Beliefs Organisations Flashcards
Troeltsch and churches
churches are large organisations
formal organisation with hierarchy
paid officials
close relationship with the state and monarchy
Niebuhr and denomination
midway between churches and sects
beliefs which are widely accepted
no formal connection with the state
minor restrictions
do not claim a monopoly on the truth
tolerant of other religions
Troeltsch and sects
sects= small exclusive group
hostile to wider society
high level of commitment
charismatic leader
belief tend to conflict with those of wider society
cults
least organised organisation
individualistic
loose- knit
grouped around a shared theme or interest
led by a practitioner/ therapist who claim to have special knowledge
world affirming
Wallis - differences
1)how they see themselves
churches + sects claim a monopoly on the truth and see their faith as the only legit one
Cults + denominations = accept more than one valid interpretation of the world
2) how wider society saw them
churches + denomination= widely accepted
cults+ sects = seen as deviant
NRM features - Barker
charismatic leader
young adults
spiritual/ supernatural
monopoly on the truth
short lived
they a the chosen ones
Barker - NRMs
uses a more neutral term than the negative meaning of cult and sect
value free - non judgemental
World affirming = Wallis
mainly cults
lack of traditional religious rituals
individualistic + enable people to unlock spiritual power to release their human potential
accept the world as it is
enable the individual to participate more effectively
Aldridge = world affirming
they do not require a radical break with well established professionals groups
e.g. science
World Accommodating
often breakaways from existing mainstream churches or denomination
neither accept nor reject the world
focus on religion rather than worldly matters seeing to restore the spiritual purity
evaluation of NRM’s
some argue they ignore the diversity of beliefs within an NRMs
Wallis recognises that NRMs rarely fit into his neat typology and some may have features of all three NRM. He notes that it is still useful to have a way to categorise NRMs.
World Rejecting
1)they are clearly religious organisation with a clear notion of god/ religion
2) they are highly critical of the outside world and seek radical change
3) to achieve salvation members must make a sharp break with their former life = exclusive
Audience cults
stark and bainbridge
tend to be unorganised + do not have formal membership or committee e.g. astrology
client cults
stark and Bainbridge
organised to provide a service between consultant and client e.g. spiritualism + medical miracles ( scientology)
Cultic movement
stark and bainbridge
offer spiritual + material supports for their members
demand a higher level of commitment
not able to be members of other committees/ religions at the same time
aim to meet all the needs of their people
social change explanations for the growth of NRMs
Wilson= sects arise during periods of rapid social change when trad norms are disputed + social relations lack constant meaning= anomie
Methodist movement = response to urban w/c to the chaos + uncertainty of life in a new industrial town + cities
those trying to make sense of + survive new hostile environment
Marginality explanation of the growth of NRMs
weber= agrees S+B members drawn from the poor and oppressed
tend to arise in marginalised groups e.g. the w/c
w/c feel disadvantaged + not receiving their just eco. rewards or social status = theodicy of disprivilege = religion as an explanation + justification for their suffering + disadvantage
Wallis = reasons for the 1960 development of NRMs
1) the growth of higher education = extended periods of trans between child + adult = young people have a period of freedom in which they could experiment, since they had few responsibility
2) the growth of radical political movements , which provided an alternative to dominant social norms + values = anti-Vietnam war
Heelas
2 common themes that characterise the new age=
self- spirituality new agers= seeking the spiritual
detraditionalization: reject the spiritual authority of external traditional sources e.g. priests
personal experiences instead - discover truth
types of NEAs
world- affirming = emphasis on outer world= focus on practical, usefulness of the new age for achieving objectives
world- rejecting = emphasis on the inner world of the individual = turning away from the world/ worldly success - towards inner reflection
reasons for the growth
generally well educated middle class who have experienced personal development + believe new age is a way to achieve progress
a symptom of this society and is based on personal viewpoint rather than objective truth- secondary socialisation
Postmodernism
Drane - its appeal= shift toward postmodern society
loss of faith in meta- narrative
science failed = bring war, genocide , environmental destruction etc.
