Religion

John Calvin: Predestination

Each person's fate, sealed before birth and known only to God, is either eternal glory or endless hellfire.

Profane

Emile Durkheim included as an ordinary part of everyday lif.

Religious Affiliation - Social Class

On average, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Jews enjoy high standing; lower social standing is typical of Baptists, Lutherans, and members of sects.

Liberation Theology

The combining of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character. -- Social oppression runs counter to Christian morality, so as a matter of faith and justice, Christians much promote greater social equality.

Fundamentalism

a conservative religious doctrine that opposes intellectualism and worldly accommodation in favor of restoring traditional, otherworldly religion. Defend traditional values.

Liberation Theology

a fusion of Christian principles and political activism, tries to encourage social change.

Civil Religion

a quasi-religious loyalty binding individuals in a basically secular society. (Formal religion may lose power, but citizenship has it's own religious qualities.) Rituals: Standing to sing national anthem. Waving the flag at public parades.

Cult

a religious organization that is largely outside a society's cultural traditions. Leader offers new and very different way of life. Viewed as deviant, evil because practices are unconventional. Didn't last as long because it demanded that members not only accept their teaching but also adopt a radically new lifestyle.

Church

a religious organization that is well integrated into the larger society Well established rules and regulations, leaders are formally trained and ordained. Accepts the ways of the profane world.

Sect

a religious organization that stands apart from the larger society. Members have rigid religion convictions and deny the beliefs of others. Some withdraw and practice their own faith. Less stable than churches because of psychic intensity and informal structure

Religion

a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on recognizing the sacred.

Aspects of change in Religion

changing affiliations over time the process of secularization

This type of religious organization is most integrated into the larger society

church

Social-Conflict Approach (Karl Marx)

claims that religion justifies the status quo. In this way, religion supports inequality and discourages change toward a more just and equal society.

Religion and Social Inequality

linked through gender because virtually all the world's major religions are patriarchal. Ex. Qur'an, sacred text of Islam, gives men social dominance over women by defining gender roles. "Men are in charge of women"

Animism

the belief that elements of the natural world are conscious life forms that affect humanity. View forests, oceans, mountains, and the wind as spiritual forces. (Native Americans)

Secularization

the historical decline in the importance of the supernatural and the sacred. Commonly associated with modern, technologically advance societies in which science is the major way of understanding.

Religiosity

the importance of religion in a person's life. How religious we are depends on precisely how we operationalize this concept.

US Religious Statistics

+50% - Protestant 25% - Catholic 2% - Jews

5 Distinctive Ways of Fundamentalism

1. Fundamentalists take the words of sacred text literally. (God created the world in 7 days) 2. Fundamentalists reject religious pluralism. (Tolerance and Relativism water down personal faith.) 3. Fundamentalists pursue the personal experience of God's presence. (Encourage a return to "good old-time religion" and spiritual revival. Being born again and having an relationship with Jesus Christ is evident in everyday life.) 4. Fundamentalists oppose "secular humanism" (Accommodation to the changing world weakens religious faith. Reject society's tendency to look to scientific experts rather than God for guidance about how to live.) 5. Many Fundamentalists endorse conservative political goals. (Oppose liberal agenda, including feminism and gay rights. Oppose abortion, same-sex marriage and liberal bias in the media. Support traditional family, prayer in school, criticize the mass media for approaching stories from a liberal viewpoint.)

Just ___% say they attend religious services weekly.

31

___ % profess a firm belief in God.

61

__ out of 10 people claim that religion is important in their lives

7

___% of adults in the US identify with a specific religious tradition.

84

About what share of the US Population claims to identify with a religious tradition?

84%

The term secularization refers to

A decline in the importance of religion and the sacred

Providing meaning and purpose

Belief that our lives serve some greater purpose. People are less likely to despair in the face of change, or tragedy.

