different types of religious organisations Flashcards
churches
- religious building of christians
- large organisations
- often millions of members and universal
- run by bureaucratic hierarchy of preists
- often linked to the state (royals head of CofE)
- ex: CofE, catholics, sikhs, muslims
sects
- small, exclusive groups
- heretical - holding an opinion that odds from what is generally accepted
- hostile to wider society
- members are likely marginal and oppressed
- often regarded as extreme / dangerous
- often led by charismatic leader
- ex: heavens gate, peoples temple, manson family
denominations
- midway between a church and a sect
- accept societies values
- not linked to state
- may impose minor restrictions on members, such as forbidding alcohol
- some sects evolve into denominations
- ex: methodism - began as sect, moderated beliefs and criticisms of wider society and developed into denomination
cults
- loose-knit memberships with a shared interest/theme
- usually led by ‘practitioners’ or ‘therapists’ who claim special knowledge
- followers treated as customers / trainees
- still members of society
- ex: scientology
example of a sect: heavens gate
- america, 1974
- led by bonnie nettles and marshal applewhite
- believed they could transform themselves into immortal, extraterrestrial beings and could ascend to heaven - the body was a vessel to ‘the next level’
- death of nettles in 1985 challenged groups beliefs - would be taken to heaven on UFO
- march 26 1997 - police discovered bodies of the 39 members - mass suicide coinciding with comet Hale-bopp
example of a sect: peoples temple
- led by Jim Jones 1954078
- goal was to create a society free of problems of class or race
- population of ‘jonestown’ 900 by 1978
- 900 people died in act of mass-suicide - ordered to drink cyanide
why are sects short lived?
EILEEN BAKER - unable to cope
- people unable to cope with strict discipline / rules
- heavy / extreme commitment is required and difficult to maintain
reasons to join a sect
marginality
- poor and disadvantaged people
- world rejecting aspect appeals to marginalised groups
- offers a place to belong / community
- ex: usa - nation of islam recruited amongst disadvantaged black males in 1960s, including malcom x
reasons to join a sect
BRYAN WILSON - social change
- WILSON argued periods of rapid social change may cause uncertainty and insecurity
- those affected by disruption may turn to sects
- ex: industrial revolution led to birth of methodism - offered community, warmth and clear norms and values
- succeeded in recruiting large numbers
H.R. NEIBUHR: three reasons sects are short lived
THE SECOND GENERATION
- people born into sects lack the commitment of their parents
- to keep second gen, sects have to change and become less hostile to the outside world
ASCENTICISM
- sects that practice asceticism (hard work and saving) tend to become prosperous
- this was the case with the methodists in the 19th century
- such members will be tempted to compromise with the world
- the sect has to abandon its world rejecting beliefs, or disappear
DEATH OF LEADER
- death of charismatic leader or if a more bureaucratic leadership takes over, causes the collapse of a sect and typically transforms it into a denomination
BRYAN WILSON - established sects
- WILSON argues not all sects follow the pattern outlined by NEIBUHR, as some sects have survived over many generations e.g. the amish
- many sects have succeeded in socialising their children into a high level of commitment, largely by separation from wider world
- argued globalisation will make it harder for future sects to keep themselves seperate
cults: scientology
- believe people are immortal aliens (thetans) who are trapped on earth
- believe traumatic events cause subconscious command-like recordings in the mind that can only be removed through ‘auditing’ - questions/directions to locate spiritual distress
differences between cults and sects
SECTS
- small, exclusive groups
- members often marginal and oppressed
- hostile to wider society
- led by charismatic leader
CULTS
- loose-knit memberships with a shared interest/theme
- live normal lives
- led by ‘practitioners’ or ‘therapists’ who claim special knowledge
- followers often treated as customers/trainees
what is the new age movement?
- range of beliefs and activities since 1980s (astrology, tarot, crystals)
- self-spirituality: look inside self to find the spiritual
- detraditionalisation: reject authority of traditional sources (preists/sacred texts)
- postmodern society rejects meta narratives i.e. big stories that claim to have the answer to everything
- some sociologists argue a spiritual revolution is taking place - christianity given way to new beliefs, traditional religions declining
why are women more associated with the new age movement?
- women are more associated with nature
- these movements celebrate the natural and involve healing which gives women a higher status
why are the middle class more associated with the new age movement?
- new age beliefs and practices emphasise personal autonomy, and self-development appeal to some middle class women
- working class women are more attracted to ideas that give them a passive role such as belief in an all-powerful god
what are the three categories that ROY WALLIS places NAMs under?
world rejecting
world accommodating
world affirming
world rejecting NRMs - ROY WALLIS
- highly critical of outside world and seek radical change
- members break from their former lives, living communally and restricted contact with outside world
- controls all aspects of life
- e.g. peoples temple
world accommodating NRMs - ROY WALLIS
- neither accept nor reject the world
- focus on religious matters rather than worldly
- members tend to lead conventional lives
- ex: often breakaway from existing mainstream churches or denominations, such as neo-pentecostalists who split from catholicism
world affirming NRMs - ROY WALLIS
- accept the world as it is
- promise followers success in mainstream goals (careers, relationships)
- tolerant of other religions but claim to offer additional special knowledge
- members seen as customers, entry is through training
- members carry on normal lives
- ex: cults, such as scientology
- world affirming NRMs most successful, 165,000 scientology members in the UK