lost faith inn professionals and churches
turn to NEAs to find the truth for ourselves
evaluation of post modernism
Sutcliffe - there isn’t a new age movement = cannot be considered a movement due to lack of features e.g. an established premise, leaders etc.
e.g. growth of individual spirituality shops- popularised by media as a way of improving inner spirituality / self- development
social constructionist definition
feminisation of religion
Davie = feminisation of churches
religion shifting to be more emotional focus and god is less on power
gender and inequality
the stained glass ceiling = blocked from opportunities within religion e.g. the bible - eve
Holm = move to the male god is the origin of gender inequality in modern religions e.g. orthodox Judaism= women cannot participate in ceremonies
holm + Bowker = fundamentalist movements also expected trad roles
Risk taking
Miller and Hoffman= attitudes to risk between genders
men more wiling to take risks than women = high levels of religiosity evidence of risk averse
risk not going to heaven
Postmodernism and gender
Davie = women are closer to life and death so have more gain from religion
Knott= biological reasons = giving birth is a spiritual experience experience (creation of a new life) and are at risk of dying in child birth
maternal death - low, still a risk
Material factors of gender religiosity
Glock and stark = organismic deprivation - women experience more deprivation- material + spiritual- than men, because of patriarchy
less financial control- stay at home mothers- attend churches to gain control
less spiritual purpose- men get purpose from work, women are defined by their husbands
Cultural defence
Bruce= religion can offer support and a sense of cultural identity in hostile environment
religion can be the basis of community and solidarity- preserve language + culture + coping with oppression
Modood et al- ethnicity
religion was important in the lives of ethic communities as :
a source of socialisation
maintaining traditional morality e.g. conceptions of mutual responsibility
cultural transition
can help people transition into new environments
Bruce links this to immigration in the UK, Religion has provided a focal point for Irish, African Caribbean, muslim and hindu communities- high in 1st generation religiosity= something familiar
criticism of cultural transition
Cultural transition= 2nd generation are socialised into the new country= don’t need religion as much to connect to “old country”
Once a group have made their transition into the wider society, religion may lose its role and decline in importance
Modood = there is less religiosity amongst second generation ethnic groups
social class and ethnicity
Weber- theodicy and disprivilege= potentially explaining higher levels of Pentecostalism found among African Caribbean and the Rastafarianism among alienated young black men
Marx’s view of religion- as the opium of the people providing comforting diversion from attacking the cause of their poverty and the racism they encounter.
believing without belonging
Davie= young people may choose to treat religion/ beliefs as a private matter even if they have general beliefs they may not feel they belong to one specific religious belief
prefer no public displays through religious organisations
Lynch + young people
turning away from conventional ideas of religion as there is now an “expanded spiritual marketplace”
growing exposure/ accessibility to wide diversity of religious ideas
no longer subscribe to trad religions
we shop around religions/ features that fit us
the elderly
Voas + Crochett
people come closer to the end of their lives their interest in spirituality + what comes next increases
why elderly women attend church more than men as they live longer - long life span
religious socialisation - 65+
older people- greater emphasis placed on religion through the education system and socialisation
voas= due to the increase in inter- faith marriages - children wih a wide range of views
Niebuhrs reasons sects are short lived
1) the problem with maintaining commitment = hard to sustain after 1st gen. = will need to wither or modify its beliefs
but Aldrige = sects maintain strict standards - expel people - make them more exclusionary= FLDS
2) loss of charismatic leader= group will collapse without central figure
3) changing circumstances of members = Barker - young people get older- reasons wane - wish for normal life
religious diversity in a post modern society
fragmentation of belief + wide diversity
see peoples beliefs as a personal matter Hervieu - Leger = spiritual shopping = we can shop around for beliefs
have so many beliefs we can pick the features of a religion we want and shop around
secularisation
Wilson= society undergoing a long term process of secularisation
the process whereby religious beliefs, practices + institutions lost social significance
- rise in science = rationalism = can explain the big human question
- changes in politics- separating the church from the state
- rise in feminism - women’s priorities changed
