introduction to sociology 3e. chapter 15: religion

religious experience

the conviction or sensation that one is connected to "the divine"

religious beliefs

specific ideas that members of a particular faith hold to be true

religious rituals

behaviors or practices that are either required for or expected of the members of a particular group

who coined the term "religion is the opium of the people"?

Karl Marx

Karl Marx believed that...

religion reflects the social stratification of society and that it maintains inequality and perpetuates the status quo and that it was just an extension of working-class (proletariat) economic suffering

Emile Durkheim defined religion as...

a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things

Emile Durkheim believed that...

religion is about community: It binds people together(social cohesion), promotes behavior consistency (social control), and offers strength during life's transitions and tragedies (meaning and purpose)

Max Weber believed that...

religion was a precipitator of social change

How Durkheim, Weber, and Marx view religion in society

Durkheim saw religion as a force for cohesion that helped bind the members of society to the group, Weber believed that religion could be understood as something separate from society, and Marx considered religion inseparable from the economy and the worker

one of the most important functions of religion, from a functionalist perspective...

is the opportunities it creates for social interaction and the formation of groups.

religion promotes

social control : it reinforces social norms such as appropriate styles of dress, following the law, and regulating sexual behavior.

Conflict therorists view religion as

an institution that helps maintain patterns of social inequality

the Vatican has tremendous amount of wealth, while the average income of Catholic parishioners is small

example of religion maintaining patterns of social inequality.

feminist theorists assert that...

although women are typically the ones to socialize children into a religion, they have traditionally held very few positions of power withing religions.

Symbolic interactionist believe that

beliefs and experiences are not sacred unless individuals in a society regard them as sacred.

cult

new religious movements that are often characterized as small, secretive, and highly controlling of members and may have a charismatic leader.

New religious movement (NRM)

term used instead of cult by most sociologists,( this term may be an attempt to lessen the negativity that surrounds the term 'cult')

sect

an offshoot of a larger religious group that has distinct beliefs and practices that deviate from that group.

when membership in a sect increases over time it may grow into a...

denomination

established sects

sects that last but do not become denominations

often a sect begins as an

offshoot of a denomination, when a group of members believes they should separate from the larger group.

denomination

a large, mainstream religious organization, but it does not claim to be official or state sponsored.

Denominations of Christianity

Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant

ecclesia

A dominant religious organization that includes most members of society, is recognized as the national or official religion, and tolerates no other religions

One way to remember the religious organizational terms is to..

think of cults, sects, denomination, and ecclesia representing a continuum, with increasing influence on society, where cults are least influential and ecclesia are most influential.

polytheism

multiple gods

monotheism

single god

atheism

Belief that there is no god.

animism

Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life.

totemism

Human-natural being connection

agnostic

One who believes that the existence of God is unknown and unknowable

what are the 4 noble truths?

to live is to suffer, suffering is caused by desire, suffering can be brought to cessation, the solution to suffering is the noble eightfold path

Liberation Theology

the combining of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character

megachurches

Churches with at least 2,000 in attendance each week

typically the pastor that leads a megachurch is

highly charismatic

other traits of mega churches

conservative technology, evangelism, use of technology, and social networking, highly charismatic leaders, few financial struggles, multiple sites, and predominantly white membership.

Secularization

The process through which religion's influence on other social institutions diminishes.

religion is an example of a cultural...

universal, because it is found in all societies in one form or another.

.

In what ways does religion serve the role of a social institution?

Religions have a complex and integrated set of norms.

Religious practices and beliefs are related to societal values.

Religions often meet several basic needs.

Many stories in the sacred text of Judaism are:

shared by Christianity and Islam

.

What do Christianity and Islam have in common?

Both believe in a single supreme God; Both share many of the same stories in their central religious texts; Both believe in an afterlife

The Protestant work ethic was viewed in terms of its relationship to:

capitalism

Which sociological perspective most emphasizes the ways in which religion helps to maintain social inequalities within a society?

Conflict theory