religous organisations, religious and spiritual beliefs and practices Flashcards
ideal types
In order to discuss religious organisations, they need to be put into groups or categories. Weber called these ‘ideal types’
ideal types in the past
In the past, it was easier to place religions into ‘ideal types’ as there were fewer types of religion: church, denomination, cult and sect.
ideal types today
Today there are many different types of religious and spiritual organisations, and therefore sociologists have had to come up with new ‘typologies’ or sets of categories to discuss these new types of religious and spiritual organisations and practices
traditional typology
The first typology was created after Weber, Troeltsch and Niebuhr identified the four ideal types.
Church, denomination, sect and cult.
weber on traditional typology
identified churches
troeltsch on traditional typology
went on to describe the difference between ‘sects’ and ‘churches’, because he saw that churches and sects were very different organisations, then developed this further to identify ‘mysticism’ which Bruce later acknowledged as cults.
niebhur on denominations
Denominations were introduced by Niebuhr in 1925 – sometimes thought to be a type in between a church and a sect
new religious movements
Developed by Wallis (1984) to understand the developments of many NEW religions which emerged in Britain in the mid to late 20th century, usually derived from existing world religions.
Wallis recognised that there had been a development of religious organisations which did not fit neatly into the ideal types found in the traditional typology. He argued that instead of looking at all the characteristics of these movements, the most important one to focus on was their world view (how they saw the world). This made it easier to categorise religious organisations into three types
world affirming
hostile to the outside world
world accommodating
accepting/ tolerant to the wider society
world rejecting
wider world is irrelevant only intreated in self fulfilment
new age movements
Developed by Bruce (1995) to study the new age movements which emerged in the late 20th century. This typology classifies NAMs on the basis of their impact on/meaning for individuals and the self. NAMs focus on NEW AGE beliefs, personal development and fulfilment. The result was a NEW typology of cults (religious or otherwise)
new psychology/ spirituality
body/mind/spirit
new ecology
concerns with the environment and earth
new science
oppose traditional science
church as a traditional type
Clear structure and hierarchy · Large membership · Strongly linked to the state · Mostly attracting middle class members but open to everyone and inclusive · Positive and tolerant attitude to wider society · Claim the monopoly of the truth
cult as an ideal type
Less structured, loose knit, no hierarchy or organisation · Smaller membership than churches · No links to the state · Still mostly attracting middle class members (cost) · Very tolerant of wider society and other religions – people can be part of a cult and have other beliefs · Focus on self-fulfilment and success
denomination as an ideal type
Something in between a sect and a church · Usually an off-shoot of a traditional church, less bureaucratic and less organised, anyone can preach within a denomination · No links to the state · Some level of commitment required e.g. restrictions on things like alcohol · Focused more in spirituality and religious experiences than the real world and society – not overly positive or negative about society · Tolerant of other religions, no monopoly of the truth claimed · Appeals to those who feel disillusioned with mainstream churches
sect as a ideal type
Everyone is equal, no real organisation but one single charismatic leader · Requires a strong commitment, sometimes donating a percentage of wages or withdrawing from society completely · Hostile towards other religions and claim monopoly of the truth · Hostile towards wider society and don’t accept mainstream values · Often appeal to relatively deprived or marginalised groups, OR successful and affluent groups who feel there is ‘something missing’
