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religious organisations Flashcards

1
Q

how do some choose to express their faith?

A

through membership of a religious organisation

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2
Q

what are sociologists interested in?

A

the different types of religious organisation, how they develop and who joins them

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3
Q

CHURCH

A
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4
Q

what is a church?

A

a large, formal religious organisation most associated with Christianity

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5
Q

2 examples of a church

A

the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England

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6
Q

who identified the 5 key features of a church?

A

Troeltsch

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7
Q

when did Troeltsch identify the 5 features of a church?

A

1980

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8
Q

what are the 5 key features of a church?

A
  1. large, formal organisations with a hierarchy of paid officials
  2. automatic recruitment (often born into it)
  3. aim to appeal to all members of society and accepting of wider society
  4. has a close relationship with the state
  5. claims monopoly on religious truth
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9
Q

1 criticism of churches

A

critics argue some of the criteria of a church doesn’t fit today’s reality.

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10
Q

what does Bruce (1996) argue about Troeltsch’s idea of a church as having a religious monopoly?

A

only applies to the Catholic Church before the 16th century Protestant Reformation, when it had religious monopoly over society, symbolised by its cathedrals. since then, sects and cults have flourished, and religious diversity has become the norm

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11
Q

what does this suggest?

A

in today’s society, churches are no longer truly churches in Troeltsch’s sense because they’ve lost their monopoly and been reduced to the status of denominations competing with all the rest

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12
Q

SECT

A
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13
Q

what is a sect?

A

a small religious group, often hostile to the outside world

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14
Q

what may a sect have broken away from?

A

an established religion

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15
Q

what is an example of a sect?

A

the Protestant religion

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16
Q

what may sects represent?

A

an entirely new set of beliefs and practices

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17
Q

who identified 6 key features of a sect in 1980?

A

Troeltsch

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18
Q

what are the 6 key features of a sect?

A
  1. small organisation with no professional hierarchy
  2. headed by a charismatic leader
  3. exclusive membership
  4. no automatic recruitment
  5. requires total commitment of members
  6. opposed to the state and wider society (world rejecting)
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19
Q

what is an example of a sect?

A

The People’s Temple

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20
Q

who was The People’s Temple headed by?

A

Jim Jones

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21
Q

when did he start The People’s Temple?

A

the 60s

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22
Q

what was the Temple started as?

A

an integral and inclusive church

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23
Q

where did they move?

A

Jonestown in Guyana

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24
Q

how many people died in the massacre?

A

909

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25
Q

one weakness of sects

A

many sects are often incorrectly labelled as deviant by western media. for example, they focus their attention and report on sects e.g., The People’s Temple which are seen as dangerous and hostile organisations

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26
Q

what does this suggest?

A

it isn’t representative of all sects. as such can’t be generalised

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27
Q

DENOMINATION

A
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28
Q

what is a denomination?

A

a smaller, formal religious organisation or group that accepts and is accepted by wider society and doesn’t have any formal connection with the state

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29
Q

what do they share some similarities with?

A

churches and sects

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30
Q

3 examples of denominations

A

Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostalists

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31
Q

who identified 4 key features of denominations in 1929?

A

Neibuhr

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32
Q

4 key features of denominations?

A
  1. no claim to a monopoly on religious truth
  2. accept religious diversity
  3. no close relationship withthe state
  4. may not fully accept wider society
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33
Q

1 weakness of denomintions

A

it is difficult to measure membership of denominations. for example, some members can believe without attending services and it is unclear when the attendance counts take place and by whom

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34
Q

what does this suggest?

A

the statistics religious organisations lack validity as they’re open to bias

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35
Q

CULT

A
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36
Q

what is a cult?

A

a spiritual association that emphasises individualism

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37
Q

what are they often viewed synonymous with?

A

a sect

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38
Q

who identified 6 key features of a cult in 1985?

A

Wallis

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39
Q

what are 6 key features of a cult?

A
  1. minimal organisational structure
  2. limited formal contact with members
  3. no control over members’ lives
  4. no claim to monopoly of religious truth
  5. world affirming in stance
  6. tend to be short-lived
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40
Q

what are 3 types of cults identified by Stark and Bainbridge in 1985?

A
  1. audience cults
  2. client cults
  3. cult movements
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41
Q

what are audience cults?

A

highly indivudualistic, require a low level of commitment and participation, and tend to attract those interested in a range of new mystical ideas to commit to one single group e.g., Astrology

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42
Q

what are client cults?

A

use products e.g., books, to establish contact with cult members. aimed at helping the individual to access their ‘power within’ to achieve personal goals. focus on wealth and status. offer short, courses that teach healing or meditation techniques

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43
Q

what are cult movements?

A

a more organised form of client cults, which offer members opportunities for regular meetings

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44
Q

1 strength of cults

A

the idea of cults support the postmodern view of religion. for example, according to this theory, individuals can pick and choose what to believe and ‘pick and mix’ from a variety of religions or belief systems

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45
Q

what does this suggest?

A

the classification of ‘cults’ complements wider society

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46
Q

NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS (NRMS)

A
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47
Q

what are the 3 types of NRMs

A
  1. world-rejecting NRMS
  2. world-accomodating NRMS
  3. world-affirming NRMS
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48
Q

what are world-rejecting NRMS similar to?

