key concepts Flashcards
what are the 4 types of religion?
theistic (belief in a higher power eg God(s))
new age movements
animism (spirits and ghosts)
totemistic (symbols)
what are the 5 features of religion?
-belief in sacred beings
-sacred and profane objects, places and times
-ritual acts based on sacred and profane objects, places and times
-moral code with supernatural origins
-prayer and other forms of communication with supernatural beings
what is the substantive definition of religion?
aims to identify the core characteristics of major religions, exclusive in nature, ethnocentric as it focuses on western religions,
what is the functional definition of religion?
looks at what religion does for society, eg bringing comfort, reinforcing values etc,
it’s too inclusive as any group could be considered a religion if it performs similar functions
what is the constructionist definition of religion?
interested in how religions are constructed, challenged and fought over,
interpretivists believe the definition of religion depends on who has power
its impossible to generalise as everyone has different views of what religion is
religion as a closed belief system?
they suggest they have THE truth, so may not change their beliefs
religion as an open belief system?
herberg - some religion has been diluted over the years to remain relevant in modern society (internal secularization) for instance the ordination of women bishops
science as a closed belief system?
khun - science runs in paradigm shifts, where contradictory evidence is ignored until there is an abundance of it, in which case the whole paradigm changes and the process starts again
science as an open belief system?
popper - falsification, science revolves around trying to prove your hypothesis wrong, if it is its replaced
what did Polanyi say were the 3 self sustaining beliefs of closed belief systems?
-denial of legitimacy (rejecting rival claims to convince followers or their truth)
-subsidiary explanations (scape goats for criticisms)
-circularity (every idea is based off of another idea in the system)
what was the Azande + Witchcraft study?
evans + pritchard, studies showed the azande tribe and their belief system seemed closed, their beliefs seem irrational to outsiders but are indoctrinated into the tribe, shows the influence religion has over social groups
what is the difference between a belief and an ideology?
a belief system is a set of stories about the world that a person believes in eg religious beliefs, morals etc.
an ideology is a political, social or economical idea that helps define a specific group of people
what’s the Marxist ideology?
all ideologies are a tool of the ruling class to maintain power and inequality , justifying capitalism
key thinkers are Gramsci, Marx and Althusser
what’s the postmodern ideology? (pluralism)
there are multiple ideologies in a society that reflect the values of different social groups, with no dominant ideology
ignored unequal distribution of power in society
what is the feminist ideology?
ideologies promote the patriarchy, eg blocking women from positions of power,
oakley uses the example of bowlby’s work on maternal deprivation to guilt mothers into staying at home