resolve disputes

If something wrong happens to a member they suspect witchcraft

Person goes to the diviner to share their suspicions

They poison a chick, if it dies there is witchcraft, if it lives there is not

53
Q

Merton - Open Belief Systems

A

CUDOS

Communism - all scientific knowledge is put out to the public

Universalism - knowledge is believed due to research and not background of scientist

Disinterestedness - knowledge put out for progress, not personal gain

Organised Scepticism - Any idea can be challenged

54
Q

Kuhn - Closed Belief Systems

A

Azande operate closed, not open.

disregard any evidence to show that witchcraft isnt real

Same happens in science

Science is a paradigm, but overtime cracks evolve, allowing new ideas - scientific revolution

55
Q

Knorr-Cetina - Closed Belief Systems

A

Science is built on facts, not faith

Spot patterns but do not have evidence to back up

Science is not open

56
Q

Lyotard - Closed Belief Systems

A

Pre modern era had faith in order to reach heaven

Modernist metanarrative uses science to help people gain knowledge to make the world a better place

Science used to harm people - nuclear weapons

Knowledge has become fragmented to allow multiple truths

57
Q

Berger and Luckmann - Ideological Belief System

A

All beliefs are socially constructed

Believers socialised into believing a universe of meaning

Both science and religion create unplausible theisises - evolution vs creation

58
Q

Marx - Ideological Belief System

A

Bourgeoisie are in a dominant position in capitalist society due to their control of the economy

Proletariat are fooled into accepting this

State institutions promote ruling class ideology which therefore creates a false class consciousness

59
Q

Mannheim - Ideological Belief System

A

Belief systems are formulated by one social group to justify/challenge status quo

Academics became too entrenched in either ideological or utopian thought, so cant decide which is better for society

Academics should be able to create a complete analysis instead of a partial one

Sociology (6 decks)

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