Religion, belief and faith Flashcards
1
Q
Denomination
A
group within a religion that have shared norms and values that may differ from other denominations whilst still sharing core beliefs
2
Q
Church
Weber & Troeltsch
A
- Large membership
- Inclusiveness
- Bureaucratic
- Professional clergy
- Acceptance of wider society
- Monopoly of truth
3
Q
Sect
Troelsch
A
Small intense religious organisation, does not accept norm and values of wider society and often deliberately withdraws themselves to focus on their beliefs
4
Q
Sect
Weber
A
- Charismatic leader
- Small membership
- Monopoly on religious truth
- Total commitment
5
Q
Introversionist sect
A
Believe god has called upon them to abandon the world and cut themselves off from the rest of society e.g armish
6
Q
Reformist sect
A
Believe their duty is to slowly change the world for a better e.g quakers
7
Q
Conversionist sect
A
Members try to evangelise and convert people to prevent eternal damnation e.g unification church
8
Q
Cult
Becker
A
Characteristics of cult
- Not tightly organised or strict membership
- Charismatic leader
- Seek spiritual alignment or are world affirming and trying to improve peoples everyday lives
- Often short lived
9
Q
NRM
Wallis
A
World rejecting- reject current norms and values e.g unification church
world affirming- accept and reinforce current norms and values e.g jehovah witness
World accommodating- not interested in societies norms and values e.g scientology
10
Q
New age movements
A
Ideas that came popular in the 1980s and continue to influence people today
11
Q
NAM
Heelas
A
- People have lost faith in science and are looking for alternative ways to discover their more authentic self
- Self religious as they believe the key to salvation or spiritual fulfilment is yourself
12
Q
NAM
Bird
A
Educated middle class take an interest into spiritualism as they’re concerned about growth and success
13
Q
Religious fundamentalism
A
Religious movement or point of view rather than an organisational structure like sects. develop in response to liberal or modernist ideas
14
Q
Fundamentalism
Bruce
A
Growth of fundamentalism often occurs amongst members of particular social strata, who feel especially threatened, dispossessed or relatively deprived by modernisation
15
Q
Fundamentalism
Westboro baptist church
A
- Believe the world is doomed as people have stopped following the word of god as written in the bible
- Parents are raising their children for the devil
- Anti-semetic
16
Q
Fundamentalism
Salafi Islam
A
- Fundamentalist branch of islam
- Believe the world should return to the original political and moral practice of islam
- Technology, liberalism and modernisation have corrupted people and made them stray from allah
17
Q
Belief
A
Belief about what is known
18
Q
Affect
A
What a person believes about their faith
19
Q
Practices
A
Aspects of religious behaviour or participation in religious organisations
20
Q
Anti-secularisation
Davie
A
Belief without belonging and vicarious religion- religious belief amongst young people and working class is high whilst their participation is low
21
Q
Social class
Ainsworth & Farthing
A
- Church attendance is a middle class activity (above average attendance)
- Working class have lowest proportion of church goers + people who never intend to go to church
- Almost half of unemployed people have never been to church and don’t intend to do so
22
Q
Social class
Gallup
A
Rates of religiosity are high where rates of poverty are low as religion is used to support emotional wellbeing
23
Q
Social class
Theos
A
Life long theists come from lower classes
24
Q
Social class
Wallis
A
Middle class suffered crisis of meaning in 1960s and 70s, turned to sects to offer spiritual fulfilment
25
# Social class
Stark & Bainbridge
- Middle class more likely to follow world accepting religious organisations as allows to maintain status and success
- World rejecting sects appeal to deprived people who cannot achieve economic and material rewards
26
# Social class
Bruce
NAM appeal to middle class as focuses on spiritual growth which appeals to those who's material needs have been satisfied
27
# Social class
Holden
Johovah's witness appeal to working class as it's an alternative form of status
28
# Social class
Brierly
Working class alienated from attending church as perceived as a middle class activity
29
# Gender
Ainsworth & Farthing
19% women attend church compared to 11% men
30
# Gender + Anti-secularisation
Woodhead
- Home centred women- prioritise home and family (christens)
- Jugglers- combine paid and unpaid care work (NAM)
- Work centred women- abandon church
31
# Gender
Hunt
Women more likely to believe in the devil, heaven, hell, creation, ghosts and astrology than men
32
# Gender
Mc Allister
Religiosity isn't linked to child rearing but women participation in paid employment
33
# Gender
Sullins
Women socialised into being passive, obedient and caring which is valued by religion
34
# Gender
Miller & Hoffman
40% of gender differences in religion can be explained by risk behaviour
