Beliefs in Society Flashcards
- Definitions of Religion
What are substantive definitions of religion?
- Substantive definitions focus on the content of religion, e.g., belief in God or the supernatural.
Evaluation:
• Excludes religions like Buddhism (no belief in God).
• Eurocentric as it focuses on Western religious ideas.
What are functional definitions of religion?
Answer: Functional definitions focus on the social or psychological functions religion performs, e.g., social integration.
Evaluation:
• Too broad, includes non-religious activities like football.
Types of Religious Organisations
What are the four types of religious organisations?
Answer:
• Churches: Large, bureaucratic, universal.
• Sects: Small, exclusive, often hostile to wider society.
• Denominations: Larger than sects, less demanding than churches.
• Cults: Loose, individualistic, focus on self-improvement.
Evaluation:
• Outdated typology: does not consider hybrid forms like New Age Movements.
• Overgeneralises diversity within these groups.
Secularisation
What is secularisation?
Answer: The process by which religious influence declines in society.
Evaluation:
• Evidence for: Decline in church attendance and religious influence in public institutions.
• Evidence against: Growth of fundamentalism and new forms of religiosity.
Theories of Religion
What does Durkheim say about religion?
Answer: Religion creates social solidarity by reinforcing collective conscience through shared rituals.
Evaluation:
• Overemphasis on harmony; ignores religion’s role in conflict.
• Better suited to traditional societies than modern diverse ones.
What does Marx say about religion?
Answer: Religion is the “opium of the people,” legitimising inequality and dulling the pain of oppression.
Evaluation:
• Ignores religion’s potential to inspire social change (e.g., Liberation Theology).
What does Weber say about religion?
Answer: Religion can lead to social change, e.g., Calvinism contributed to the rise of capitalism.
Evaluation:
• Overemphasis on ideas; ignores economic factors in driving change.
New Religious Movements (NRMs)
What are NRMs?
Answer: Groups formed as alternatives to traditional religions, e.g., world-rejecting, world-accommodating, and world-affirming NRMs.
Evaluation:
• Provides insight into modern spiritual diversity.
• Critics argue typologies oversimplify complex movements.
Postmodernity and Religion
What do postmodernists argue about religion?
Answer: In postmodern society, religion has become fragmented and individualised. People “pick and mix” beliefs to suit their personal needs.
Evaluation:
• Highlights how religion adapts to modern consumer culture.
• Overlooks the continued influence of traditional religions in many areas.
Feminist Views on Religion
How do feminists view religion?
Answer: Many feminists see religion as a patriarchal institution that legitimises and perpetuates gender inequality.
Evaluation:
• Evidence: Male-dominated clergy, religious texts written by men.
• Counterargument: Feminists like Woodhead argue religion can empower women, e.g., hijab as a symbol of liberation.
Globalisation and Religion
How has globalisation affected religion?
Answer:
• Spread of fundamentalism as a reaction to globalisation.
• Growth of transnational religions like Pentecostalism.
Evaluation:
• Recognises both resistance to and adaptation of religion in a global context.
• Some argue globalisation overemphasises cultural homogenisation, ignoring local differences.
Science and Religion
What is the relationship between science and religion?
Answer:
• Science is based on empirical evidence, whereas religion is based on faith.
• Both can coexist, challenge, or complement each other (e.g., compatibility in creationist views).
Evaluation:
• Science has reduced reliance on religious explanations, e.g., Darwin’s theory of evolution.
• Religion still provides moral guidance and meaning where science cannot.
Religion and Social Change
How does religion cause social change?
Answer:
• Weber: Protestant ethic encouraged capitalism.
• Religion inspires political movements, e.g., Civil Rights Movement in the US.
Evaluation:
• Evidence for: Role of Liberation Theology in Latin America.
• Evidence against: Functionalists like Parsons argue religion reinforces stability, not change.
Ideology and Religion
What is the ideological role of religion according to Marxism?
Religion is an ideology that maintains class inequality by justifying the status quo.
Evaluation:
• Strength: Explains religion’s role in supporting ruling-class interests.
• Weakness: Fails to consider religion’s role in challenging power structures (e.g., MLK’s use of Christianity).
Spirituality and New Age Movements (NAMs)
What are New Age Movements?
NAMs focus on personal development and spirituality rather than traditional worship, e.g., meditation, yoga.
Evaluation:
• Reflects the individualism of postmodern society.
• Critics argue it lacks the communal aspects of traditional religions.
What does Parsons say about religion?
• Religion provides meaning by answering existential questions (e.g., why we suffer).
• Helps maintain value consensus and social stability.
Evaluation:
• Strength: Explains how religion provides comfort and legitimacy to norms.
• Weakness: Downplays religion’s role in promoting inequality or change.
Functionalist: How does Malinowski view religion?
• Religion helps people cope with life crises (e.g., death, marriage).
• Provides rituals to reduce anxiety in uncertain situations.
Evaluation:
• Strength: Recognises the emotional and psychological functions of religion.
• Weakness: Focuses on individual benefits, ignoring broader social inequalities.
What does Althusser say about religion?
Religion is part of the ideological state apparatus (ISA), helping to control and manipulate ideas to maintain ruling-class dominance.
Evaluation:
• Strength: Highlights how religion is linked to broader power structures.
• Weakness: Overly deterministic, assuming all religion serves the ruling class.
