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Sociology P2- Beliefs > Religious organisations/rise of NAMs & short-lived nature > Flashcards

Religious organisations/rise of NAMs & short-lived nature Flashcards

1
Q

What are 6 Key features of a church?
TROELTSCH/WALLIS

A

1) Bureaucratic & closely linked to the state (power n influence)
2) Conservative
3) Integrate with social and economic structure of society
4) Universalist, open membership (inclusive)
5) Intolerant & hegemonic, monopoly on world truths
6) Make up the Ecclesia of a country -Yinger

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2
Q

What are 6 key features of a sect?
TROELTSCH/WALLIS

A

1- Not bureaucratic & hierarchal, more egalitarian
2- Radical nature- reject dominant norms, have their own
3- Withdrawal, control over members
4- Closed/controlled membership (exclusive)
5- Intolerant, minority, marginalised positions
6- World rejecting, critical
(Stark n Bainbridge argue sects promise members ‘other worldly benefits’ e.g. place in heaven)

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3
Q

What does world rejecting mean according to Wallis?

A

Sects are highly critical of the outside world and demand significant lifestyle changes from their followers
- exercise complete control over them, require high levels of commitment
- aim to create social change and often conflict with the state

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4
Q

What is Ecclesial?

A

Relating to a particular faith/church
YINGER- C of E in England, Hinduism in India

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5
Q

What 6 types of Sects does WILSON identify?

A

1- Conversionist
2- Revolutionist
3- Introversionist
4- Manipulationist
5- Thaumaturgical
6- Reformist

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6
Q

What is a conversionist sect?

A

The world is evil and needs to be saved by converting people to the ‘true path’ e.g. The Nation of Islam

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7
Q

What is a revolutionist sect?

A

Foresee the end of the world or a second coming
- often referred to as ‘Millenarian Movements’ or ‘Adventists’
e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses

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8
Q

What is an Introversionist sect?

A

Withdraw from society, usually form separate societies
e.g. Moonies

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9
Q

What are Manipulationist sects?

A

Offer a set of rituals or teaching for success in life (like cults)
e.g. Kabbalah

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10
Q

What is a Thaumaturgical sect?

A

Offer ‘miracles’ or ‘magic healing’ from magical sources
e.g. astrology

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11
Q

What is a reformist sect?

A

Desire change in society but not necessarily revolutionary
e.g. Quakerism

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12
Q

What are 6 Key features of denominations?
TROELSTCH/WALLIS

A

1- Bureaucratic/division in authority-more democratic, not as strict
2- Generally Conservative, ‘every day morality’
3- Integrate with social & economic structure of society
4- Universalist, open membership (inclusive), conversion, family ties
5- Tolerant of other Ds, ‘one amongst many’
6- World accommodating, ‘get on’ focus on spirituality

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13
Q

Who identified 2 other types of organisation known as denominations and cults, fundamentally different to a Church and a Sect?

A

Niebuhr

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14
Q

What does World accommodating mean?

A

Denominations are often breakway movements from the Church, they do not ‘reject’ the world or try to make it better.
- simply ‘get on’ with the state of the world and focus on spirituality and religion rather than worldly affairs

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15
Q

What are 6 key features of cults?
TROELSTCH/WALLIS

A

1- Loose structure, lack rigid structure
2- Opportunity n Success, emphasise advancement
3- Normal Lives, encourage to integrate, little control over followers
4- Open membership and tolerant, sold as a service
5- Attract HC membership, rarely marginalised
6- World affirming, self improvement

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16
Q

What does World Affirming mean?

A

Cults are similar to self-help therapy groups in that they offer success and improvement through spiritual teachings
- accept the world but also aim to make individuals and therefore the world a better place
Stark and Bainbridge argue that cults promise their members ‘this-worldly benefits’ e.g. good health/economic success

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17
Q

What are the 3 types of cults?

A

1) Audience cults
2) Client cults
3) Cultic movements

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18
Q

What is and audience cult?

A

More individualistic and unorganised, usually sustained through the media e.g. astrology

19
Q

What are client cults?

A

More organised and provide a service to the ‘client’ e.g. clairvoyance and spiritualism

20
Q

What are cultic movements?

A

Almost like sects, offer spiritual and material rewards to followers e.g. scientology

21
Q

Examples of Churches

A

Church of England
Roman catholic
Islam

22
Q

Examples of Sects

A

Jehovah’s witnesses
Salvation army

23
Q

Examples of Denominations

A

Methodist
Baptist

24
Q

Examples of cults

A

People’s temple
Spiritualism

25
Q

What are the 7 explanations as to why NRMs have risen in their appeal?