35
# Gender
Greeley
- Women feel closer to god as they are involved in creation of life
- More likely to be more involved in death as carers
36
# Ethnicity
2011 census
93% of people with no religion are white
37
# Ethnicity
Modood et al
- 32% of christians actively practiced their religion compared to 80% of muslims
- Mosques have had a 25,000% increase in uk since 1960s
38
# Ethnicity
Voas
Methodism in england is dying buy immigration from africa has lead to spread of pentecostal churches
39
# Ethnicity
Evangelical alliance
2/3 of people in pentecostal churches are black
40
# Ethnicity
Pryce
Pentecostal appeal
- Religious teaching presented in assessable way
- Religious worship is lively and emotionally engaging
- Emphasis on healing the body and psychology
- Appeals to muted groups
41
# Ethnicity
Bird
- Many ethnic minorities originate from societies with high levels of religiosity
- Religion maintains other parts of a persons ethnic identity
- Helps cope with oppression
- Acts as a basis for social solidarity
- Strong family pressure to maintain commitment to religion
42
# Ethnicity
Wallis & Bruce
- Cultural defence- helps ethnic minorities protect their culture in new culture
- Cultural transition- helps ethnic minorities cope with process of migration, place of worship becomes site for networking and integration
43
# Ethnicity
Chryssides
Apostasy- religious beliefs are given up in the new environment
Accommodation- beliefs adapted to fit new environment
Renewed vigor- reassorted as a response to what might be perceived as a threat to its existence
44
# Ethnicity
Beckford
- Evangelical christianity gives black people a sense of purpose, hope and independence
- Family structure much stronger in asian communities, result in pressure to conform to religious values and behaviour
45
# Ethnicity
O'Beirne
Black people ranked religion as third most important part of identity, compared to white ranked tenth
46
# Gender
Brierley
Women are leaving church at a faster rate than men (2x)
47
# Age + Anti-secularisation
Brierley
- 87% of 10-14 year olds though church was boring
- Young people moving toward NAM
48
# Age
Davie
Older people more religious than young, Pentecostal churches attract younger members
49
# Age
Voas & Crockett
Younger white generations becoming less and less religious
50
# Age
Ranklin
Young people engage in same kinds of soul searching that older people call spiritual but reluctant to classify themselves as religious
51
# Age
Miliband
Media has replaced religion as opium of the masses
52
# Age
Mirza et al
British born muslims are more committed than older generations
53
# Age
Norc
People get more religious as they get older as they become more aware of their mortality
54
# Age
Coleman
- Benevolent religious cognitions- provides positive perspective on loss
- Biblical assurance- people can draw upon evidence to reinforce acceptance
- Religious ritual- prayer and worship help to regulate emotions and create a sense of closeness to the deceases
- Spiritual capital- church provides opportunities for activities which help occupy the grieving
55
# Global
Casanova
Effects of religion on social and political life
- collapse of communism
- growth of the republican politics in USA
- development of politics and policies in NI
56
# Global
Centre for the study of Global Christianity
1970- 82% of world population was religious
2010- 88% of worlds population was religious
57
# Global
Gallup
- 63% religious worldwide
- 86% religious in Africa
- 62% religious in Asia
- 22% not religious
- 11% convinced atheists
58
# Functionalism
Durkheim
- Religion is a set of myths constructed by humans to bring order to societies
- Totem poles in Aboriginal tribes
59
# Functionalism
Malinowski
- Religion reduces grief in fishing societies, acts of God
- Maintains social order by easing stress in life crises
60
# Functionalism
Parsons
- Religion guidelines for human actions, social control and punishment
- Adjust to uncontrollable life events
- Applies meaning to uncontrollable life events
- Religious teaching integrated into norms and values of society
61
Functionalism criticisms
- Doesn't apply for multicultural societies
- Exaggerates importance of religion in modern societies, religion in decline
- Dawson- cannon make generalisations based on religion in early societies
- Religious values not always the same as societies
- Generalisations are made from religions and cultures
- Religion often divisive leading to conflict
62
Marxism
- Religion makes suffering bearable for poor by promising reward in afterlife
- Teaches natural hierarchy within societies, divine right of kings
- Religion is part of superstructure
- Often portrays suffering as a virtue
63
Marxism- criticisms
- Wrong to assume religion is only used t oppress- Oscar Romero
- Wrong to suggest only right-wing politicians rely on religion
64
# Marxism
Engels
- Few rulers have tried to use religion
- Religious leaders more likely to recognise expliotation/ oppression
