Chapter 11: Religious Groups and Systems Flashcards
3 main parts of religion
- “a system of beliefs and practices”
- a community or church
- sacred things that relate to spiritual things
Animism
The religious belief that spirits inhabit virtually everything in nature
Shamanism
The religious belief that certain persons have special charm, skill or knowledge in influencing spirits
Totemism
The worship of plants, animals, and other natural objects as gods and ancestors
Prophets
Religious leader who have authority on the basis of their charismatic qualities
Mysticism
belief that spiritual truths come to us through intuition/meditation, not through normal human experiences
Denomination
well establishing and highly organized churches
Ecclesia
an official state religion that includes the most members of society
sects
religious groups that have broken away from a parent church ex: Jehovah’s witness
Fundamentalism
belief that the Bible is the divine word of God and that all statements in it are to be taken literally
cult
extreme form of religious organization that calls for a totally new and unique lifestyle
Latent functions of religion
mate selection, public speaking, donations
Dysfunctions of religion
divide society, create bias, exclude nonmembers
millennialism
The belief prevalent among certain Christian sects that there will be a dramatic transformation of life on Earth and Christ will rule the world for a thousand years of happiness
Securalization
the process through which beliefs concerning the supernatural and religious institutions lose social influence
Ecumenism
trend for different denominations to join in pursuits of common interest in a spirit of worldwide Christian unity
Social structure
When society is organized in a way of predictable human behaviors and relationships - “socially patterned”, composed of status, roles, groups and institutions
Universalism vs. Particularism
pattern variable w/ how much we judge people objectively
Affective neutrality vs. affectivity
how appropriate it is to show your own emotion and feelings
Specificity vs. diffuseness
Pertains to the scope of the relationship
self-orientation vs. collective orientation
self vs. group interests
bettering yourself or others
ascription vs. achievement
whether a role is guided by an achieved or ascribed status
A group formed by sociologists that have no interaction w/ each other
Statistical group
People share common characteristics like having blond hair but do not interact
Categorical groups
A group that pursues a common interest in a structured way
Associational or organizational group - elon, volley ball team, democrats
peer group
an informal primary group of people who interact in a personal, direct and intimate way
Reference group
A group with which people identify and refer to in evaluating their behavior and themselves
the process by which norms, roles and procedures are established in a group as there is an increasing attention to detail as the structure becomes more complex
Formalization
Bureaucracies have the following characteristics
Division of labor/specialization - members trained for job
Impersonality = public and personal lives and property
Qualifications = positions based on merit not politics or personal relations
Iron law of oligarchy
the perspective that a formal organization would be dominated by an elite group who achieve power and promote their own interests
