Beliefs 120

Open belief system

A system that is open to scrutiny, criticism, and testing by others.

Karl Marx

Said religion is 'The opium of the masses'.

Five main features of a New Age Religion (according to Bruce)

Emphasis on Self, Everything is connected, Self is the final authority, Global Cafeteria, Therapy.

Characteristics of religious fundamentalism

Traditional beliefs, 'Them vs Us' attitude.

Sect

A religious group that has broken away from a larger, established religious denomination because of differing key beliefs.

CUDOS norms

Communism, Universalism, Disinterestedness, Organised Skepticism.

Giddens

Sociologist associated with the inclusivist definition of religion.

Lenin

Said religion is 'The gin of the masses'.

Female prism

The perspective all feminist viewpoints on religion agree upon.

Stark and Bainbridge

Found two main characteristics of those that join NRM's: Social grievance and strong bonds with recruiters.

Steve Bruce

Argued that secularisation is a long-term decline in the power, popularity, and prestige of religious beliefs.

Types of NRM according to Wallis

World Affirming, World Rejecting, World Accommodating.

Three characteristics of a sect

Not bureaucratic & hierarchical, radical in nature, withdraw from society.

Cult categories according to Stark and Bainbridge

Audience, Client, Cultic Movements.

Three characteristics of a church

Bureaucratic & linked to the state, Conservative, Universalist with open membership.

Biggest consumer of religion

Female.

Millenarian Movement

Beliefs that a significant event will change the world and lead to a blessed existence.

Social change example via religion

Civil Rights Movement.

Evidence of secularisation

Declines in practice, belief, and power.

Ideology

A worldview or set of ideas and values.

Spiritual Revolution

Heelas argues that the world is undergoing a 'Resacrilisation'.

NRMs emerge as protest

Stark and Glock argue NRMs emerge as a form of religious or social protest.

Stained Glass Ceiling

Women are barred from higher positions within mainstream religion.

Factors for conservative or change force religion

Nature and extent of religious belief, significance in society, social involvement, degree of authority.

Malinowski's function of religion

Psychological functions to help people overcome life crises.

Closed belief system

Holds a monopoly on truth and doesn't tolerate challenge.

World Affirming Movements

Group defined by Wallis as 'life positive', aiming to release human potential.

Leader of the Peoples Temple

Jim Jones.

Submissive socialisation term

Differential socialization.

Religiosity term

The extent to which someone sees themselves as religious.

Period Effect

Term used by Voas and Crockett for older generations being more religious.

Dual identities of ethnic groups

Examined by Momood.

Comte's three stages of religion

Theoretical, Metaphysical, Positivity.

'Jesus in Disneyland' study

Examined by Lyon.

Religion gives life meaning

Claimed by Yinger.

Huntington's exploration

Explored the Clash of Civilisations.

Animism

Belief in spirits and ghosts impacting the human and natural world.

Sacred Canopy by Berger

Religion protects believers from dangers in the world.

Theistic religion

A belief in a supernatural power that could be a single entity or many.

Polanyi's subsidiary explanations

Get out clauses used by religious leaders when challenged.

Paradigm

Set of guidelines defining a theory or idea.

Azande tribe study

Conducted by Evans-Pritchard.

Core principles of science

Pursuit of facts, Objectivity, Establishing cause and effect, Reliable methods.

Changing beliefs within a religion

Term used for internal secularisation.

CUDOS norms' sociologist

Merton.

Closed belief system (way)

Mono belief; does not tolerate challenge.

Falsification concept by Popper

Theories must be open to being proven wrong.

Seven civilisations by Huntington

Western, Islamic, Japanese, Slavic-Orthodox, Hindu, Confucian, Latin American.

Two types of world view by Mannheim

Ideological Thought and Utopian Thought.

Profane according to Durkheim

Things that are ordinary and mundane, without special meaning.

Cognitive functions by Durkheim

Religion gives followers intellectual capacity to understand their world.

Religion's dysfunctions by Hamilton

Causes conflict and encourages irrational thought.

Christianity and socialism similarity

Both aimed at the poor and promise a better life.

Marx's support for capitalism

Inequality seen as God-given; poverty is a test from God.

Hinduism and Caste System

Other religion illustrating how religion justifies inequality.

Character of religion by Bloch

Has a dual character; conservative and hopeful.

Conservative force or hope by Bloch

Could inspire social change.

Safe outlet within dictatorship

Argued by Otto Maduro.

Response to Vatican's failure

Liberation Theology Movement.

Types of religious leadership (Weber)

Charismatic, Traditional, Legal rational.

Theodicies term

Different religious understandings and explanations.

Weber's role of religion

To meet social and psychological needs.

Predestination term

God's decision on who enters heaven is unchangeable.

Calvinism's main beliefs

Predestination, Divine Transcendence, Asceticism, Value of Work.

Steve Bruce's religious influence failure

New Christian Right's negative message tone and lack of cooperation.

Reasons for Civil Rights Movement success

Peaceful protest, public support, negotiation with opposition.

Ways religion is patriarchal

God portrayed as male; restricted access to hierarchical levels.

Gender discussion on God

Mary Daly's view on achieving equality.

Patriarchal interpretations of the Qur'an

El Saadawi suggests that culture, not Islam, is patriarchal.

Stained glass ceiling coined by

Karen Armstrong.

Postmodernists see religion

As a meta-narrative claiming truth monopoly.

Spiritual shoppers term

Postmodernists describe followers trying various beliefs.

Replaced traditional religions

New Age Movements.

Examples of churches (Troeltsch)

Roman Catholics, Islam, Judaism.

Religious group defined as charismatic

Sect by Niebuhr.

Wilson's sect types

Introversionist, Conversionist, Reformist, Manipulationist, Millenarian.

Short lifespan reasons of sects (Niebuhr)

Loss of leader, children's beliefs dilute.

Sectarian cycle term

Stark and Bainbridge's argument for short-life span of sects.

Five stages of Sectarian Cycle

Schism, Initial Fervour, Denominationalism, Establishment, Further Schism.

New Religious Movements growth reasons

Marginalization, relative deprivation, response to social change.

Types of women in religiosity (Woodhead)

Identified three groups related to participation.

Transcendental Meditation and Scientology type

New Religious Movement.

Reasons for ethnic minority religiosity

Cultural identity, community, tradition, social support.

Eastern philosophy religion

Buddhism or similar promoting self-spirituality.

Social class more likely lifelong theists

Working class.

Lifelong atheists likely from

Middle class.

Closer to end of life phenomenon

Proximity effect on religiousness.

Decline in young people's religiosity reasons

Rising secularism, increased education, changing values.

Women's religiousness explanation

Involvement in life creation claims.

Wilson's secularisation definition

Decline of religious practice in society.

Three areas measuring secularisation

Individual belief, institutional practice, social role.

Public religious practices decline argument

Not equating to decline in belief according to authors.

Hervieu-Leger believer types

Individualistic and communal believers.

Fundamentalism unique to monotheism claim

Argued by Martin.

Cosmopolitanism term by Giddens

Global awareness and interconnectedness.

Crisis of credibility term meaning

Loss of trust in traditional institutions.

Parson's term for functions church takeover

Structural differentiation.

Desacralisation of Consciousness by Weber

Loss of sacred values in understanding reality.

Cause of third world fundamentalism

Bruce suggests response to modern challenges.