unit 3 - religious typologies

Question 1

7 features of churches

Answer 1

• higher power
• Holy Scripture
• Belief that they have the only truth
• Open membership
• Structured hierarchy
• World accommodating
• Regular place of worship to meet for regular communal worship

Question 2

examples of churches

Answer 2

Islam

Christianity

Question 3

5 features of sects

Answer 3

Mostly formed by a schism in a mainstream religion 
Exclusive membership
Total commitment
World rejecting
Lead by a powerful charismatic leader

Question 4

examples of sects

Answer 4

Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple

Strong City

Question 5

6 features of cults

Answer 5

Focus is on individual experience and self improvement 
No higher power
Lead by teachers 
Business like structure 
Low commitment 
Totally open membership

Question 6

examples of cults

Answer 6

crystal healing

transcendental meditation

Question 7

7 features of denomination

Answer 7

Becker: A sect that has ‘cooled down’ and is no longer a protest group
Neiebuhr: long surviving sects become denominations because when the leader dies it must become more bureaucratic and organised
Scripture
Higher power
Open membership
World accomodating
Becoming gradually less deviant and evolve into an ‘offshoot’ of a mainstream religion

Question 8

examples of denominations

Answer 8

Mormons
Moonies
Hare Krishna

Question 9

types of religious organisations

Answer 9

Churches
Denominations
Cults
Sects

Question 10

Who created typologies for cults?

what are these typologies?

Answer 10

Stark and Bainbridge
Audience cults - lowest commitment, may never meet other member i.e. buying a crystal
Client cults - Requires an instructive i.e. Yoga
Cultic Movements - Most committed type of cult i.e. Scientology

Question 11

Who created typologies for New Religious Movements?

What are the typologies?

Answer 11

Wallis
World accommodating
World affirming
World rejecting

Question 12

World accommodating

Answer 12

Wallis - Most like denominations, they are branches of churches and denominations. They aim to restore spiritual purity. People in world accommodating organisations tend to live among mainstream society. i.e. The Moonies

Question 13

World affirming

Answer 13

Wallis - Belief systems tend not to be central to the religion. They aim to provide access to spiritual/supernatural powers to followers. Tolerative of the existence of other religions and are non-exclusive.

Question 14

World rejecting

Answer 14

Wallis - Most like a sect, tend to be based around a definite concept of God. Often are radical meaning they criticise the outside world and are fairly isolated. Commonly they are communal and control every aspect of the members’ lives.

Question 15

NRM

Answer 15

(Any new religious movements since the 1960’s/70’s)
It is difficult to measure membership/affiliation to these organisations.
-Many have a large number of followers who are not formally registered.
-Some groups have disbanded but still have devotees.

Question 16

Bruce

Answer 16

In 15th century Europe there was one dominant church and idea of God. The Reformation in the 16th and 17th centuries saw the growth in religious freedom and diversity.
Industrialisation arose with complete belief systems, including scientific ones thus resulting in more diverse religious belief and practice.
Today belief is more a matter of personal choice.

Question 17

evaluating Wallis’ typologies

Answer 17

Difficult to apply: does he categorise according to movements teachings or members’ beliefs.
Insufficient attention to diversity within religious movements. Some religions have features of all three.
Stark and Bainbridge: More useful to distinguish between religious organisations depending on how much conflict or tension there is between the religious group and wider society.

Question 18

New Age movements (3 points)

Answer 18

More niche than NRMs
Do not tend to involve God but spiritual activities (spiritual rather than religious)
Often focus on the individual and are therapeutic

Question 19

Stark, Bainbridge and Bruce

Answer 19

NAMs can be divided into one of three forms; audience cults, client cults and cultic movements

Question 20

Strong City

Answer 20

Type of religion: Sect
Wallis Typology: World rejecting
Key Features: Charismatic leader, communal living, high commitment.
Members: Left seventh day adventists, mostly women and their children.
Reason for Joining: Desire for commitment to their faith. Children born in to it.

Question 21

Scientology

Answer 21

Type of religion: Cultic movement/sect
Wallis Typology: World affirming
Key Features: Harrassment of those opposing the religion, business like, no belief in higher power, self improvement.
Members: Wealthy people, vulnerable people i.e. drug addicts.
Reason for Joining: self improvement.

Question 22

Transcendental meditation

Answer 22

Type of religion: Cult
Wallis Typology: World affirming
Key Features: no higher power, low variable commitment, business like structure, inclusive.
Members: affluent people looking for self improvement
Reason for Joining: Self improvement, removal of stress.

Question 23

Jim Jones and the People’s Temple

Answer 23

Type of religion: Sect
Wallis Typology: World rejecting
Key Features: charismatic leader, communal living, total commitment.
Members: people seeking a more equal/better society (many were african americans/middle class)
Reason for Joining: Wanting a more equal society.

Question 24

Neibuhr

Answer 24

Looked at the lifecycle of sects concluding they would not last more than one generation.
The second generation: less committed and passionate about the religion. HOWEVER many 2nd generation members in Strong City were committed than parents.
The ‘Protestant Ethic’ Effect: Hard working ethic. People worked hard and denied themselves pleasures. This meant they became increasingly rich, resulting in them becoming more world accomodating.
Death of Leader: The group are so dependant on the charismatic leader that the group dies out following the death of their leader.

Question 25

Stark and Bainbridge - The Sectarian Cycle:

Answer 25

The process of a sect forming and then becoming a deonomination.

1. Schism forms.
2. Inital fervour: Infactuation with the sect.
3. Denominationalism: begining to ‘cool off’, more beurocratic (run by multiple people)
4. Establishment: becomes world accomodating.
5. Schism forms.

Question 26

Wilson

Answer 26

Whether or not it dies out depends on the type of sect.
CONVERTIONIST - more likely to grow and become more beurocratic.
ADVENTIST - waiting for a messiah to come to earth. Globalisation makes it harder for sects to remain isolated.

Question 27

Heelas

Answer 27

Growth of the New Age
There are more cults and New Age Movements than ever as self spirituality and detraditionalism occurs.
Self Spirituality: Developing a stronger sense of spiritualaity, people no longer want a higher power but are turning to the self and looking for improvment.

Question 28

post modern perspective on religion

Answer 28

Today there is more choice and diversity, no fixed identity. This means that there are more life style choices.

Question 29

Hadden and Shupe

Answer 29

Post-modernists
Supply lead religion, there is so much choice that everyone finds a religion to suit them.
Herveau Leger: Cultural amnesia in modern Europe means we have forgotten out culture e.g. religion. Lost our sense of fixed identity which results in us becoing insecure as a society. A hybrid of cultures has been created.

Question 30

Herveau Leger:

Answer 30

Cultural amnesia in modern Europe means we have forgotten out culture e.g. religion. Lost our sense of fixed identity which results in us becoing insecure as a society. A hybrid of cultures has been created.

Question 31

Bruce (new age and modernity)

Answer 31

We are in a spiritual supermarket in which we and pick and choose religion.

Question 32

Heelas

Answer 32

Source of identity: we have rejected meta narratives.
Consumer culture: buying as we need i.e. Yoga
Rapid social change: people need faith to cling on to in times of change.
Decline in organised religion