Beliefs Flashcards
What are the functionalist views on religion?
Functionalists see religion as _________, as it maintains social _______ and ________ (_______). It gives structure to our lives, provides us with e________ s______, and gives rules and guidance.
Positive
Harmony & Cohesion
Durkheim
Emotional support
What did Malinowski say about religion (hint - he is a functionalist)
He said that religion helps people deal with emotional stress and relieves tension.
What did Parsons say about religion (hint - he is a functionalist)
He said that it acts as a primary source of meaning for members of society, and provides core norms and values.
What is the postmodernist view on religion?
They belive religious symbols now have new _______, and _____________ has divorced faiths from locations. They see _______________ as a response to a moral _______. However, they think faith could re-emerge as __________________ looses significance.
contexts
globalisation
fundamentalism
vaccum
sceintific thinking
What is the marxist perspective on religion?
Marxists see religion as ________. They suggest that if we lived in a communist society there would be no need for religion. They say that it dulls the pain of _________ and gives a false __________________.
negative
oppression
sense of security
What is the existential security theory?
Norris & Inglehart say that religiosity is based on how secure people feel in their lives. As, if you feel secure in your life, there is no need for religion. Poorer societies tend to be more religious than rich societies.
Why does the US remain more religious than Europe, which has become secular?
In the USA, they have less support from the state, dont have free healthcare, so they are still vunerable to risks.
Stark and Bainbridge (1986)
1= Audience cults are the _______ organised. There is __ _______ membership or commitment. There are ______ interactions between its members. It may take place through the ______.
least
no formal
little
media
Stark and Bainbridge (1886)
2= Client cults are based on the relationship between consultant and client. They provide ________ to its clients and promises self-________.
3= Cultic movements are the _____ organised and require _______ commitment.
services
fufilment
most
heavy
Characteristics of churches: (Troeltsch)
1= They are ______ in size
2= Run by a _____________ hierarchy
3= Attractive to ________ classes
4= Place ______ demands on its members
5= They are ideologically __________
large
bureacratic
higher
few
conservative
Characteristics of denominations:
1= They are bureacratic but more _____________
2= Integrate _______
3= They are _________ of others
4= They are world ______________
democratic
socially
tolerant
accomodating
Characteristics of sects:
1= ________ to wider society
2= _____ levels of commitment
3= Attractive to _______ classes
4= Result of a _______
5= They offer ____________ benefits
hostile
high
lower
schism
other-worldly
Characteristics of cults:
1= They are ____ religions
2= They offer ________ benefits
3= May not be __________
new
worldly
religious
Feminist perspective on religion
They believe religion is used to oppress women via the organisations, places of worship, sacred texts, religious law and sexuality.
Characteristics of new age movements:
1= Emphasis on the ________
2= Very _____ commitment
3= Values ________ experience
self
low
personal
What did Beavoir (1953) say about religion (hint - she is a marxist feminist)
Religion is oppressive towards women and used by men to control women. It compensates women for their second class status and gives them a false belief that they will be rewarded in heaven.
Weber said religion ___ be a force for change:
He believed that __________ led to ____________ via beliefs of predestination and __________. They made money through hard work and used money to employ more workers. Capatalism has _______ _______ to calvanism. However, it downplays ________ factors and how capitalism spread everywhere.
CAN
calvanism
capatalism
asceticism (simple life)
elective affinity (unconscious similarity)
economic
What is theodicy of disprivledge?
This is a solution provided by sects which justifies the suffering of their members due to deprivation or marginalisation from society.
Hinduism and Confucianism:
These societies had higher rates of _________ growth but did not adopt modern ___________. Therefore religion was not a force for change?
economic
capitalism
What are the five reasons for gender differences in religiosity?
1= Risk, socialisation and roles
2= Paid work
3= The new age
4= Compensators & sects
5= The pentacostal paradox
Brierley (2005) said that there was ____ more females going to chuch than males.
BSAS (2012) found __% of males were religious compared to __% of females.
500k
44% males
55% females
Miller & Hoffman (Risk, socialisation and roles)
Not being religious is ______. Males are more likely to take this risk that they will go to hell. Women are __________ to be more _________ and obedient, which are traits valued by ________. They take care of other family members and are closer to _____________.
risky
socialised
passive
religions
life and death
Paid work
________ argues that religiosity in women is a result of less involvement in paid work. ________ is confined to the ______ sphere, where women are more involved.
Bruce
religion
family
The New Age
Women are more attracted to new age movements as they celebrate being ‘_______’, a female trait. Bruce says that _______-class women are attracted to the new age, whilst ________-class women are attracted to a _______ role, believing in an all-powerful God.
natural
Bruce
middle
working
passive
Compensators and Sects
______ argues that sects offer ____________ for womens deprivation. Deprivation can be physical, _________ or socially.
Bruce
compensation
ethically - sees the world in moral decline
The pentacostal paradox
Despite males being the head of the ______, it is attractive to women because it demands that men ________ for their family. They use it to combat ideas of __________.
church
provide
machismo
There are three reasons for the growth of NRMs. __________ said sects draw their members from the _____________ (theodicy of disprivledge)._______ mentions _______ deprivation. Bruce says it is a result of social changes involved in _____________ and modernisation. People now prefer less commitment.
Troeltsch
marginalised
Willis
spiritual
Bruce
secularisation
What is cultural defence ?
Cultural defence refers to the idea that ethnic minorities turn to religion to protect their cultural identity and values in the face of external pressures, such as racism or marginalization.
What is cultural transition?
Cultural Transition suggests that religion helps ethnic minorities adapt to their new social environment, serving as a tool for integrating into society and finding social support.
Religion and social protest:
Bruce compares protest movements in the USA, and found that civil rights movements used _______ as a social ________ in order to achieve social _______.
religion
resource
change
What are the five explanations of secularisation
1=Rationalisation
2= Structural differentiation
3= Social and cultural diversity
4= Religious diversity
5= Cultural defence and transition
Rationalisation: (explanations of secularisation)
Rational ways of thinking, or a _________, have come to replace _______ ones. _______ argues this was begun by the protestant reformation. Medieval world saw the world as ‘___________’, now sceince can explain many things.
worldview
religious
Weber
enchanted
Structural differentiation: (explanations of secularisation):
________ says that when industrial societies develop, religion has been __________ as its functions have ____________ to other institutions.
Parsons
disengaged
transferred
Social and cultural diversity (explanations of secularisation):
Industrialisation, the decline of ___________ and diversity have led to ________ saying they have undermined religion and led to secularisation.
community
Wilson
Age differences in religiosity:
Generally, ______ people are more religious. _______ __ ________ argue this is because people born in a specific _________ may be more religious due to their experiences. Additionally, ___________ means that each generation is less religious than the last.
older
Voas and Cricket
period
secularisation
