Religion Flashcards
Religion secularization
Refers to the level of involvement with religious organizations, the social and material influence wielded by religious organizations, and the degree to which people hold religious beliefs
Church
Large bodies of people belonging to an established religious organization
Sect
Religious movements that break away from orthodoxy
Denomination
A religious sect that has lost its revivalist dynamism and become an institutionalized body, commanding the adherence of significant numbers of people.
Cult
Fragmentary religious groupings to which individuals are loosely affiliated but that lack any permanent structure, often do not adhere to traditional religious ideals
Marx’s theory of religion
Religion helps divert attention of the exploited workers from the conditions of their own misery, hence religion legitimizes social inequality
Durkheim’s theory of religion
The disguised worship of society, integrative force (collective consciousness)
Sacred
That which inspires awe or reverence among believers; forbidden
Profane
That which belongs to the mundane, everyday world
How is it that protestants were disproportionately represented in large-scale profit-oriented industrial enterprise?
Capitalism emerged out of the “protestant ethos” (systematic pursuit of salvation based on diligent labor in a calling
Religious economy
A theoretical framework within the sociology of religion that argues that religions can be fruitfully understood as organizations in competition with one another for followers
Civil religion
A theoretical framework within the sociology of religion that argues that religions can be fruitfully understood as organizations in competition with one another for followers
New religious movements
Range from spiritual and self-help groups within the New Age movement to exclusive sects such as the Hare Krishnas