A

Troeltsch’s sects e.g., The Manson Family

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49
Q

what do world-rejecting NRMS vary in?

A

size, from a handful of members to hundres of thousands

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50
Q

5 characteristics of world-rejecting NRMS

A
  1. critical of the outside world, they tend to withdraw from it and adopt a communal lifestyle
  2. require a high level of commitment and have strictrules concerning membership
  3. only source of salvation
  4. vary in size, most are small local groups, but a few are international
  5. often politically radical but morally conservative
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51
Q

what are world-accomodating NRMS

A

breakaways from existing mainstream churhces or denominations e.g., neo-Pentecostalists who split from Catholicism

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52
Q

what do world-accomodating NRMS focus on?

A

religious rather than worldy matters

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53
Q

what do world-accomodating NRMS seek to restore?

A

the spirital purity of religion

54
Q

what kind of lives do they lead?

A

conventional lives

55
Q

what do world-affirming NRMS differ from?

A

all other religious groups

56
Q

what do world-affirming NRMS offer their followers?

A

access to spiritual or supernatural powers

57
Q

2 features of world-affirming NRMS

A
  1. they accept the world as it is and are optimistic and promise followers success in terms of mainstream goals and values
  2. they are non-exclusive and tolerant of other religions
58
Q

what are most world-affirming NRMS?

A

cults

59
Q

what are world-affirming NRMS members called?

A

customers

60
Q

how do you enter a world-affirming NRM?

A

through training

61
Q

what is an example of an organisation that combines elements of all three types?

A

the Healthy Happy Holy Organisation (3HO)

62
Q

3 ways 3HO is world-affirming

A
  • it employs techniques that is claimed will bring personal benefits, such as happiness and good health
    2. it hopes its teachings will have spin-offs for the outside world
    3. not exclusive and members lead conventional lives
63
Q

1 way 3HO is world-accomodating

A

it’s an offspring of an existing established religion

64
Q

4 ways 3HO is world-rejecting

A
  1. requires a high level of commitment
  2. the organisation has a clear concept of God
  3. members dress unconventionally e.g., white clothes, turbans
  4. they live in communes and there are some restrictions on behaviour e.g., vegetarianism, no alcohol
65
Q

what do Wallis’ critics claim about his way of classifying NRMS?

A

his categories are difficult to apply e.g., it’s not clear whether he is categorising them according to the movement’s teaching or individual members’ beliefs

66
Q

what does Beckford (1985) argue about Wallis’ typologies?

A

while a typology may be usefu, Wallis pays insufficient attention to the diversity of view that exist within a NRM

67
Q

what do Stark and Bainbridge (1986) argue about Wallis’ typologies?

A

they reject the idea of constructing typologies, claiming that religious organisations should be distinguised in terms of the degree of conflict between religious groups and wider society

68
Q

what were the 2 types of organisations in conflict with wider society they identified?

A

sect and cults

69
Q

what do sects result from?

A

schisms

70
Q

what is a schism

A

splits in existing organisations

71
Q

why do sects break away from churches?

A

because of disagreements about doctrine

72
Q

what do sects promise to those who suffer economic or ethical deprivation?

A

‘other-worldly’ benefits e.g., a place in heaven

73
Q

what do cults tend to offer to prosperous individuals who are suffering psychic and organismic deprivation?

A

‘this-worldly’ benefits e.g., good health

74
Q

THE GROWTH AND APPEAL OF RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS

A
75
Q

what do most explanations of NRMS suggest they developed as a response to?

A

uncertainty and major social change

76
Q

what can these circumstances lead to?

A

social dislocation i.e. a feeling of being uprooted, and to anomie

77
Q

what are 3 main explanations for the growth of NRMS sociologists offered?

A
  1. marginality
  2. relative depriation
  3. social change
78
Q

what does Troeltsch state about sects?

A

sects tend to draw their members from the poor and oppressed

79
Q

what does Weber claim about sects?

A

sects tend to arise in groups who are marginal to society

80
Q

what do the groups who are marginalised feel like they are?

A

disprivileged

81
Q

what does it mean to be disprivileged?

A

they are not receiving their just economic rewards or social status

82
Q

how do sects offer a solution to this according to Weber?

A

by offering members a ‘theodicy of disprivilege’

83
Q

what is a ‘theodicy of disprivilege’?

A

a religious explanation and justification for their suffering and disadvantage

84
Q

what is an example of a sect that has recruited from the marginalised poor?

A

the Nation of Islam recruited successfully among disadvantaged black people in the USA

85
Q

what groups have sect-like world-rejecting NRMs recruited from since the 1960s?

A

more affluent groups of often well-educated young, middle-class whites

86
Q

what is relative deprivation?

A

the subjecitve sense of being deprived

87
Q

in what way may m/c people feel deprived?

A

spiritaully

88
Q

how may they perceive today’s materialistic, consumerist world?

A

impersonal and lacking in moral value, emotional warmth or authenticity

89
Q

why may they turn to sects?

