Intro to Religion Flashcards
Hard to specify: Can it be understood objectively?
As outsider not relying on empathetic understanding
Is it possible if agnostic/atheist
Can be achieved by nonbelievers - not disqualified, capable of making contributions
In dicourse in sociologists of religion questions like is there 1 God/multiple gods does not come up
What is meant by “religion”?
What is held to be sacred varies according to different practices
They believe in spiritual entities – signs of religious belief
Engage in beliefs/practices that help them deal/cope with ultimate questions/problems
Ultimate problems: suffering, injustice, death, illness
What is meant by “religion”?
Puzzle for ppl who believe God is powerful + all knowing
•Why would he let this happen?
•Religion offer answers: inferior position will encounter justice in afterlife, can make ppl at top feel entitled due to their virtues
Can religiosity by measured?
Practices + external appearances
Deep belief + faith
Some religions are more demanding in qualifications
In buddhism: concept of god underdeveloped – couldn’t use belief in a God/gods as an indicator
Can religiosity by measured?
Important to see it as multidimensional:
Participation in rituals – frequency of attendance to services
Private rites – praying, fasting (might compare strength across generations by how many ppl practice Ramadan)
Conception of God
Knowledge on Religion – knowledge on sacred texts
Multiplicity of measures due to its complexity
Secularization thesis – peter berger’s theory
american sociologist – sacred canopy 1967
process by which religion in modern society is eroded
losing plausibility: power to compel belief + adherence
manifested: less a collective phenomenon - more matter of individual choice
Secularization thesis – peter berger’s theory
partly because of modernity – more likely exposed to variety of beliefs due to urbanization, literacy, education, international migration, travel (mixing up ppl of diff beliefs)
more movement than past = greater contact of ppl with diff beliefs
how can all of these religions be equally valid?
How do you choose among the religions? On what basis?
For a observer: if all of them are powerful, which one stands out?
Secularization thesis – peter berger’s theory
Modern religions face 2 options:
A: Accomodation: be flexible, adjust to modern culture
Shops now open on Sundays – accomodation to capitalism
Accommodate the gays and divorced
B: Entrenchment: stand firm + be rigid, act as if nothing has significantly changed
Either of these strategies lose
A: more they become less distinctive, lose uniqueness
B: not viable, results in marginalization
Secularization thesis – peter berger’s theory: Secularization thesis – some evidence
More don’t go at all, less go weekly
Little drop in belief in a God
More ppl saying they don’t have a religion: 1-23%
Do you believe you have experienced God’s presence: 43%
Religious attendance: (1946) 67% - 20%
USA: revival of evangelicalism since 80s
Religion has more impact on politics: intermingled in debates over abortions, teachings of Darwin, presidential popularity, prayers at school
Secularization thesis – peter berger’s theory: Secularization thesis – some evidence
Western europe: resurgence of religions
1975 – iran became an islamic state
decline of soviet union – revival of orthodox church
in africa: christian church healthy
latin america: catholicism + protestism gaining
middle east: clashes in islam
india: hindu vs. muslim
bosnia, nigeria, philippines: catholicism vs. muslim
trend is not linear: some cases of resurgence + strength of religion
claims it is being relentlessly ruled out
Religion among the Huron: an enchanted world
Bruce Trigger – anthropologist
Georgian Bay Area Hurons
Animistic religion: soul pervades all
Animate spirits in nature – exerted control over trade, war, disease
Possess power to do things ordinary men couldn’t do
Humans who possessed supernatural powers/guided by spirit – oki
Religion among the Huron: an enchanted world
Sky controlled seasons, invoked during treaties, would punish bad ppl
No special priests, no churches or temples
Did not have well defined sphere, but tended to pervade all of their activities
Enchantment: constantly exposed to magic
Weber on the disenchantment of the world
pg 139 – German vs. Native American: german knows much less, how streetcar works, savage knows how to get food, his tools, how institutions benefit him
science is advanced: but doesn’t mean they know more about conditions in which he lives
one could understand if one wished + had the time in a rational sort of way
Weber on the disenchantment of the world
pg 139: in principle no mysteries, no incalculable forces, rather can master all things with calculation
this means the world has become disenchanted
Rationalization of world means world is becoming disenchanted
Huron lived in enchanted world: governed by spirits
Weber says little by little everythings is becoming disenchanted – loss of anima
Weber on the disenchantment of the world
Rationalization: when he studies anything, he sees an increase in rationalization, increasing application of reason in politics, economy – leads to loss of enchantment
Makes churches sound desperate – open arms, now marginalized
Religion kept to separate sphere
Sense of nature of world is changing – religion is just more marginalized + privatized (not ruled out)