- Religious leaders occupy sacred place in society, less likely to be assassinated
65
# Neo-Marxism
Maduro
Archbishop of El Salvador Oscar Romero speaks out against militant government
66
Neo-Marxism- criticisms
Focuses too much on economic and class issues to the detriment of religious belief itself
67
Weberian
- God has already selected those who will join him in heaven and actions cannot change this
- God will show who he has favoured through prosperity
- Calvinists will work hard to determine whether or not they have Gods favour, creating capitalism
68
Weberianism- criticisms
- Calvinism very popular in Scotland but capitalism didn't develop
- Capitalism predates calvinism
- Slavery, colonialism and piracy more influential on economy
69
# Feminism- liberal
Armstrong
- In early history women were considered central to spiritual quest
- Goddesses disappeared when monotheism became popular as Abrahamic God was male
70
# Feminism- liberal
Holm
- Whilst classical religious teachings promote equality, women are not equal
- Islam- women not allowed to enter some mosques for worship
- Buddhism- monks seen as more important than nuns
- Orthodox Judaism- only males take full part in ceromonies
71
# Feminism- radical
De Beauvoir
- Social control- men use religion to oppress women, most religions role models are male, making women less likely challenge
- Deception- women decepted by religion into thinking they're equal, gives false belief that their suffering will be compensated in heaven
72
# Feminism- radical
Daly
- We live in a planetary caste system, whole world is sexist towards women
- Subordination of women is Gods will
- God portrayed as a man alienates women, puts them in an inferior position
- Redemption is through prayer not activity
73
# Feminism- intersectional
El Saadawi
- FGM in Islamic societies is religious violence
- Not a true Islamic practice but a misinterpretation of the Quran
74
# Phenomenology
Smart
1. Practical
2. Experiential
3. Narrative
4. Doctrinal
5. Ethical
6. Social
7. Material
75
# Phenomenology
Berger
- Choice = Heretical imperative
- Individuals in modern society lack definite religious meaning and are forced to choose their belief
- Rumours of angels
- Mundane actions are signs of religion/ religious meanings in everyday life
76
# Postmodernism
Bauman
- In postmodern world people believe they should have a choice in belief
- Not one set of moral rules to follow, morality has become privatised
- People still look for guidance and look to religious leaders
77
# Postmodernism + Anti-secularisation
Lyon
- Religion has moved to sphere of consumerism, harvest festival Disneyland
- No longer a social institution but a cultural resource
- Dedifferentiation between religion and popular culture
- People no longer have to physically go to church due to media
78
# Postmodernism
Hervier- Leger
- Spiritual shoppers, people can pick and mix religious identities
- Pilgrims, follow individual path for self-discovery or development
- Converts, join religious groups that offer strong sense of belonging
79
# Secularisation stats
British social attitudes survey
- Church of England -20%
- No religion +19%
- 50% no religion
80
# Secularisation stats
Secularisation census 2001 & 2011
- 72%- 59% christian
- 16% - 25 no religion
81
# Secularisation stats
Christianity in its global context report
- Christianity would grow in Africa from 143 million in 1970 to 630 million by 2020
82
# Secularisation
Casanova
Two way defining secularisation
- Decline in religious beliefs and practices among individuals
- Diminution of the significance of religion in society/ on societal structures
- Derivatisation of religion
83
# Secularisation
American politics
- Rely on the religious vote for power
- Many laws remain influenced by religion
84
# Secularisation
Kepel
We cannot understand international policies and events without knowledge of religious teachings and their influence
85
# Pro-secularisation
Wilson
- Secularisation is the result of socialisation
- Churches are no longer focal point of community
- Religious institutions have lost significance and religion is now privatised
86
# Pro-secularisation
Bruce
- Structural differentiation- as society develops different institutions separate, people are less connected
- Socialisation- people are less connected to their local community
- Schisms- religions have split over the years and no denominations has religious authority over a whole society
87
# Pro-secularisation
Marx
Religion would disappear when class conflict ends and society ends and society moves into a communist state
88
# Pro-secularisation
Durkheim (pro- secularisation)
Religion would be replaced with more scientific ways of understanding the world
89
# Pro-secularisation
Weber
Although religion is important for social change it would disappear as society moves into a period of rationalism in which people are guided by rational thinking
90
# Anti- secularisation
Casanova (anti-secularisation)
Religion has been deprivatised
