Religion

Question 1

McGuire suggests that religion involves measurement across 2 dimensions as it is dual character. (Measuring Religious Belief)

Answer 1

Individual indicators such as whether someone holds religious beliefs that are orthodox or unorthodox. Social indicators that measure things like religious participation such as attendance at religious services.

Question 2

Cornwell Three dimensions of religiosity (Measuring Religious Belief)

Answer 2

Knowing or the belief dimension, doing: an indicator of religious, participation
/Membership, feeling: a specific measure of commitment to both an individual’s beliefs and any religious organisation with which they identify.

Question 3

Believe without belonging (Measuring religiosity)

Answer 3

People can hold religious beliefs while showing little or no commitment to religious organisations or practices. They can believe God without collectively practicing their belief or linking that belief to any particular religious organisation

Question 4

Belong without believing (Measuring religiosity)

Answer 4

Involves those who attend religious services without having any strongly developed sense of religious belief. Religious practice may have secular functions with people attending services for reasons such as friendship, social status, custom or tradition.

Question 5

Abrams et al (Measuring religiosity)

Answer 5

A more valid way to understand religiosity is to measure commitment-the extent to which people feel they belong to a particular religion using a scale that measures and combines Disposition, orthodox belief, moral values and institutional attachment.

Question 6

Voas and Watt found that the middle class attends church more than working-class people in the UK (2014). They based this conclusion on their findings on the Church of England:

Answer 6

More people go to church in rural areas of England. People attend church in higher numbers in South England than in North England. Areas with good religious schools have higher church attendance. Working-class people showed lower levels of church attendance. However, welfare recipients went to church the least.

Question 7

The reason why working class have low church of England attendance

Answer 7

The close connection to the state and the monarchy makes the Church of England seem elitist to the working class and makes it popular more among middle-class people

Question 8

Ahern (1987) on the Working class Londoners

Answer 8

found that working-class Londoners distrusted the Church of England. found its ministers boring and patronising. Instead, they turned towards denominations like Methodism or the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church is especially popular in poorer areas of England, populated by Irish and Eastern European immigrants, who brought the dominant religion of their countries with them.

Question 9

Ashworth and Farthing (2007)

Answer 9

claim that working-class people are more likely to believe in God than the middle class.

Question 10

Glock (1964)

Answer 10

claimed that people from poorer backgrounds found ‘spiritual compensation’ and a sense of community in smaller religious sects. The organisations helped them cope with the difficulties connected to social and economic deprivation.

Question 11

Roy Wallis (1984)

Answer 11

pointed out that denominations such as Methodism spread values and moral teachings that were especially useful for working-class people. These were hard work and determination, to mention the most important. As a result, Methodism has a predominantly working-class membership in the UK.

Question 12

Andrew Holden (2002)

Answer 12

researched the Jehovah’s Witnesses and found that its members had lower-class status at work. He argued that they joined the organisation to find compensation for their lack of prestige in their work-life.

Question 13

Roy Wallis on class differences in New Religious Movements and New Age Movements

Answer 13

found that New Religious Movements (NRMs) and New Age Movements were most popular among the middle class. Educated, middle-class people joined organisations, such as the Unification Church and Krishna Consciousness, to find alternative ways of spirituality instead of traditional religions, churches and capitalism.

Question 14

Lawes on class differences in Atheism

Answer 14

researched atheism and found that lifelong atheists usually have high academic qualifications and successful professional backgrounds. On the other hand, lifelong theists were usually unskilled or semi-skilled working-class people.

Question 15

Max Weber on class and religion.

Answer 15

claimed that there is a connection between religiosity and poverty (1920). He called it the ‘Theodicy of Dis privilege’ and said that certain sects and religious movements appeal to people of the lower classes because they offer support and comfort for the financial troubles and social deprivation that people from these classes often suffer from.

Question 16

Following Weber , Ken Pyrce on class and religion.

Answer 16

claimed that the core values of Pentecostalism, e.g. the importance of community, family and hard work, are all useful guidance in coping with poverty and emotional deprivation, which the working classes and ethnic minorities often suffer from. No wonder, he says, that British Pentecostalism is more popular among ethnic minorities and the lower classes, which often overlap

Question 17

Stark and BainBridge and Kelly on the closer relationship

Answer 17

Argue that cults draw their members from higher social classes whereas Kelly has suggested that New religious movements are founded and populated by the educated middle classes

Question 18

Adler on the relationship between class and religion

Answer 18

research has drawn attention to the fact that in the USA members of witch covens mainly come from the professional middle classes.

Question 19

Bader on the relationship between class and religion

Answer 19

Notes 2/3 of those who claim to have been abducted by aliens previously held middle class occupations.

Question 20

Bruce on the relationship between class and religion

Answer 20

argued that the general attraction of NAMS to the middle classes is based on the idea that spiritual growth appeals to those whose more pressing material needs have been satisfied. Unmarried mothers raising children on welfare tend to be too concerned things like finding food, heat and light. When they do look for a release, they prefer the bright outer lights of bars.