Chapter 15 Flashcards
The religion that believes in the divinity of nonhuman beings, like animals, plants, and objects of the natural world
animism
A response to religious diversity that welcomes people of different faiths into the majority culture on the condition that they leave their beliefs behind and adopt the majority’s faith as their own
assimilation
A belief in no deities
atheism
A large, bureaucratically organized religious organization that is closely integrated into the larger society
church
The combined mental contents of a society that manifests itself through a religious framework
collective consciousness
A feeling experienced by individuals when they come together to express beliefs and perform rituals together as a group
collective effervescence
A promise of a reward at a later, unspecified date
compensator
The religious belief that the Universe and life originated “from specific acts of divine creation.” For young Earth creationists, this includes a biblical literalist interpretation of the Genesis creation narrative and the rejection of the scientific theory of evolution
creationism
A small religious organization that is at great odds with the norms and values of the larger society
cult or New Religious Movement
A theory stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase individual organism’s ability to compete, survive, and reproduce
Darwinian evolutionary theory
A god or a goddess
deity
A religious organization that is closely integrated into the larger society but is not a formal part of the state
denomination
The process by which magical and superstitious understandings of the world are replaced by scientific calculation and technical control
disenchantment of the world
Suffering is explained as a consequence of the struggle between the dual powers of good and evil, gods and demons, in which evil occasionally wins out
dualist theodicy
A church that has formal ties with the state
ecclesia
A response to religious diversity which denies new religions entry into society
exclusion
A type of definition that defines a phenomenon based on a series commonly shared attributes or family resemblances — not all family members equally share these attributes or resemblances
family resemblance definition
A type of definition that defines a phenomenon by what it does or how it functions in society
functional definition
The decline in religious belief and practice of individuals
individual secularization
The accumulated effects of acts committed in former lives and their influence on fortunes and suffering in this life
karma
The birthplace of Muhammad; a city located in Hejaz, in what is now known as South Arabia; the holiest city of the Islamic religion, and is the center of Islamic faith
Mecca
A religion based on belief in a single deity
monotheism
A hatred of women
misogyny
(In sociology) a stable, predictable, and normative order
nomos
The efforts made by religious organizations to update their beliefs and practices, to reflect changes in contemporary life
organizational secularization
A sociological perspective that argues that all phenomena appear spontaneously and immediately within the experience and awareness of individual subjects before they become the basis for subjective and objective reality
phenomenology
A response to religious diversity that welcomes every religious practice regardless of how divergent its beliefs or social norms
pluralism
A religion based on belief in multiple deities
polytheism
A previously Christian society in which Christianity becomes just one among many religious beliefs
post-Christian society
The belief that the gods predetermine the fate of individuals
predestination
Everyday objects, states of being or practices that do not hold any spiritual or religious significance
profane
The duty to “work hard in one’s calling.”
Protestant ethic
A theory which states that human action is motivated by individual self-interest and that all social activities are a product of rational decision making that weighs costs against benefits
rational choice theory
A system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person holds to be sacred or spiritually significant
religion
Specific ideas that members of a particular faith hold to be true
religious beliefs
A condition in which a multiplicity of religions and faiths co-exist in a given society
religious diversity
The conviction or sensation that one is connected to “the divine.”
religious experience
Persons who choose the category “none” on surveys about religious affiliation
religious nones
Behaviours or practices that are either required for or expected of the members of a particular group
religious rituals
Objects, states of being, or practices that are set apart and considered forbidden because of their connection to divine presence
sacred
A divinely grounded cultural system
sacred canopy
The Hindu ritual in which a widow sacrifices herself by burning alive on the funeral pyre of her deceased husband
sati
A small religious body that forms after a group breaks away from a larger religious group like a church or denomination
sect
The process by which religion and the sacred gradually have less validity, influence, and significance in society and the lives of individuals
secularization
The shrinking relevance of institutionalized religion for the integration and legitimation of everyday life in modern society
societal secularization
A type of definition that delineates the substantial or crucial characteristics that define what a phenomenon is and is not
substantial definition
A system of government in which ecclesiastical authorities rule on behalf of a divine authority
theocracy
An explanation for why the Gods allow suffering, misfortune, and injustice to occur
theodicy
A plant, animal, or object that serves as a symbolic, material expression of the sacred
totem
The most basic, ancient form of religion based on reverence for totemic animals or plants
totemism
An unquestionable foundation that establishes the legitimacy of a social order
ultimate legitimation
