Sociology - Beliefs

What are new religious movements?

Since the 1960s there has been an increase in NRM. This can be sects and cults

What are world rejecting groups?

These are usually sects that are highly critical of the outside work (world rejecting) and a demand for significant commitment for their members. It is often exclusive. They blame social change or groups or the state of the world. They tend to predict that the only way to be saved is to be part of their group and adhere to their traditions and rules

What are world accommodating groups?

Often break away groups from existing churches, they tend to focus on religious matters and live normal lives. E.g Pentecostalists

These groups are more open and members often live normal lives

What are world affirming groups?

They offer followers access to spiritual or supernatural powers and accept the world for how it is. Promising followers things like happiness e.g Scientology

What are some differences between sects and cults?

Sects are exclusive and live collectively. Whilst cults are open to all, both do have one type of leader or messiah. Cults are more business like

Why do people join sects and cults?

• Postmodernism

Postmodernists believe that traditional structures like the family and religion are no longer important. People no longer practice organised religion and families are more fragmented. Therefore people choose their own identity to find a sense of belonging in sects and culture

Why do people join sects and cults?

• theodicy of disprivilege

• Glock and stark

• Religion offers compensators like rewards. E.g financial support, a sense of belonging and community. This appeals to people from low income families if they are poor then the promise of wealth and a better life, being the ‘chosen ones’ is appealing

• woman are more likely than men to join sects. This could be due to being more deprived, materially, spiritually, and from the patriarchy

What is Derkheim’s functionalist view on religon?

He argues that religon is made up of two things, the sacred and the profane. Sacred things are often seen as special and are treated differently to everyday things e.g churches, memorials, holy books like the bible. There is the argument that people unite together to worship, when this is combined with a shared value consensus the importance of such objects create society.

What is totemism?

Based upon aborigine tribes, worship of the totem in reality is worshipping society, we are in awe of it. Durkheim believed that sacred symbols represent collective conscience and individuals can feel part of something greater

What is Durkheim and Mauss idea of primitive classification, how has this idea been developed?

They both argue that religion provides people with a sense of identity. people group together in tribes and religions which has given society human classification. Religion has also divided up our time e.g BC and AD, different calendars have been created based religions.

What was Malinowski’s 1954 Trobrianders case study? how can it be used to understand functionalist theory?

This was research based upon group living on an island in the Pacific Ocean where fishing was the centre of their community. He identified two types of fishing; lagoon fishing which was safe and sea fishing which was dangerous. They preformed canoe magic which was a series of rituals done to keep the fisherman safe. This preformed a psychological function making the fisherman feel protected.

What was Parsons idea of values and meanings?

Parsons argued that religion has two purposes

• It creates and legitimises society through a central set of values e.g the 10 commandments which is still the basis of most western societies

• It provides meaning when really bad things happen so it can preform a psychological function to calm them down

What is Bellah’s idea of civil religion?

An example of a civil religion is within the USA, there are many different beliefs but there has been a sort of unifying ‘Americanism’ which provides itself as the main belief system for freedom etc

How can we evaluate functionalist theories about crime?

• Religion isn’t always a positive thing, it can create conflict and oppress people, e.g woman

• It could be argued that meaning and shared value come from other sources than religion. E.g Family

• Outdated ideas. Postmodernists would argue that there is no longer a shared belief system and there is a range of faiths