The Organisations of Religion

Question 1

What are the four types of religious organisations?

Answer 1

Church

Sect

Denomination

Cult

Question 2

What is membership like for each religious organisation?

Answer 2

Church - large scale, inclusive, open to all

Sect - small scale, exclusive

Denomination - open to all

Cult - open to all, no formal membership

Question 3

What is the organisation of each religious organisation like?

Answer 3

Church - complex, formal hierarchy of professional clergy

Sect - informal, rely on charismatic leader
e.g. Jim Jones of the People’s Temple

Denomination - formal hierarchy of professional clergy

Cult - very little

Question 4

What is worship and ritual like for each religious organisation?

Answer 4

Church - formal and restrained

Sect - informal, emotional and spontaneous

Denomination - relatively formal and restrained

Cult - very informal, focus on what works for the individual

Question 5

What is sense of legitimacy like for each religious organisation?

Answer 5

Church - monopoly of truth

Sect - monopoly of truth

Denomination - no monopoly of truth

Cult - no monopoly of truth

Question 6

What is their relationship with wider society like with each religious organisation?

Answer 6

Church - closely linked to the state, accept norms and values

Sect - highly critical (sometimes hostile) to wider society, members encouraged to distance themselves from non-members

Denomination - accept norms and values but are separate to the state

Cult - accept norms and values

Question 7

What is involvement and commitment like for each religious organisation?

Answer 7

Church - low

Sect - very high standards and levels of commitment

Denomination - low, some may restrict things such as gambling or alcohol

Cult - very low

Question 8

What are the followers like of each religious organisation?

Answer 8

Church - predominantly middle class

Sect - predominately working class, often ethnic minority

Denomination - both middle class and working class

Cult - tend to be middle class

Question 9

What is an example of each religious organisation?

Answer 9

Church - Church of England, Catholicism

Sect - People’s Temple

Denomination - Baptist, Methodist, United Reformed, Quakers, Salvation Army

Cult - Scientology

Question 10

What are the three types of new religious movements (NRMS)?

Answer 10

World affirming (NRMS)

World accommodating (NRMS)

World rejecting (NRMS)

Question 11

What are the characteristics of new age movements?

Answer 11

Focus on the individual; no membership

Spirituality rather than religion; personal experience to discover own truths

Business-like: consultant and client

Appeal particularly to middle class, middle-aged women

No monopoly of truth

Question 12

What are examples of new age movements?

Answer 12

Crystal healing

Guided visualisation

Tarot

Astrology

Yoga

Question 13

Why does sociologist Bruce argue NAMs shouldn’t be considered religions?

Answer 13

Bruce argues that NAMs are leisure activities, not religious or spiritual practices

e.g. many people do yoga for better flexibility and postures, not for spiritual reasons

Question 14

What are meta-narratives?

Answer 14

Grand single explanations for events

e.g. Christianity

Question 15

Why do sects tend to be short-lived?

Answer 15

The sect dies out

The sect becomes a denomination

Question 16

Why may a sect die out?

Answer 16

The charismatic leader dies and there is no one with the same God-given talents to lead the sect. As a result the sect may just die out, or a new more formal leadership takes over becoming a denomination

The second generation of sect followers are less committed than the first; again, the sect with either die out or become a denomination

Members lives improve meaning they have less reason to be critical of society and they leave the sect

Question 17

Who do sects and world-rejecting NRMs particularly appeal to?

Answer 17

People from working class or ethnic minority groups

Question 18

What might sects and world-rejecting NRMs be in response to?

Answer 18

Social marginalisation

Relative deprivation

Rapid social change

Protest

Question 19

Why might sects and world-rejecting NRMs be in response to social marginalisation?

Answer 19

People who are marginalised are cut off from the rest of society

e.g. through poverty, homelessness, racism etc.

A sect offers help with a theodicy of disprivilege which is:

• an explanation for their suffering
• a promise that life will improve in the future

Question 20

Why might sects and world-rejecting NRMs be in response to relative deprivation?

Answer 20

Relative deprivation refers to a sense of lacking something in comparison to others

• e.g. lack of status, respect, spirituality etc.

A sect can help with this. It demands a strict code of conduct, self-discipline and commitment from its members

If members follow this they will gain status and respect within the sect

Question 21

Why might sects and world-rejecting NRMs be in response to rapid social change?

Answer 21

Sects may appear during times of rapid social change

This can be caused by natural disasters or man-made events

This rapid social change can lead to a sense of anomie, where societies norms that usually shape our behaviour have broken down

Sects can help because they provide clear and strict norms of behaviour during a time of normlessness. The sect also offers the promise things will improve, giving followers hope for the future

Question 22

Why might sects and world-rejecting NRMs be in response to protest?

Answer 22

Glock and Stark argue sects and world-rejecting NRMs may be used as a means of social protest by people critical of society

They join a religious organisation that shares these criticisms

• e.g. black muslims (Nation of Islam)

Furthermore, in the USA in the 1960s young people tried to use political protest to transform society. They failed, so turned to sects/world-rejecting NRMs to provide supernatural means for change

Question 23

What are three reasons for the appeal of world-affirming NRMs, cults and NAMs?

Answer 23

To get a happier, healthier and more successful life

To re-gain spirituality

Individual choice

Question 24

Why might world-affirming NRMs, cults and NAMs offering a happier, healthier and more successful life appeal to people?

Answer 24

NAMs offer the MC techniques and services to improve their lives

e.g. fulfilling personal relationships, promotions at work

MC women make up majority of NAMs and cults - may be due to women feeling more pressure than men to improve themselves

Question 25

Why might world-affirming NRMs, cults and NAMs offering an opportunity to regain spirituality appeal to people?

Answer 25

Many MC experience feelings of relative deprivation - feeling their lives lack spirituality

Look to NAMs and cults to make their lives more meaningful

e.g. Transcendental Meditation (TM) offers the MC techniques to reconnect with their ‘inner selves’

Question 26

Why might world-affirming NRMs, cults and NAMs offering individual choice appeal to people?

Answer 26

Postmodernists argue NAMs and world-affirming NRMs offer a new source of identity

Individuals are now ‘spiritual shoppers’ and ‘pick n mix’ different beliefs according to their own personal tastes and identities

Question 27

Why might religious fundamentalists organisations appeal to followers?

Answer 27

To end westernisation

A protest against modernity

To remove liberal values

Offer direction and certainty in a modern society