religious organisations

Question 1

categories of religious organisations

Answer 1

• churches
• sects
• denominations
• cults

Question 2

Troeltsch - characteristics of religious organisations

Answer 2

first sociologist to distinguish differences between organisations, and saw the characteristics of churches and sects as being polar opposites in some ways
- only in context to Christianity originally

Question 3

churches - membership

Answer 3

open to all and easy to obtain, usually members are born into it but some rituals signify membership, such as Baptisms

Question 4

churches - organisation

Answer 4

complex formal hierarchy with professional clergy

Question 5

churches - worship and ritual

Answer 5

worship tends to be very restrained and there tends to be many fixed rituals to a service

Question 6

churches - sense of legitimacy

Answer 6

claim to have a monopoly on the truth

Question 7

churches - relationship to wider society

Answer 7

tend to accept and respond to the norms of wider society and in the past had strong links to the state

Question 8

churches - involvement and commitment

Answer 8

encourages commitment but even at low levels still regarded a member

Question 9

churches - examples

Answer 9

• Church of England
• Roman Catholic Church

Question 10

sects - membership

Answer 10

exclusive, not a birthright, via knowledge of doctrine, a conversion experience or recommendation from existing members

Question 11

sects - organisation

Answer 11

lack of professional clergy, often dependent on a charismatic leader or lay preachers

Question 12

sects - worship and ritual

Answer 12

often no rituals but spontaneous, expressive and emotional worship

Question 13

sects - sense of legitimacy

Answer 13

claim a monopoly on the truth and often highly critical of other religions

Question 14

sects - relationship to wider society

Answer 14

usually highly critical of outside world, contact with it may be limited to recruiting new members, non-believers will not be saved, considered deviant and may have millenarian beliefs (predict the end of the world)

Question 15

sects - involvement and commitment

Answer 15

high levels of commitment and devotion required, may be punished or expelled if fail to meet standards

Question 16

sects - examples

Answer 16

• People’s Temple
• Jehovah Witness

Question 17

denominations - membership

Answer 17

open to all and no test of membership but it is not universal

Question 18

denominations - organisation

Answer 18

may have a professional clergy but much less hierarchy and complex than churches and have active roles for lay people

Question 19

denominations - worship and ritual

Answer 19

relatively formal, less ritualistic than a church and less spontaneity than a sect

Question 20

denominations - relationship to wider society

Answer 20

not as strongly attached to the state but don’t really reject wider society so often have representatives on national occasions, not considered deviant

Question 21

denominations - sense of legitimacy

Answer 21

do not claim a monopoly on the truth and are more tolerant of other religions, often unhappy with an aspect of a church or are a sect that has cooled

Question 22

denominations - involvement and commitment

Answer 22

no demand for commitment or attendance to a place of worship which may reflect the ethic of individuals interpreting religion for themselves

Question 23

denominations - examples

Answer 23

• Methodism
• Pentecostalism

Question 24

cults - membership

Answer 24

open to all but tend to have few members

Question 25

cults - organisation

Answer 25

may have a leader, but organisation is often loose and hierarchal

Question 26

cults - sense of legitimacy

Answer 26

don’t claim to have a monopoly on the truth, not critical of other groups as they are just one path to many truths, tend to emphasise internal power rather than an external god

Question 27

cults - relationship to wider world

Answer 27

simply part of the wider world and activity is part time, although some are considered deviant

Question 28

cults - involvement and commitment

Answer 28

no demand for any commitment and people drift in and out, sense that you should be open to new experiences

Question 29

cults - examples

Answer 29

• Scientology
• Raelians

Question 30

strengths of religious organisations theory

Answer 30

• starting point when approaching research

Question 31

weaknesses of religious organisations theory

Answer 31

• overgeneralised to Christianity
• organisations may drift between (Bruce - CofE more like denomination now)
• stigma towards cults and sects

Question 32

Wallis - 3 classifications of NRMs

Answer 32

• world rejecting NRMs (sects)
• world accommodating NRMs (denominations)
• world affirming NRMs (cults)

Question 33

characteristics of world accommodating NRMs (Wallis)

Answer 33

• accepts norms and values of mainstream society
• usually offshoot of existing religion (Pentecostalism is an offshoot of Protestantism)
• usually dissatisfied with some element of traditional religion
• may be unhappy with unspiritual nature of society or traditional religion
• offers spiritual experiences lost in traditional religions (Pentecostalism worshippers speaking in tongues etc)

Question 34

characteristics of world rejecting NRMs (Willis)

Answer 34

• highly critical of outside world
• may have charismatic leader
• members may have to break contact from conventional life
• normally radical and considered deviant
• nearly all exist around some kind of communal lifestyle
• often claim a monopoly on the truth
• hold millennial beliefs
• high levels of commitment mean high member turnover

Question 35

characteristics of world affirming NRMs (Willis)

Answer 35

• not critical of outside world but can help clients achieve success in mainstream ways (offering techniques to unlock spiritual powers etc)
• non-exclusive and tolerant of other religions
• many appear more like businesses than religious at all
• do not demand much commitment

Question 36

criticisms of Wallis’ classification system

Answer 36

• many argue NRMs are not new
• arguments the old classifications of sects and cults are fine
• Stark and Bainbridge totally reject typologies due to confusion and that many are a mix of aspects

Question 37

Heelas - 2 key features of NAMs

Answer 37

self spirituality and detraditionalisation, meaning individuals dip into what ever beliefs they fancy and spirituality is coming from self discovery rather than external agencies (sacred texts/clergy)

Question 38

NAMs - membership

Answer 38

no concept of membership, focused on followers’ quest for spiritual experience

Question 39

NAMs - organisation

Answer 39

usually no organisation, might be networks of like minded individuals online and in workshops

Question 40

NAMs - worship and ritual

Answer 40

may be odd ritual depending on activity but worship is unlikely

Question 41

NAMs - sense of legitimacy

Answer 41

don’t claim a monopoly on the truth, may be critical of other groups, theirs is just one path to the truth

Question 42

NAMs - relationship to wider world

Answer 42

live in mainstream world, may be dissatisfied with some spiritual aspect or may be active in green campaigns for example

Question 43

NAMs - involvement and commitment

Answer 43

no demand for any commitment and people drift in and out and dabble as consumers

Question 44

NAMs - examples

Answer 44

• astral projection
• reflexology
• crystals
• tarot reading

Question 45

strengths of NAMs

Answer 45

• useful in explaining spiritual experiences many in the western world take part in

Question 46

weaknesses of NAMs

Answer 46

• not religions based on typifications (Sutcliffe)
• not new as based on practices of non-western religions (Sutcliffe)