Sociology: Chapter 15
When membership in a sect increases over time, it may grow into a WHAT
Denomination
True or False: being a nonbeliever in a divine entity means the individual subscribes to no morality
False (being a nonbeliever in a divine entity...)
Why do sociologists study religion?
Humankind has sought to understand and explain the "meaning of life." Many philosophers believe this contemplation and the desire to understand our place in the universe are what differentiate humankind from other species
WHO believed religion reflects the social stratification of society and that it maintains inequality and perpetuates the status quo. For him, religion was just an extension of working-class (proletariat) economic suffering. He famously argued that religion "is the opium of the people"
Karl Marx
In functionalism, religion provides WHAT in times of crisis. Religious rituals bring order, comfort, and organization through shared familiar symbols and patterns of behavior
Emotional comfort
One of the most important functions of religion, from a functionalist perspective, is WHAT
The opportunities it creates for social interaction and the formation of groups. It provides social support and social networking and offers a place to meet others who hold similar values and a place to seek help (spiritual and material) in times of need
WHO examined the effects of religion on economic activities and noticed that heavily Protestant societies—such as those in the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and Germany—were the most highly developed capitalist societies and that their most successful business leaders were Protestant
Max Weber
WHO noted that certain kinds of Protestantism supported the pursuit of material gain by motivating believers to work hard, be successful, and not spend their profits on frivolous things
Max Weber
What is an established sect?
Sects that do not grow into denominations/such as the Amish or Jehovah's Witnesses fall halfway between sect and denomination on the ecclesia-cult continuum because they have a mixture of sect-like and denomination-like characteristics
Historical sociologists Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx and psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud anticipated WHAT
Secularization and claimed that the modernization of society would bring about a decrease in the influence of religion
What are religious beliefs?
Specific ideas members of a particular faith hold to be true, such as that Jesus Christ was the son of God, or that reincarnation exists. Another illustration of religious beliefs is the creation stories we find in different religions
In his writing The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), Marx contends that WHAT
The Protestant work ethic influenced the development of capitalism
In functionalism, religion promotes WHAT: It reinforces social norms such as appropriate styles of dress, following the law, and regulating sexual behavior
Social control
While some people think of religion as something individual because religious beliefs can be highly personal, religion is also a WHAT
Social institution
What is Judaism?
- After their Exodus from Egypt in the thirteenth century B.C.E., , a nomadic society, became monotheistic, worshipping only one God - Their covenant, or promise of a special relationship with Yahweh (God), is an important element of Judaism - Abraham, a key figure in the foundation of the Jewish faith, is also recognized as a foundation of Christianity and Islam, resulting in the three religions and a few others being referred to as "Abrahamic" - The sacred Jewish text is the Torah, which Christians also follow as the first five books of the Bible - Emphasize moral behavior and action in this world as opposed to beliefs or personal salvation in the next world - Moses was a leader of the Jewish people when he recorded the Ten Commandments, their culture is interwoven with that of other religions and of governments who adhere to "Judeo-Christian values" - Identify as an ethnic group as well as a religion
What is Confucianism?
- Developed by Kung Fu-Tzu (Confucius), who lived in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E. - An extraordinary teacher, his lessons—which were about self-discipline, respect for authority and tradition, and jen (the kind treatment of every person)—were collected in a book called the Analects - Many consider Confucianism more of a philosophy or social system than a religion because it focuses on sharing wisdom about moral practices but doesn't involve any type of specific worship; nor does it have formal objects
What is Buddhism?
- Founded by Siddhartha Gautama around 500 B.C.E. - Siddhartha was said to have given up a comfortable, upper-class life to follow one of poverty and spiritual devotion. At the age of thirty-five, he famously meditated under a sacred fig tree and vowed not to rise before he achieved enlightenment (bodhi). After this experience, he became known as Buddha, or "enlightened one" - Buddha's teachings encourage Buddhists to lead a moral life by accepting the four Noble Truths: 1) life is suffering, 2) suffering arises from attachment to desires, 3) suffering ceases when attachment to desires ceases, and 4) freedom from suffering is possible by following the "middle way" (which is the acceptance of others and focuses on the present) - Tends to deemphasize the role of a godhead, instead stressing the importance of personal responsibility
What is Islam?
- Monotheistic religion, and it follows the teaching of the prophet Muhammad, born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 570 C.E. - Muhammad is seen only as a prophet, not as a divine being, and he is believed to be the messenger of Allah (God), who is divine - The followers of Islam are called Muslims - Means "peace" and "submission" - The sacred text for Muslims is the Qur'an (or Koran) - All Muslims are guided by five beliefs or practices, often called "pillars": 1) Allah is the only god, and Muhammad is his prophet, 2) daily prayer, 3) helping those in poverty, 4) fasting as a spiritual practice, and 5) pilgrimage to the holy center of Mecca
What is Christianity?
