SOCI 377 Midterm One Flashcards
What is substantive definitions, and what are the drawbacks of this definition?
Focuses on what religion “is” or its essential nature
For example to define religion as a belief in a spiritual beings
Substantive definitions tend to be too exclusive and they draw a clear line between religious and non religious beliefs e.i. religous definitions must include a belief in god or the supernatural
What is functional definitions and what are drawbacks from this definition?
Focuses on what a religion “does” or how it functions in society
They are often too too inclusive and too many things then become religious
What are examples of “world religions”
Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism
What are examples of the “lesser religions”
Inuit aboriginal beliefs
Define what Ontology is?
is a systematic approach to unraveling the nature of things- for example asking question like what is religion?
a branch of philosophy
What does empiricism mean?
the objectification of things
What is religion of epistemology?
stems from ontology, and deals with relating to the processes involved in knowledge for example: how do we know what we know
Because people have different positions and perspectives of the same thing it becomes harder to define the concept therefor no consensus
What did Andre Droogers say about ontological?
Made a comparison to defining religion to two opposing party seek intervention with a judge, unaware of the fact that one of the two is disguised as a judge
Saying that people may being trying to be objective but they are still influenced by there biases
What is Durkheim perspective on religion in regards to epistemology
Religion is a moral entity the conscience of society that helps to maintain social order
Define Methodology and who is it posited by?
the approach or method that people use to understand and practice there religious beliefs
Peter Clarke sociological methods for providing a cognate definition are still evolving
How does Max Weber define religion in relation to substantive definition?
As a belief in a superior or supernatural power that is above nature and cannot be explained scientifically
What is substantive definition
They are exclusive and they draw clear line between religion and non-religious beliefs
they focus on the contents or the substance of religious beliefs
What is functional definition
Allow a wide range of beliefs and is inclusive can be too inclusive
What are the three things that can be adopted by methodology?
Categorization: clustering people based on there religious view
Religious organization: whether loosely of properly organized we can identify some semblance of structure
Academic patterns
What is the social constructionism approach a fallout from?
Interpretivism meaning that humans are not passive recipients of action but they are aware and also are participants in the events that shape their existence
What is the religion and social self graph
WORLD (world perception, events, self as seen by others) interacts with SELF with contain components that all interact with eachother being (social self, central self, striving) which creates religious self
What is the meaning behind the quote “if men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences” thomas and thomas
That “facts” do not have uniformity their original meaning lies with the interpreters
In regards to ontology, how are elements projected?
elements of religion are projected in symbolic representations
How are religious elements interpreted by the thomas theorem
religious elements are variegated based on divergent social constructions
According to Durkeimian analysis in regards to shared experiences?
it engenders collective consciousness
How did Kenet Granholm described the shared experience
the shared experiences and ritual activities of the group produce and transmit the collective sense of identity and belonging
What can the shared experience build
Shared identity, including religious identity
Define esoteric
unique and subject to debate because not all religions have organized structures like traditional religions
Are meant to be understood by certain group of people whether that is teachings or practices
What do rituals reaffirm
the total commitment of adherents and reinforce their beliefs in the sacredness of the object being worshiped
What are rituals
religious acts, ceremonial practices and customs that are geared towards the worship of the sacred
Define belief
Refers to the strongly held conviction by the people who are adherents to a religion that their object of worship can solve their problems
Are all religions organized?
No
What are the demographic aspects of religion
- Age
o Race
o Gender
o Population
o Immigration
o Nature of work
What are the objectives of religion, give example?
religions are goal oriented, there are needs that need to be met
New Age spiritualities are usually concerned with holistic healing- both collective and individual levels
What is the definition of socialization
the process by which new members of a society learn how to behave in a way that is deemed generally acceptable
How does religion relate to socialization
is an important agent through which people
are either socialized or resocialized (having to relearn or unlearn)
Are all element of religion esoteric
Yes
What are the two categories that the role of religion calls under
- conservation force
- as a force for social change
how is religion a conservation force
That religion serves to reinforce and maintain the social order and serves as a force for stability in the society
Sociologists such as Karl Marx, functionalist theorists, feminist
theorists argue in regards to the conservative force?
argue that religion is importantly traditional and serves to uphold the society’s traditional customs and beliefs particularly in terms of how society should be run
(e.g. gender roles, feminist see religion as a oppressive tool used by men)
How does Emile Durkheim and Bronisław Malinowski see conservative force
religion is used to
reinforce societal norms and values, as well as to encourage social
solidarity
What is Marx view on conservative force
That religion does not have a positive outlook
He argues that religion contributes to maintaining the class structure by discouraging people from making demands that could lead to social change
What is Malinowski view on conservative force
While supporting Marx that religion drives social
solidarity, he argues that religion importantly serves psychological
functions which help people deal with emotional stress that could otherwise threaten social order and stability.
