Religious Organisations

Question 1

Church

Answer 1

• run by bureaucratic hierarchy of professional priests
  -large, global organisations often with millions of members
  -broadly accept societys values
• accept society’s goals, accept norms and values

Question 2

Denomination

Answer 2

• some hierarchy of paid officials but less formal than church
• large membership
  -like churches broadly accept societys values, seen as respectable

Question 3

Sect

Answer 3

-often led by charismatic leader
-varies but up to millions
-unlike churches sects are hostile to wider society and seen as deviant
-reject society’s goals and norms and values

Question 4

Cult

Answer 4

-usually led by practitioners or therapists
-small in number
-often seen as deviant
- accept society’s goals
-reject norms and values

Question 5

Word rejected NRMs (sects)

Answer 5

-reject secular world as corrupt and beyond redemption
-either abandon world or attempt to transform it with evangelicalism
-Unification Church- Moonies, reject materialism encourages its members to hand over all assets and imposes an ascetic lifestyle

Question 6

World accommodating NRMs (denominations

Answer 6

• NRMs exist on margins of established churches and denominations
  -response to increasing secularisation of institutional church
  -New evangelical movement made up of fundamentalist born again Christian groups grown rapidly in numbers in recent years

Question 7

World affirming NRMs (cults)

Answer 7

• human beings are seen as having enormous physical, mental and spiritual potential
  -NRMs advertise themselves as an alternative way of achieving economic and social success
  -such groups usually involve some financial investment and their recruits mainly originate in MC