- The largest religion in the world - Began 2,000 years ago in Palestine, with Jesus of Nazareth, a leader who taught his followers about caritas (charity) or treating others as you would like to be treated yourself - The sacred text for Christians is the Bible - The largest group of Christians in the United States are members of the Protestant religions, including members of the Baptist, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, and other churches. However, more people identify as Catholic than any one of those individual Protestant religions - Although monotheistic, many Christians describe their god through three manifestations that they call the Holy Trinity: the father (God), the son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is a term Christians often use to describe religious experience, or how they feel the presence of the sacred in their lives - One foundation of Christian doctrine is the Ten Commandments, which decry acts considered sinful, including theft, murder, and adultery
What is Hinduism?
- The oldest religion in the world - With roughly one billion followers, it is the third-largest of the world's religions - Believe in a divine power that can manifest as different entities. Three main incarnations—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—are sometimes compared to the manifestations of the divine in the Christian Trinity - Multiple sacred texts, collectively called the Vedas, contain hymns and rituals from ancient India and are mostly written in Sanskrit - Believe in dharma and karma - Believe in reincarnation
What is Taoism?
- The purpose of life is inner peace and harmony - Translated as "way" or "path" - The founder of the religion is generally recognized to be a man named Laozi, who lived sometime in the sixth century B.C.E. in China - Beliefs emphasize the virtues of compassion and moderation - The ying-yang symbol and the concept of polar forces are central ideas
Christianity began as a cult, transformed into a sect, and today exists as an WHAT
Ecclesia
What is atheism?
Belief in no god/do not believe in a divine being or entity
What is monotheism?
Belief in one God/a religion based on belief in a single deity
What is a megachurch?
A Christian church that has a very large congregation averaging more than 2,000 people who attend regular weekly services
What is a denomination?
A large, mainstream religious organization, but it does not claim to be official or state sponsored
Confucianism is concerned with day-to-day rules of conduct, Taoism is concerned with WHAT
A more spiritual level of being
What is animism?
A religion that believes in the divinity of nonhuman beings, like animals, plants, and objects of the natural world
The interaction between religious leaders and practitioners, the role of religion in the ordinary components of everyday life, and the ways people express religious values in social interactions—all might be topics of study to WHO
A symbolic interactionist
What is religion?
A system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person holds sacred or considers to be spiritually significant/describes various systems of belief and practice that define what people consider to be sacred or spiritual
What is a sect?
An offshoot of a larger religious group that has distinct beliefs and practices that deviate from that group
What are examples of denominations?
Baptist, African Methodist Episcopal, Catholic, and Seventh-day Adventist are all Christian denominations
What is liberation theology?
Began as a movement within the Roman Catholic Church in the 1950s and 1960s in Latin America, and it combines Christian principles with political activism. It uses the church to promote social change via the political arena, and it is most often seen in attempts to reduce or eliminate social injustice, discrimination, and poverty. They discuss theology from the point of view of the poor and the oppressed, and some interpret the scriptures as a call to action against poverty and injustice
What are religious rituals?
Behaviors or practices that are either required or expected of the members of a particular group, such as bar mitzvah or confession of sins
What is totemism?
Belief in a divine connection between humans and other natural beings
What is polytheism?
Belief in many gods/a religion based on belief in multiple deities
Regular attendance at services may play a role in WHAT
Building social structure and acceptance of new people into the general community
With Gutenberg's invention of the printing press, spreading ideas became far easier to share. Many pamphlets for all sorts of interests were printed, but one of Gutenberg's greatest contributions may have been mass producing the WHAT
Christian Bible
The Star of David in Judaism, the cross in Christianity, and the crescent and star in Islam are examples of sacred symbols. Interactionists are interested in what these symbols WHAT
Communicate
Above all, Durkheim believed religion is about WHAT
Community: It binds people together (social cohesion), promotes behavior consistency (social control), and offers strength during life's transitions and tragedies (meaning and purpose)
WHO are critical of the way many religions promote the idea that believers should be satisfied with existing circumstances because they are divinely ordained. This power dynamic has been used by Christian institutions for centuries to keep poor people poor and to teach them that they shouldn't be concerned with what they lack because their "true" reward (from a religious perspective) will come after death
Conflict theorists
WHO point out that those in power in a religion are often able to dictate practices, rituals, and beliefs through their interpretation of religious texts or via proclaimed direct communication from the divine
Conflict theorists
Some people suggest secularization is a root cause of many social problems, such as WHAT
Divorce, drug use, and educational downturn
WHO argued that "religion happens" in society when there is a separation between the profane (ordinary life) and the sacred
Durkheim
WHO is generally considered the first sociologist who analyzed religion in terms of its societal impact
Durkheim
In terms of religion, WHO assert that, although women are typically the ones to socialize children into a religion, they have traditionally held very few positions of power within religions. A few religions and religious denominations are more gender equal, but male dominance remains the norm of most
Feminist theorists
Religion can also serve as a filter for examining other issues in society and other components of a culture. What is an example of this?
