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