Strong Religious Beliefs =

Low rates in delinquency among young people Low rates of divorce among most adults Enhances education achievement Brings families together

Religious Rituals

Celebrate birth, recognize adulthood, and mourn the dead

Hank Wesselman: New Age

Five core values: 1. Seekers believe in a higher power. (vital force within all things and all people) 2. Seekers believe we're all connected (Everything and everyone is interconnected as part the universal divine pattern that seekers call spirit) 3. Seekers believe in a spirit world (Physical world is not all there is) 4. Seekers want to experience the spirit world. (Helpers and teachers who dwell in the spirit world can and do touch their lives) 5. Seekers pursue transcendence (Techniques give ability to rise above immediate physical world)

Science vs. Faith

HOW this world works is a matter for scientists, by WHY we and the rest of the universe exist is a question of faith.

Changing Affiliation

People are coming and going in churches and religions. Competition in Religious Marketplace US is most religious in the world, but there is a loosening of people's ties to the religious organizations they are born into so that men and women now have more choice about their religious beliefs and affiliations.

Durkheim: Profane vs. Sacred

People understand profane things in terms of their everyday usefulness: Logging onto the Internet with our computer or turn a key to start our car. What is Sacred we reverently set apart from daily life, giving it a "forbidden" or "holy" aura.

What term did Emile Durkheim use to describe the everyday aspects of our lives?

Profane

Social Control

Promote conformity though religious ideas. Defining God as a "judge" Encourage people to obey cultural norm. Defend political systems - ruled by devine right

Religious Affiliation Factors

Race, Social Class, Ethnicity

New Age Elements

Rationality and Spirituality

Faith

Religion is a matter of faith, a belief based on conviction rather than on scientific evidence. Things not seen.

Religious Affiliation - Ethnicity

Religion is often linked to ethnic background because people came to the United States from countries that have a major religion.

Structual-Functional Approach

Religion preforms vital tasks including uniting people and controlling behavior. Religion give life meaning and purpose.

Karl Marx - Religion

Religion servers elites by legitimizing the status quo and diverting people's attention from social inequities.

Symbolic-Interaction Approach

Religion strengthens marriage by giving it (and family life) sacred meaning. People often turn to sacred symbols for comfort when facing danger and uncertainty.

Social Conflict Approach

Religion supports social inequality by claiming that the social order is just. Accept social problems of this world while they look hopefully to a "better world to come"

Social Cohesion

Religion unites people through shared symbolism, values, and norms. Religious thought and ritual establish rules of fair play, organizing our social life.

The sacred is embodied in:

Ritual, formal ceremonial behavior

Conversion

Sects value highly the experience of religious birth

Durkheim's three major functions of religion

Social cohesion, Social Control, Providing meaning and purpose

What introduced the growing importance of science to everyday life?

The Industrial Revolution

Max Weber: Protestantism and Capitalism

The rise of industrial capitalism was encourages by Calvinism, a movement within the Protestant Reformation.

Religious Affiliation - Race

Transported to this country in slave ships, most African Americans became Christians, but they blended Christians beliefs with elements of African religions they brought with them.

Denomination

a church, independent of the state, that recognizes religious pluralism. Exists in nations. Formally separates church and state. Members hold to their own beliefs, but also recognize the right of others to have different beliefs

State Church

a church formally linked to the state Count everyone in a society as a member, which sharply limits tolerance of religious differences.

Totem

an object in the natural world collectively defined as sacred. Become center piece of ritual and symbolizes the power of collective life over the individual.

Symbolic-Interation Approach (Peter Berger)

explains that we socially construct religious beliefs; we are especially likely to seek religious meaning when faced with life's uncertainties and disruptions

Charisma

extraordinary personal qualities that can infuse people with emotion and turn them into followers.

Emile Durkheim states that religion

involves things that surpass the limits of our knowledge.

Sacred

set apart as extraordinary, inspiring awe and reverence.

Structural-Functional Approach (Emile Durkheim)

suggests that religion unites people, promotes cohesion, and gives meaning and purpose to life; through religion, we celebrate the power of our society

Max Weber's famous thesis states that particular religious ideas set in motion a wave of change that resulted in

the Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism