Beliefs - Organisations & Movements - 5.6 Flashcards
Types of Religious Organisations
> Church
Denomination
Sect
Cults
Church
> Large, bureaucratic & closely linked with state, monopoly of truth
> Ideologically conservative & few demands on members e.g. Church of England
Legitimate
Bruce - Criticisms of Definition of Church
Lost monopoly & reduced to status of denominations, competing with everyone else
Sect
> Small, exclusive & increased commitment, hostile to wider society
> Feel they’ve monopoly of truth, recruit from working class with charismatic leadership
> e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Deviant
Denomination
> Midway between Church & Sects, unexclusive, accepts society’s values, unlinked to state
> Minor restrictions, & tolerant of other religions
> e.g. Methodist
Cults
> Individualistic small loose structure, open membership & tolerant of other religions
> See members as customers e.g. Scientology
> Deviant
Trend in New Religious Movements
Increased due to decline of established churches, beliefs not declining but changing.
Types of Religious Organisations (Key studies)
> Wallis (3 Types of NRM)
Stark and Bainbridge (Sects)
Stark and Bainbridge (Cults)
Wallis - 3 Types of New Religious Movements
> World-Rejecting NRM
World-Accommodating NRM
World-Affirming NRM
Examples of World Rejecting NRM
Moonies, People’s Temple, Branch Davidians
World Rejecting NRM - Wallis
> Clear idea of God, hostile & radical, communal life style
> Cut off kinship ties & ascetic lifestyle
> Appeal to young, causing parents fear - see them as being captured.
Examples of World-Accommodating NRM
Neo-Pentecostals or Subud
World-Accommodating NRM - Wallis
> Breakaway from churches, feel religion has lost its lost purity, don’t accept/reject world
> Resembles dominations, politically conservative
> Focus on religious rather than worldly matters
Examples of World-Affirming NRM
Scientology, Transcendental Meditation & Human Potential
World-Affirming NRM - Wallis
> Lack normal religious features accept world, followers customers rather than members.
> Give them access to spiritual powers & special knowledge
> Promise success in individual goals
General Criticisms of Wallis
Ignores diversity of beliefs within NRM
> Most NRM don’t fit in categories e.g. mix traits
Stark & Bainbrisge - Criticisms of Wallis
Religious organisations should only be distinguished by tension between the group and wider society.
Two Organisations Stark & Bainbridge feel conflict with wider society
> Sects & Cults
Stark & Bainbridge - Sects
> Due to existing groups splitting e.g. church due to disagreements over doctrine
> Increased tension with outside world & offer supernatural/other worldly benefits
> People suffering with economic /ethical deprivation
Stark & Bainbridge - Cults
New religions e.g Scientology or imported e.g. Transcendental Meditation offering this worldly benefits to people suffering health deprivation
Stark & Bainbridge - 3 Types of Cult
> Audience Cults
Client Cults
Cultic Movements
Audience Cults & S&B
> Unorganised with little commitment/interaction participate through media
> e.g. Astrology Cults
Client Cults - Stark & Bainbridge
Offer services to customers enhancing life, promising personal fulfilment with therapies e.g. Scientology
Cultic Movements
> Organised & exclusive, needed increased levels of commitment, claims to meet all religious needs
> Offer full spiritual package including.answers to core existential questions e.g. Heaven’s Gate
General Criticisms of Stark & Bainbridge
> Unclear involvement members need to have
> e.g. groups Stark & Bainbridge use don’t fit neatly into categories
Reasons for Growth of Religious Movements
> Marginality
Relative deprivation
Anomie & Social Change
Reasons for Growth of Religious Movements (Key Studies)
> Weber (Marginality)
Stark & Bainbridge (Marginality)
> Stark & Bainbridge (Relative deprivation , Spirituality & Compensators)
Barker (Relative Deprivation)
> Wilson (Anomie & Social Change)
Bruce (Anomie & Social Change)
Weber - Marginality
> Fall of organised religion leaves a gap in market, sects arise in groups marginal in society.
> Give theodicy of deprivilege for lack of status e.g. recruit from marginalised working class
> e.g. Black Muslims recruited among oppressed blacks in US, due to inequality
Stark & Bainbridge - Marginality
> World rejecting NRMs give access to close-knit groups in the same position
> Offer sense of security, clear values & reward in heaven.
Stark & Bainbridge - Relative Deprivation & Spirituality
> Middle class feel spiritually deprived compared to others in today’s materialistic & consumerist world - lacks emotional warmth
> Sects give a sense of community
Stark & Bainbridge - Relative Deprivation & Compensators
> Relative Deprivation middle class people form/join sects as a response to feeling spiritually deprived
> People join sects for a sense of community
> The relatively deprived break away from churches to form sects
Barker - Relative Deprivation
> Middle class children feel neglected by career focused parents & suffer relative deprivation, NRM’s give an alternative family
Anomie & Social Change - Wilson
> Rapid social change leads to anomie, undermines traditional values
> NRMs give solution through sense of certainty, with clearly defined belief systems
Anomie & Social Change - Bruce
> Increased social change due to secularisation, means people are less attracted to the traditional churches as they are strict & demanding
> People join sects and cults with less sacrifices
Reasons for Growth of NRM’s (Key Studies )
> Wallis (Reasons for increased World Rejecting NRMs)
Bruce (Reasons for increasing World Rejecting and World Accomodating NRMs)
> Wallis (Practical & Pragmatic Reasons)
Heelas (Practical & Pragmatic Reasons)
> Wallis (Status Frustration)
Barker (Status Frustration)
> Baudrillard (Globalisation & Media)
Giddens (Secularisation)
> Lyotard & Baumann (Postmodernity)
Wallis - Reasons for Growth of World-Rejecting NRM’s
> Social change from 60’s gave young freedom, letting idealistic counter culture develop
> Increase of radical political movements offered alternative ideas about future
> So World Rejecting NRM gave them an idealistic way of life
Bruce - Reasons for Growth of World-Rejecting NRM’s
> Failure of counter-culture to change world, led to discouraged youth turning to religion instead
Bruce - Reasons for Growth of World-Affirming NRM’s
> Increased due to modernity, brings rationalisation of work, no longer source of identity
> Give source of identity & techniques promising success in the world
Wallis - Practical & Pragmatic Reasons
> Teach techniques inspiring people to achieve emotionally & spiritually
> Unlocking spiritual power within.
Heelas - Practical & Pragmatic Reasons
> Appeal to rich who feel gap in their lives
> NRMs fills gaps in spirituality & the rich have the wealth to pay for services
Wallis - Status Frustration
> Marginality leads to status frustration, these movements appeal to the youth as NRMs provide support with identity & status
> Separate from school /family, helping overcome status frustration
Barker - Status Frustration
> Young people lack financial commitments of mortgage/rent & have more time outside work/family
> So increased freedom for involvement in NRMS
Baudrillard - Globalisation & Media
> Now increased access to new belief systems in the world in a media-saturated society
> Leads to people joining NRM’s to increase public profile & visibility and attract more members.
Giddens - Secularisation
> Traditional religions are watered-down beliefs to fit in with an increasing secular world.
> But people use NRM’s to get comfort & community that big religions don’t offer.
Postmodernism - Lyotard & Baumann
> Loss of faith in metanarratives, so created gaps with increased conflicting beliefs
> People experience a crisis of meaning as traditional forms of identity (class etc) are fragmented
> NRM’s fill gaps for a sense of identity retaining control & normality.
Dynamics of Sects & NRM (KS)
> Niebuhr (Denomination of Death)
> Stark & Bainbridge (Sectarian Cycle)
> Wilson’s (3 Established Sects)
> Heelas (Growth of New Age) (Client Cults)
Heelas (Growth of New Age) (Self Spirituality, De-Traditonalisation)
Heelas (Trends Beyond Common Themes
Heelas (4 Ways New Age & Modernity is linked)
> Drane (Postmodernity & New Age)
Bruce (Postmodernity & New Age)
Niebuhr - Denomination or Death
> Sects are world rejecting and exists due to a split from the church
> Within a generation they die out or compromise with world
> They abandon their extreme ideas & become denomination.
Why are Sects short-lived?
> Problems maintaining commitment
Loss of Leader
Changing Circumstances
Postmodernism
Why are Sects short-lived? (Key studies)
> Barker (Problems Maintaining Commitment)
> Niebuhr (Problems Maintaining Commitment)
Barker (Problems Maintaining Commitment)
People can’t cope with strict discipline & rules extreme commitments needed, so puts people off
Niebuhr (Problems Maintaining Commitment)
> Enthusiasm dies after 1st generation which leads to death of the sect
> Or they adapt to be less of protest movement/tolerant of mainstream society.
> e.g. cool down & become like denomination.
Loss of Leader - Why are Sects short-lived?
> Charismatic leader, attracted people to join in the first place, so group collapses without central figure
> e.g. death/imprisonment.
Criticisms of Loss of Leader
> Can be increasingly eager e.g. if leader’s imprisoned.
> The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church) continued after the arrest arrest of Warren Jeffs
Changing Circumstances - Why are Sects short-lived?
> Personal reasons people joined slowly disappear and they may wish for a normal life
> The second generation didn’t feel the initial reasons for joining so it is likely that they will leave
> Sects will either die/ become denomination
Postmodernism - Why are Sects short-lived?
> Fragmentation of belief means increased choice.
> People try different sects with no commitment e.g. spiritual shopping.
> Increased tolerance of beliefs don’t last due to changing consumer tastes.
5 Stages of Stark and Bainbridge - Sectarian Cycle
- Schism
- Initial Fervour
- Denominationalism
- Establishment
- Further Schism
Schism - Stark & Bainbridge - Sectarian Cycle
Tensions develop between the needs of the deprived and privileged members of church, the deprived leave to found a world-rejecting sect
Initial Fervour - Stark & Bainbridge - Sectarian Cycle
e.g. Charismatic leadership & tension between the sect’s beliefs & wider society
Denominationalism - Stark & Bainbridge - Sectarian Cycle
‘Protestant ethic’ effect & cooling down of the second generation so initial fervour disappears
Establishment - Stark & Bainbridge - Sectarian Cycle
Sect becomes world-accepting - no tension with wider society
Further Schism - Stark & Bainbridge - Sectarian Cycle
Zealous & less privileged members break away & found new sect true to original message
Wilson (Established Sects) Criticisms of Stark & Bainbridge - Sectarian Cycle
Patterns not the same for all sects, depends on the answer to the question ‘’what shall we do to be saved?”
Wilson’s 3 Established Sects
> Conversionist
Established
Advent
Conversionist - Wilson’s 3 Established Sects
e.g. evangelicals aim to convert lots of people and become increased larger formal denominations
Adventist - Wilson’s 3 Established Sects
> e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses awaiting second coming of christ
> To be saved, must be separate from corrupt world
> Does not compromise with the world and therefore does not become a denomination.
Established - Wilson’s 3 Established Sects
Survive for many generations, but don’t become denomination
e.g. Amish and Mormons
Heelas - Growth of New Age (Client Cults)
> Estimated to cover 2000 activities & 140 000 practitioners in the UK
> Very loosely organised
> Very diverse - beliefs include UFOs, astrology, meditation etc.
Heelas - Growth of New Age
𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
> Move away from traditional established churches to find spirituality inside selves
𝗗𝗲-𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
> Rejects spiritual authority of traditional sources
> e.g. priests, value personal experience & can find truth in ourselves
Heelas - Trends Beyond Common Themes
> Most New Age offer both World Affirming aspects helping people succeed
> Rejects external traditional sources allowing individuals to discover enlightenment in their inner world
Drane - Postmodernity & New Age
> Loss of faiths in scientists who promise progress but instead have given us global warming
> Disappointed with churches’ failure to meet spiritual needs
Bruce - Postmodernity & New Age
> Individualism in late modernity ‘expressive professions’ focused on human potential
> e.g. artists/social workers, who the New Age most appeals to
> Less demanding version of traditional eastern religions e.g. Buddhism.
> New Age Self Spirituality reflecting increasing consumerism
Heelas - 4 Ways the New Age & Modernity are linked
> Source of Identity
Consumer Culture
Rapid Social Change
Decline of Organised Religion
Source of Identity - Heelas - 4 Ways New Age & Modernity are linked
> People with different roles e.g. work, home, friends with no overlap lead to a fragmented identity.
> New Age beliefs offer an authentic identity.
Consumer Culture - Heelas - 4 Ways New Age & Modernity are linked
> Creates dissatisfaction due to not delivering perfection promised e.g. advertising
> New Age offers alternative way to achieve perfection.
Rapid Social Change - Heelas - 4 Ways New Age & Modernity are linked
Disrupts established norms & values, leading to anomie, New Age gives sense of certainty & truth.
Decline of Organised Religion - Heelas - 4 Ways New Age & Modernity are linked
> Modernity means secularisation and the decline of organised religion - New Age beliefs offer an alternative
> e.g. New Age strongest with low church-attendance e.g. California
