Wk5

Question 1

1. Which political parties and leaders are mentioned in the slides as forming alliances with religious groups in various countries?

Answer 1

• Turkey: President Erdogan’s AKP party
  
  • India: Prime Minister Modi’s BJP party
  • Poland: Law and Justice party
  • United States: Republican Party

Question 2

2. What criticisms have faith schools in the UK faced since 1997, despite the encouragement and increased autonomy granted by the government?

Answer 2

• Discriminatory admissions policies
  
  • Teaching creationism
  • Poor handling of sex education

Question 3

3. In the context of the secular state today, what is the tension mentioned regarding the visibility of religious perspectives in public debate?

Answer 3

• Tension between strict secular policy and freedom of religion and religious expression
  
  • High-profile debates on religious symbols, clothing, and compulsory education on sex and sexuality in schools and workplaces

Question 4

4. How does the growth or decline of religion, according to the slides, relate to the attractiveness of religious supply or ‘product’ to people? What role does competition among religious organizations play in this context?

Answer 4

• Relates to the attractiveness of religious supply or ‘product’
  
  • Competition among religious organizations leads to improvement in their offerings

Question 5

5. According to the information provided, what is ‘believing without belonging,’ and how does it challenge traditional measures of religious engagement?

Answer 5

• A concept where people may pray and hold certain beliefs without actively participating in organized religion
  
  • Challenges traditional measures of religious engagement that focus on attendance and ritual participation

Question 6

6. What types of new religious movements does Roy Wallis distinguish, and can you provide examples of each type?

Answer 6

• World-affirming: Focus on individual self-realization (e.g., Scientology)
  
  • World-rejecting: Reject the world for a higher spiritual purpose (e.g., International Society for Krishna Consciousness)
  • World-accommodating: Adapt to the world while maintaining spiritual beliefs (e.g., Soka Gakkai)

Question 7

7. In the context of new-age spirituality, how is it characterized, and what are some examples of spiritual practices mentioned in the slides?

Answer 7

• Characterized by a ‘mix ‘n’ match’ approach to spiritual ‘products’
  
  • Examples include neo-paganism, astrology, goddess religion, Jedi, mindfulness

Question 8

8. What is meant by the term ‘client cults,’ and how does it relate to the concept of spiritual practice being largely a question of services from spiritual practitioners?

Answer 8

• Spiritual practice as largely a question of services from spiritual practitioners
  
  • People ‘dip into’ religious or spiritual practices for personal contentment