What is Calvinism and what does it mean
Advocates the principle of predestination which is the idea that God has already pre-decided whether one would go to heaven or not, even before the person was born
Did max weber think that religion was a force for social change
Yes, he argued that we could not understand the development of
capitalism without a comprehensive analysis of the Protestant ethic
How is the Arab Spring movement show that religion is a driver for social movement
It saw several religious groups calling for change against undemocratic rule and other social injustices
Define juggernaut
Refers to a metaphorical
huge force or an object with enormous (yet sometimes
destructive) power to crush anything that will hinder its movement or flow.
How does juggernaut relate to religion
religion remains a powerful force that impacts all ramifications of life across times and space
What is the flipside of universality
Diversity, religious diversity gives rooms creativity and innovation
What does diversity breed
Syncretism
Define Syncretism
This process by which religion is adapted appropriated to meet specific needs in a blended manner
Whats a example of syncretism
Christlam (expression of Christianity and Islam in many ways)
What is postmodernism
Is a historical phase characterized by meta-narratives (multiple stories) as against dominant worldviews of preceding eras
What does the optic of postmodernism show?
while it is erroneous to claim that religions across the globe consensually embrace the philosophy of postmodernism, contemporary religious practices fit into
postmodern analytical
framings
What are religious cultural blending triggered by?
-Simulacra
* Othering
* Secularization
* Desacralization and resacrelization
* Humanism
* Transcendence
* Renaissance
What does it mean when idealism ushered in personalization and cosmetic religiosity
People are
now religious consumers rather than being glued or committed to
religions.
What did the cosmetic religiosity lead to
Religious fundamentalism, a form of backlash on perceived decline in religion or religious emptiness
Is religion universal and diverse
Yes
is the religious world pluralistic
Yes, its responding to the increased diversity of need
Define mechanical solidarity
The strong collective consciousness in this
type of solidarity, people commit suicides based o their love for the common
good – altruistic suicide
Define organic solidarity
life is competitive and individualistic or solitary as a result of burgeoning global capitalism. People commit fatalistic or anomic type
of suicide because of the stress in the social system.
Define functionalism
Religion is a distinction between sacred and the profane
In worshiping the totem, individuals are worshiping society
What are the criticism of functionalism
religion cannot socialize us if we do not believe, church attendance is declining many people rather worship privately then as a collective this does not reaffirm group identity
Define Marxism
Religion is an ideological apparatus; an instrument of social control and exploitation
How does religion act as “opium of the people”
A pacifying drug that numbs the pain
What are three points of Marx and Engels functions religion
- Legitimating social inequality
- Disguising the true nature of exploitation
- Keeps the working classes passive and resigned to their fate
What did max Weber believe in
That global capitalism is a product of calvinism
Define Denominations
Are national, with professional clergy and have a lifespan of over a
century. They are seen as a basis of non-conformist views and require stronger commitment
Define Sects
These are small in smaller in size and often have a charismatic leader
Define Jurgen Habermas linguification of the sacred
Norminalization of the sacred through new forms of communicative structure
What are criticisms of Jurgen habermas
Overgeneralization: ignoring multiplicity of public spheres
Secularism: laying too much emphasis on secularism
Explain Pierre Bourdieu: religious habitus
Power is symbolic in how it is used to establish social order - the creation of social realities
Explain Michel Foucault: knowledge and power
The central focus in the work of Foucault is the role of knowledge in power relations
Define the docile body:
through a system of confession, region revives guilts
Explain Peter Berger: dialectics
Its the idea that humans are born unfinished lacking biological programming to survive
Human activity becomes very regular and predictable
What are the three Dialect aspects
Externalization: How thoughts become embodied in the things we make of the world
Objectification
Internalization
Define modernization
The process by which societies are transformed from traditional, rural, and industrial spaces
Define secularization
The process whereby religious thinking, practices and institution lose social significance
Explain how modernity and secularization relate
How social change brings about a decline of religion
Disengagement is a key role of secularization
Define sacralization
the opposite of the secularization, the process of deifying
