religious organisations and movements Flashcards
troletsch features of churches
- large organisation with millions of members
- monopoly of the truth
- beuruchraric hierarcy
- ideologically conservative (attracts higher classes)
- few demands of members
trolesch features of a sect
- exclusive group
- world rejecting
- high level of commitment
- poor members
- led my charismatic leader
- only similarity is monology of truth
criticism of trolesch
questions if his typology still apllies to contemporary society, religious pluarism makes it hard for churches to claim monolpy of truth and due to increasing seccularisation there has been increased disagreement between church and government
what is a denomination
denominations are a halfway house between church and cult - not as world rejecting but still ciricial of state and with mdeium membership
denomination or death
wilson:
sects turn into denomnations by increased beuroracy. if a sect doesnt become a denomiantion it will eventually die out due to death of leader or declining membership
neibuhr; sects rarely last longer than a generation
what are cults
wilson-
- individualised, loosely organised and make few demands on their members
- dont have monopoly of truth
- dont condemn people who aren’t members
wilson categorised them as world affirming NRMs
two types of church
trolesch
- monotheistic
- polytheistic
types of sects
- interventionist
- conversationist
- manipulative
- reformist
- millenarian (believe there is a judgement day)
types of cults
stark and bainbridge
- audience
- client (scientology)
- cultic movement
3 types of new religious movements
wallis:
- categorised NRMs into their view on the world:
- world rejecting
- world accommodating
- world affirming
world-rejecting NRMS
similar to trolsechs sects:
- clearly religious with beleif in god
- highly critical of world and seek change
- members must leave old life (high commitments)
- members living communally with little outside contact
EXAMPLE THE BRANCH DIVIDIANS
example of world rejecting NRM
heavens gate:
- strict commitment with the view that they werent dying but were going to live with aliens on a commet
- seculded from outfite world
- all 39 commited suicide
world affirming NRMs
- offer members access to spirituality
- accept the wrold as it is
- tolerant of other religouns but offer additional spitirual power to help memebrs overcome problems likle unhappiness and illness
example of world affirming NRM
scientology
- 10 million members world wide
- offer a thereputic aspect of rehabilitation
- require less commitmnets
- one of the most organised cults
world accomodating NRMs
- breakawys from exsiting mainstream churches
- neither reject of accept the world
- seek to restore the spirtual purity on mainstream religions
- members live normal lives