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
exampled of a world accomodating NRM
neo-pentecolsatists
believe that other Christian religions have lost the holy spirit
criticism of wallis typology of NRMS
wallis himself recognises that real NRMS rarely fit his typology and soem NRMS such as 3HO may have features of all three types
stark and bainbridge reject the idea of constucting such typlogies aktogether instead desingusih between the degree of conflict between religous groupand society
stark and bainbridge on the difference between cults and sects
sects are a result of a schism in the sectarian cycle from a church due to disagreements over doctrine
cults are new religous such as scientology
stark and bainbridge types of cults
- audience cults are least organised with little commitment
- client cults are those based on the relationship between consultant and client offering services (scientology)
- cultic movements which have the highest organisation and behand a high level of commitment
webers view on why people join sects
- sects arise when people are marginalised in society
- sects offer a soloution to this problem or a ‘theology of disprivillege’; a religious explaination or justification for their suffering
since 1960s more middle class people have been joining NRMS however they arguably are still marginalised because most woul dbehippies outcasts or drug addicts before joinig the group
drane on why NRMS have grown
result of apparent failure of science s a beleif system not prividing asnwers that people needed so are turning back to religion
relative deprivation as to why NRMS have icreased
barker- middle classes and young more likley to join NRM as it provides an alternative family and helps people who are laking meaning in their life
relative depirvation is subjectice which explains why the middle classes and working classes both feel deprived
stark and bainbridge argue that middle classes join wold accepting chrches
and wokring clases need compensation and so going world rejecting ones
postmodern explaination for the growth of NRMs
herveiu leger
religious pluralism has led to people spiritual shopping and therefore a de-traditionalisation of religion
berger- plausability strucutre due to mant religions impossible to fidn oen universal truth so choose one that fits indivudal lifestyle
what is a new age movement
a range of beleifs and activies that have been widespread since 1980s
many are loosley organsied audience cults
incliding beleifs in tarot, astology, crystals, yoga and meditation
heelas on the themes that new age movements are characterised by
two common themes characterising the new age:
- self spirituality: new agers seek spirtuality that they cant fidn in traditinal churches
- detraditionalisation:
- new age rejects the spiritual authorutiy of external traditonal sources such as sacred texts but instead values personal experince that we can uncome the turh within outselves
why new age movements have become so popular (postmodernity)
- drane argues its appeal is due to a loss of metta-narritives by science not giving us answers. to war genocide and global wrming
people asa reults have lost faith in experts and professionals such as docots and therfore turn to new age ideas for answers
heelas’s 4 reaosns why modernity has influence an increase in NAMs
- rapid social change
- source of identity
- consumer culture
- decline of organised religion
