Organisations Movements Members Flashcards
New Religious Movements (NRMs) (Wallis) - groups based on their relationship to the outside world
World-rejecting - vary in size, clear notion of God, highly critical of outside world, members must break from former life, movement controls all aspects of their lives. (Moonies)
World Accommodating - often breakaways from existing churches, neither accept nor reject world, members tend to live conventional lives (Pentecostal)
World-Affirming - often lack some conventional features of religion, followers often customers rather than members, offer followers access to supernatural powers + accept world as it is (Scientology)
Evaluation - Wallis ignores diversity of beliefs that may exist within NRMs
Explaining growth of religious movements
Marginality- weber argues that sects appeal to dis-privileged groups who are marginal to society offer religious explanation for their suffering (theodicy of dis-privilege). Many sects recruit from marginalised poor
Relative deprivation- some M-C may feel spiritually deprived turn to sects for sense of community. Stark + Bainbridge argue that it is the relatively deprived who break away from churches to form sects.
Social changes + NRMs - Wilson argues that periods of rapid change undermine established norms producing anomie - those most affected may turn to sects
Church, Sects, Denomination, Cults
Church- large place few demands on members have bureaucratic hierarchy + linked to state.
Sect - small demanding real commitment from members, hostile to wider society, often have charismatic leader.
Church/sect both believe they have monopoly of religious truth
Denomination - midway between church/sect membership less exclusive, broadly accept society values not linked to state. Impose minor restrictions.
Cults- least organised, highly individualistic small
Denomination/cult both tolerant of other organisations + their beliefs
Postmodernity + New Age
New age appeal part of shift towards postmodern society, people lost faith in experts + are disillusioned with the churches failure to meet their spiritual needs. Heelas sees New Age + modernity linked in 4 ways; a source of identity, consumer culture, rapid social change- provides sense of certainty + truth, decline of organised religion - leaves the way open to new age as alternative
New age movement features
Detraditional, help to find salvation inside themselves, appeal mainly to women and M-C