For example, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and later in during the rise and predominant of the terrorist group ISIS, it became important for teachers, church leaders, and the media to educate Americans about Islam to prevent stereotyping and to promote religious tolerance
Most of the well-known Christian denominations in the United States today began as sects. What are some examples of this?
For example, the Methodists and Baptists protested against their parent Anglican Church in England, just as Henry VIII protested against the Catholic Church by forming the Anglican Church. From "protest" comes the term Protestant
Conflict theorists view religion as an institution that helps maintain patterns of social inequality. What is an example of this?
For example, the Vatican has a tremendous amount of wealth, while the average income of Catholic parishioners is small
While some the United States seems to be increasingly secular, that change is occurring with a concurrent rise in WHAT
Fundamentalism
The feminist perspective is a conflict theory view that focuses specifically on WHAT
Gender inequality
To symbolic interactionists, beliefs and experiences are not sacred unless WHAT
Individuals in a society regard them as sacred
What are cults?
New religious movements and are often characterized as small, secretive, and highly controlling of members and may have a charismatic leader
In functionalism, sometimes there is an "in-group" versus "out-group" feeling toward other religions in our society or within a particular practice. What are some examples of this?
On an extreme level, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, and anti-Semitism are all examples of this dynamic
Social scientists recognize that religion exists as an WHAT
Organized and integrated set of beliefs, behaviors, and norms centered on basic social needs and values
What is an ecclesia?
Refers to a congregation. In sociology, the term is used to refer to a religious group that most all members of a society belong to. It is considered a nationally recognized, or official, religion that holds a religious monopoly and is closely allied with state and secular powers
What is a religious experience?
Refers to the conviction or sensation that we are connected to "the divine." This type of communion might be experienced when people pray or meditate
According to functionalists, WHAT can foster group cohesion and integration
Religion
To understand a culture, sociologists must study its WHAT
Religion
What do functionalists believe about religion?
Religion depends on society for its existence, value, and significance, and vice versa. From this perspective, religion serves several purposes, like providing answers to spiritual mysteries, offering emotional comfort, and creating a place for social interaction and social control
Social conflict and even wars often result from WHAT
Religious disputes
What does religio mean?
Respect for what is sacred
Durkheim believed that religion is not just a social creation but WHAT
Something that represents the power of society: When people celebrate sacred things, they celebrate the power of their society. By this reasoning, even if traditional religion disappeared, society wouldn't necessarily dissolve
Sociological tools and methods, such as WHAT, can be applied to the study of religion in a culture to help us better understand the role religion plays in people's lives and the way it influences society
Surveys, polls, interviews, and analysis of historical data
What is religion? Pioneer sociologist Émile Durkheim described it with WHAT
The ethereal statement that it consists of "things that surpass the limits of our knowledge" (1915). He went on to elaborate: Religion is "a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say set apart and forbidden, beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community, called a church, all those who adhere to them"
In studying religion, sociologists distinguish between what they term the WHAT
The experience, beliefs, and rituals of a religion
Some form of religion is found in every known culture, and it is usually practiced in a public way by a group. What are some examples of this?
The practice of religion can include feasts and festivals, intercession with God or gods, marriage and funeral services, music and art, meditation or initiation, sacrifice or service, and other aspects of culture
What is agnosticism?
The ultimate reality (such as God) is unknowable
What does religare mean?
To bind, in the sense of an obligation
True or False: Compared to other democratic, industrialized countries, the United States is generally perceived to be a fairly religious nation. 65 percent of U.S. adults in a 2009 Gallup survey said religion was an important part of their daily lives
True (Compared to other democratic...)
True or False: almost all religions began as cults and gradually progressed to levels of greater size and organization. The term cult is sometimes used interchangeably with the term new religious movement (NRM). The new term may be an attempt to lessen the negativity that the term 'cult' has amassed
True (almost all religions began as cults...)
True or False: cults are least influential and ecclesia are most influential
True (cults are least influential and ecclesia are most influential)
True or False: members of the Jehovah's Witness religion attend religious services more regularly than members of other religions in the United States
True (members of the Jehovah's Witness...)
True or False: most megachurches are connected to the Southern Baptist denomination
True (most megachurches are connected...)
True or False: religion is a cultural universal found in all social groups
True (religion is a cultural universal...)
WHO believed membership in distinguished clubs would outpace membership in Protestant sects as a way for people to gain authority or respect
Weber
WHO believed religion could be understood as something separate from society
Weber