Intro to the study of religion exam 2

Transcendence

Views Religion as a divine phenomenon

Immanence

Views religions as a human, social construct

Explain the effects of the shift from Transcendence to Immanence

This shift led to a more academic, analytical approach to studying religion.

Name the key figures involved in the shift from transcendence to immanence

Hegel, Feuerbach and Marx.

Describe Hegel’s view of religion

Saw religion as a way to understand the infinite through human experience. To understand, reality means to understand God.

Describe Feuerbach’s view of religion

Criticized Hegel. Argued that God is a projection of human qualities. Religion is a human self-reflection of their desires and ideals.

Describe Marx‘s view of religion

Expanded on Feuerbach’s view. Claimed that religion is used by the ruling class to maintain power. It is the “Opium of the people”, suggesting that it keeps the poor content with their suffering by promising rewards in the afterlife instead of fighting for social change.

Describe the influence of Durkheim and Weber as classical sociologists

They built on Feuerbach’s and Marx’s ideas, but provided a more complex view of religion’s role in society

Contrast between Marx and Durkheim / Weber

Marx saw religion as a tool of oppression, whereas Durkheim and Weber recognized that religion also creates meaning and cohesion. It plays a role in building community.

How does Durkheim define religion?

He views religion as a collective social experience that helps unify communities.

What did Durkheim argue about religion? Provide an example.

Religious beliefs, and rituals serve as symbols of societal values and moral order. For example, in the study of Totemism, he found that the totem represented the community itself, reinforcing social bonds.

How does Weber differ from Durkheim?

Unlike Durkheim, he focussed on how religion influences social and economic change.

What does Weber argue about religion?

In his book The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, he argues that protestant beliefs, help shape, modern capitalism.

What did Weber introduce in the study of religion?

He introduced ideal types to categorize religious roles, such as prophets and priests

What is evolutionism’s role in the study of religion?

Early anthropologist, believe that religion developed from primitive to advanced forms.

Name the key figures of evolutionism.

Tylor and Frazer

How did Tylor contribute to evolutionism in regards to the study of religion?

He proposed that the earliest forms of religion was animism.

How did Fraser contribute to evolutionism in regards to the study of religion?

He proposed a three stage evolution of human thought and believed that as societies advanced, they replaced religious explanations with scientific reasoning.

What is Fraser‘s three stage evolution of human thought?

The three stages are magic, religion, and science.

Describe the role of functionalism in regards to the study of religion

Rather than seeing religion as outdated functionalist, focussed on how it serves important social and psychological needs.

Name the key figures of functionalism

Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown

How did Malinowski contribute to functionalism? Provide an example.

He studied how religion helps individuals, cope with uncertainty and fear. For example, he observed how Trobriand Islanders use religious rituals before risky fishing trips, suggesting that religions provide comfort in uncertain situation.

How did Radcliffe-Brown contribute to functionalism?

he focussed on how religion maintains social order by reinforcing moral norms, and social roles.

Define animism

It is the belief that spirits inhabit, natural objects, such as tree.

What is Thick Description? Provide an example

It is a detailed analysis of cultural practices, considering their deeper meanings. For example, in his study of Bolognese cockfights, he showed that the event was not just gambling, but a symbolic expression of social status and power.

Who is a key figure in interpretive anthropology?

Clifford Geertz

How did Clifford Geertz contribute to interpret anthropology?

He argued that to understand religion we must interpret the meetings behind religious symbols rather than just analyzing their social functions.

What did Clifford Geertz emphasize?

He emphasized that religion creates world views that shape how people interpret reality.

What is structuralism?

An approach that analyzes, religious myths symbols and rituals by identifying deep underlying patterns in human thought. It argues that religions are structured around universal opposites, and that myths help societies make sense of these contrasts.

Who are the key figures of structuralism?

Levi-Strauss and Turner

How did Levi Strauss contribute to structuralism?

He believed that myths and religious stories reveal universal patterns and human thought.

What concept did Levi Strauss use?

He used the concept of binary opposition to show how many structure human understanding.

how to Turner contribute to structuralism?

He studied rituals and how to create community bonds

Define binary opposition

Universal opposites (good/bad)

What two concepts did Turner develop?

Liminality and Communitas

Define liminality

Luminosity refers to the in-between phase of a ritual where individuals are no longer in their old status, but have not yet transitioned into their new status.

define communitas

Community is the sense of equality and unity people experience during the liminal phase. It represents a temporary hierarchy before a new order is restored.

Define secularization

It is the process by which religion loses its influence over various aspects of society, such as politics, education, everyday life as modernity and rational, thinking increase.

what does secularization suggest?

It suggests that as societies develop, religious beliefs, and institutions become less central

Define sacred canopy

A concept by Peter Berger that describes religion as a canopy of meaning that provides structure, purpose and stability to human life.

Who are the key figures of secularization and the sacred canopy?

Berger , Stark and bainbridge

How did Berger contribute to secularization?

He argued that modernization we religion as people rely more on science and rational thought.

How did Berger’s views evolve?

He literally revised his views, noting that religion adapt rather than disappears

How did Stark and Bainbridge contribute to secularization and sacred canopy?

They criticized the secularization thesis arguing that new forms of religiosity emerge instead of religion disappearing

According to Berger, what does religion help do?

religion helps people make sense of the world by offering a shared system of beliefs, but as secularization progresses this canopy weekends leading to uncertainty and new forms of religion.

Provide an example that supports Stark and Bain bridges view of secularization

The rise of religious fundamentalism and new age spirituality shows that people still see religious meaning.