organisations, movements and members

Question 1

world rejecting nrms

Answer 1

krishna consciousness, the children of god, transcendental meditation

highly critical of the outside world and seek radical change

to achieve salvation, members must make a sharp break with their former life

restricted contact with the outside world

Question 2

world accommodating nrms

Answer 2

breakaways from existing mainstream churches such as neo pentecostalists who split from catholicism

neither accept nor reject the world, and focus on religious rather than worldly matters, seeking to restore the spiritual purity of religion

for example, neo pentecostalists believe that other christian religions have lost the holy spirit

Question 3

world affirming nrms

Answer 3

scientology and human potential

they accept the world as it is

tolerant of other religions but claim to offer additional special knowledge to enable followers to unlock their own spiritual powers

most are cults, whose followers are often customers rather than members, with entry through training

Question 4

marginality

Answer 4

marginal groups are more likely to join sects because they may feel that they are disprivileged and not receiving their just social and economic rewards

weber’s theodicy of disprivilege - a religious explanation and justification for their suffering and disadvantage which may explain their misfortune as a test of faith

wallis - some middle class, well educated whites join sects because they have become marginal to society since most were hippies, dropouts and drug users

Question 5

relative deprivation

Answer 5

the subjective sense of being deprived

middle class people may feel spiritually deprived because today’s materialistic, consumerist world is impersonal, lacks moral value, emotional warmth or authenticity

stark and bainbridge - world rejecting sects appeal to the deprived because they offer compensators that they need for the rewards they’re denied in this world

the privileged are more likely to join world accepting churches because it expresses their status and brings them further success in achieving earthly rewards

Question 6

social change

Answer 6

wilson - sects emerge in periods of rapid social change because established norms and values and undermined, producing anomie. the dislocation created by the industrial revolution in britain led to the birth of methodism which offered a sense of community, warmth and clear norms and values

bruce - people join sects in response to secularisation because they are less demanding and require fewer sacrifices

growth in world rejecting nrms:
- young people spend more time in education, giving them freedom from adult responsibilities enabling a counter culture to develop
- offer young people a more idealistic way of life

growth in world affirming nrms:
- response to modernity, especially the rationalisation of work - n longer provides a source of meaning
- provide a sense of identity and techniques to promise success

Question 7

stark and bainbridge:

the sectarian cycle

Answer 7

schism - splitting from a church

initial fervour and charismatic leadership

denominationalism and cooling of fervour

establishment

further schism

wilson - not all sects follow this pattern

Question 8

wilson:

established sects

Answer 8

conversionist sects - aim to convert large numbers and so grow rapidly into denominations.

adventist sects - keep themselves separate, which prevents compromise and becoming a denomination.

established sects - some survive for many generations e.g. the amish and the mormons

globalisation will make it harder for sects to keep themselves separate from the outside world

Question 9

the growth of the new age

Answer 9

heelas - audience & client cults in the uk cover 2000 activities and 146000 practitioners. suggests two common themes:
- self-spirituality - seeking the spiritual within themselves.
- de-traditionalisation - values personal experience, rejects religious authority.

drane - the new age appeal is part of a shift to postmodern society. people have lost faith in experts and are disillusioned with the church’s failure to met their spiritual needs.

bruce - the growth is the latest phase of modern society, not postmodern. modern society values individualism, like new age.

heelas - new age and modernity are linked in four ways:
- a source of identity
- consumer culture creates dissatisfaction.
- rapid social change creates anomie. new age provides certainty and truth.
- decline of organised religion leaves the way open to new age as an alternative.