A

1- Marginality and the Theodicy of Disprivilege
2- Relative deprivation
3- Pragmatic motives
4- Protest
5- Secularisation
6- Social change or disruption
7- Globalisations and The Media
8- Status Fustration

26
Q

1) Marginality and the Theodicy of Disprivilege

A

WEBER- argues that world-rejecting sects tend to appeal to people who are marginalised in society
- sects are based of ToD, offers and explanation for suffering/offer better life/afterlife/divine revolution
- offer integration, support and status which is denied in wider society

27
Q

How is Marginality and the ToD criticised?

A

Barker
- When studying the moonies, found that most members were drawn from ‘happy’, affluent MC backgrounds
Wallis
- Despite Barker’s criticism, he points out most of these MC members were in fact marginalised as they were ‘stop-outs’, drug users and hippies

28
Q

2) Relative Deprivation

A

Stark n Bainbridge disagree with the marginalisation argument in that it confines membership to the poverty-stricken WC
- large numbers of MC Americans have joined NRMs because in a materialistic society, feel relatively deprived compared to others
- spiritually deprived, not materially
- a spiritual void/vacuum
(the greater the material wealth, the more spiritual deprivation an individual feels)

29
Q

3) Pragmatic motives

A

HEELAS- many NRMs appeal to the wealthy and highly educated who use religious organisations as escapes from the pressure for work n family life
- allows to continue to function n be successful
- teach techniques that inspire people to achieve emotionally and materially

30
Q

4) Protest

A

GLOCK N STARK- people join sects as a form of protest against society
- unites people who have suffered/struggle with mainstream society
- symbol of n mechanism of rebellion (Nation of Islam)
- Post-Modern society, disillusioned by consumerist, materialist, liberal nature of PM world

31
Q

5) Social change and disruption
WILSON

A
  • turns to NRMs during times of social upheaval or disruption to the norm, experience uncertainty n insecurity
    NRMs offer certainty, structure, security during these times
    e.g. growth in Methodism during the Industrial Revolution
32
Q

5) Social change and disruption
BELLAH

A

During the 1960s, the Vietnam War, may young Americans joined the Hippy Movement, which went hand in hand with NRMs n NAMs (Link to protest)

33
Q

6) Secularisation
BAUMAN

A

In the PM world, with so many conflicting ideologies n beliefs, people experience a ‘crisis of meaning’
- joins NRMs to retain some control/normality

34
Q

What does Post modernism state which aligns with the secularisation explanation?

A

Traditional structures that define individual identity have broken down
- age, gender, class, ethnicity
- turn to them as a sense of identity

35
Q

7) Globalisation and The Media
BAUDRILLARD

A

The PM world is saturated by the media, people are more aware of new types of NRMs
- religion is becoming ‘fashionable’ with younger generations thanks to celebrity endorsements and profiles

36
Q

8) Status fustration

A

People cannot achieve what they want and can’t meet the societal expectation placed on them

37
Q

Death or Denomination
NIEBUHR

A

Sects are short lived as they will inevitably die out or become a denomination

38
Q

What are the 3 main reasons for sects dying or becoming denominations?

A

1) Less commitment from the 2nd generation
2) Asceticism creates conflict of interests
3) Death of charismatic leader

39
Q

WILSON
Sects to denominations

A

Only conversionist sects are likely to become denominations
- revolutionist sects, argue that to be saved they must distance themselves from the dangerous outside world, never be world-accommodating

40
Q

WILSON
‘Separatist attitude’

A

No Church will recognise these sects as denominations of their own Church
e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses

41
Q

What are the 4 stages Stark and Bainbridge identify which supports the denominations of sects?
THE SECTARIAN CYCLE

A

1) Tension between deprived and privileged members of Church, creates ‘schism’
2) Deprived members break away from the Church and form their own WJ sect (led by CL) further ‘schism’
3) Asceticism, 2nd generation disinterest, death of leader, sect has less fervour n becomes more bureaucratic, denominationalism
4) Establishment of sect as a denomination of the original, wider Church from where it started

42
Q

WALLIS
NRMs rise and fall with changing social circumstances

A

Therefore short-lived, only form as a response to temporary changes in society, Sects are therefore temporary organisations
1960s- more popular, Vietnam war

43
Q

What concept is a challenge to the idea that sects are short-lived?

A

Resacrilisation

44
Q

What are the 5 criticisms of sects as denominations/short-lived nature?

A

1- Numbers n Membership e.g. Jehovah’s witnesses
2- Continuing need for belief, ‘universe of meaning’ ‘religious compensators’
3- Media attention
4- Very influential during times of disruption (even if short-lived)
5- The growth of NAMs

Sociology P2- Beliefs (14 decks)

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