A

for a sense of community

90
Q

who do Stark and Bainbridge argue break away from churches to form sects?

A

the relatively deprived

91
Q

when do deprived members break away to form sects?

A

when m/c members of a church seek to compromise its beliefs to fit into a society

92
Q

why may deprived members break away to form sects?

A

to safeguard the original message of the organisation

93
Q

what do they claim world-rejecting sects offer deprived groups?

A

the compensators they need for the rewards they are denied in this word

94
Q

how is anomie produced according to Wilson (1970)

A

periods of rapid change disrupt and undermine established normd and values

95
Q

what might people do in reponse to the uncertainty and insecurity this creates?

A

those most affected may turn to sects as a solution

96
Q

what does Bruce see the growth of sects and cults as a response to?

A

the social changes involved in modernisation and secularisation

97
Q

why does Bruce claim people are less attached to the traditional churches and strict sects?

A

they demand too much commitment

98
Q

why do they prefer cults?

A

because they are less demanding and require fewer sacrifices

99
Q

what does Wallis claim that social changes from the 1960s has impacted on?

A

young people, including the increased time spent in education

100
Q

what has this provided for them?

A

freedom from adult responsibilities and enabled a counter-culture to develop

101
Q

what has the growth of radical political movements offered?

A

alternative ideas about the future

102
Q

why were world-rejecting NRMS attractive to people in this context?

A

they offered young people a more idealistic way of life

103
Q

what does Bruce claims led to disillusioned youth turning to religion?

A

the failure of the counter-culture to change the world

104
Q

what does Bruce claim the growth of world-affirming NRMS is a response to?

A

modernity, especially to the rationalisation of work, which no longer provides meaning or a source of identity

105
Q

what do world-affirmingg NRMS provide?

A

a sense of identity and techniques that promise success in this world

106
Q

what else has grown since the 1970s?

A

‘middle-ground- movements

107
Q

what did middle-ground movements attract?

A

former members of world-rejecting NRMS

108
Q

why do middle-ground movements attract these people?

A

becuse they provide a halfway house back to a more conventional lifestyle

109
Q

THE GROWTH OF THE NEW AGE

A
110
Q

what does new age mean?

A

a range of beliefs and activities that have been widespread since the 1980s

111
Q

what do new age religions include?

A

diversity, being eclectic, belief in UFOs, aliens, astrology, tarot, crystals, alternative medicine and psychotherapy

112
Q

what does eclectic mean?

A

putting unconnected ideas together in new combinations

113
Q

who identified 5 features of New Age religions?

A

Bruce (2002)

114
Q

what are the 5 features of New Age religions?

A
  1. emphasis on self
  2. everything is connected
  3. self is the final authority
  4. global cafeteria
  5. therapy
115
Q

what does emphasis on the self mean?

A

NAMS aim to strip away the negative residue caused by the environment and circumstances, to free the real world and true self

116
Q

what does everything is connected mean?

A

NAMS see the self, the environment and supernatural world as part of a greater whole (holistic)

117
Q

what does self is the final authority mean?

A

NAMS don’t impose absolute truths on communities. they give status to each person and value whatever works for each person

118
Q

what does global cafeteria mean?

A

the new-age stresses the right of the consumer or ‘spiritual shopper’ to believe what they want to believe.

119
Q

what does therapy mean?

A

the rivals and ideas of NAMS are deliberately therapeutic and are intended to make people more successful, healthier and happer

120
Q

who identified 2 characteristics of the New Age?

A

Heelas (1996)

121
Q

what are the 2 characteristics Heelas identified?

A
  1. self- spirituality
  2. detraditionalisation
122
Q

what is self-spirituality?

A

new agers look inside themselves to find the spiritual

123
Q

what is detraditionalisation?

A

the new age values personal experience and believes that we can discover the truth for ourselves and within ourselves

124
Q

what does Drane (1999) claim the New Age appeal is part of a shift towards?

A

postmodern society

125
Q

why are people turning to the New Age idea that each of us can find the truth for ourselves by looking within?

A

people have lost faith in ‘experts’ and ‘professionals’ e.g., scientists because science has resulted in war, genocides, global warming

126
Q

what does Brice (1995) argue the growth of the New Age is a feature of?

A

the latest phase of modern society, not postmodernity

127
Q

what does Bruce say is typical of religion in late modern society?

A

‘pick and mix spiritual shopping’

128
Q

4 ways Heelas (1996) says the New Age and modernity is linked

A
  1. source of identity
  2. consumer culture
  3. rapid social change
  4. decline of organised religion
129
Q

what is source of identity?

A

individuals have many different roles in modern society but there’s little overlap between them, resulting in a fragmented identity. new age beliefs offer a source of ‘authentic’ identity

130
Q

what is consumer culture?

A

creates dissatisfaction because it never delivers the perfection it promises. the new age offers an alternative way to achieve perfection

131
Q

what is rapid social change?

A

modern society disrupts established norms and values, resulting in anomie. the new age provides a sense of certainty and truth in the same way as sects

132
Q

what is the decline of organised religion?

A

modernity leads to secularisation, thereby removing the traditional alternatives to new age beliefs

beliefs (2 decks)

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