religious organisations Flashcards
what is the church
bureaucratic structures which dominate a society e.g. Roman Catholic Church in Italy
what is denomination
similar to churches but are forms of established religions that exist where no one church dominates e.g. Methodist or Pentecostal
what is a sect
reject values of mainstream society
-demand total commitment from members
- closed to outsiders and have a charismatic leader.
what is a cult
-loose knit groups
-open to all, individualistic and don’t require complete commitment from members. Many have been started as new movements.
what is a church according to TROELTSCH
-millions of members
-include whole of society
-close link to state
what is a sect TROELTSCH
-small ecclusive groups
-hostile to outsiders
-draw attention from poor and oppressed
-expect high lvl commitment
-charismatic leader
-monopoly of religious truth
what is a denomination and how does it differ from a church or sect
-methodism
-lays midway between church and sect
-less exclusive then sect
-dont appeal to widery society
-no link to state
what is a cult
-loose knit small grp
-share some interests
characterstics of leaders of cults
-therpaists who claim special knowledge
how are cults and sects similar
claim their interpretation of faith is the only correct one
how are denominations and cults similar
-accept there can be many valid interpretations
how does wider society see churches and denominations
-see as respectbale and legitmate
how does wider scoiety see sects and cults
-deviant structures
according to BRUCE why do some of the above definitions of relgious organisations not fit todays society (EVAL)
-sects and cults hv flourtished anf religious diversity has became the norm
-churches hv lost their monopoly and reduced status due to secualristaion and globalistion
