Beliefs in society - Sociology

Nanda (2008) - religion is still growing

She found that religiosity was growing - 30% of ppl in india said that they have grown more religious.

Religion still has a great social power in countries like....

Iran and Saudia Arabia - the law is rooted in Muslims teaching and religious teachers have a significant amount of state power

Davie ( Fundamentalism)

She links fundamentalism's unshakable confidence in their own answers to search for certaintity in a world of social chaos

Giddens ( Religious Fundementalism)

Argues that we are in a late-modern society characterised by choice, uncertainity and risk.= Where a set of universal beliefs can be quite attractive

Bruce ( New Christian right )

Fundamentalism in the West - New Christian right developed in response to acceptance of divorce, abortions and sexual permissiveness

Fundamnetalism in the third world

Fundamentalism in 3rd world tended to be reactions against ideologies thrust upon the country from outside sources

3rd world example

Iran didnt like western secular values as it was seen as immoral and Western views on consumerism and individualism can be signs of selfishness ect

Poland : That Catholic Church and the Solidarity movement

Catholicism in Poland was against communism and an act of cultural defence showing that religion is still important as Priests gave anti- communist sermons and staged an 8 daye pilgrame which caused the communist government to vanish

Iran : The Iranian revolution

Cause: Western Secularism and Authoritarian monarchy

Globally It brought about profound change at great speed as they used their islamic identity as cultural defence

Globalisation and the spread of Religions

It removed the sacred canopy that the church held over Western Europe

As people migrate around the world - religion acts as a strong cultural marker (cultural defence)

Hervieu-Leger ( globalisation)

Greater religious diversity lead to greater spiritual shopping

Misleading Church attendance data

40% of Americans attend church on Sundays

Secularisation in the USA

Misleading church attendance

Secularisation from within

Resurgence of Prosperity Gospel

Practical relativism

Hadaway (1993)

They found that church attendance was an 83% exaggeration when compared to headcounts at services in Ohio

Secularisation from within (bruce)

Religious market theory suggests religious organisations will adapt to attract the greatest number of people

Bruce suggests that the emphasis in American churches have become psychologised and more like therapy

The resurgence of 'Prosperity Gospel'

Emphasises the role of personal posessions and feelings rather that of a focus on core Christianity

Practical relativism (Bruce)

He suggests that though Americans call themselves Christians, the functionally live as of they were secular

Lynd and Lynds study

1929 - 94% agreed that ' christianity is the one true religion' but by 1977 only 41% agreed

Davie (secular fundamentalism)

Non- secular worldviews have been surpressed by secular governments

eg of secular fundamentalism

France bannes pupils from wearing realigious symbols in school and in 2010 made it illegal for women to wear the veil

Ansell (2000)- secular fundamentalism

Secular fundamentalism as a form of cultural racism

Norris and Inglehart (2011)- Existential security

they suggest that different levels of religiousity in different countries is due to different levels of existential security

(the feeling that survival is secure enough that it can be taken for granted

Gill and Lundegaarde(2004- Existential security theory)

Found that more a country spends on welfare, the lower the level of religious participation which explains why man european countries spend more on welfare and are more secular than USA

Weber ( Protestant work ethic)

He identified an unexpected consequence of the protestant reformation that chnaged most of wester civilisation -Calvinism led to Capitalism

(Increased productivity + Asceticism = Capitalism

In protestantism = work is spiritual

Protestants saw everything in the wolrd as being by God and for God = Your earthly world is your spiritual world

Asceticism

Live a frugal lifestyle w/o indulging in lifes pleasures= Calvinists were more likely to read the bible and take its commands seriously such as calvinists were less likely to waste their money on immoral practices such as excessive drinking

Worldly Asceticism

Self discipline and avoidance of indulgence

Capitalism

Protestants were earning more money but not spending it on alcohol so it was reinvested back into business, in turn making them more profitable

Only Calvinism has both Productivity and Asceticism

Weber - Hinduism in India as another ascetic religion but bc it rejected the material world- followers never aqcquired great wealth

Webers view on 'Salvation Panic'

1. Calvinism teaches that God chose before the dawn of time the people who would be saved

2. There is nothing someone can do to make them be saved

3. Calvinits who worked hard and were productive would find themeselves more prosperous

Eval of Webers suggestion that Calvinism created Capitalism

Weber argues that Calvinism created capitalism but Marx argues that it was the other way round

Tawney- It wasnt religion that created capitalism but technological changes eg printing press

American Civil Rights movement (Bruce)

American civil rights movement as religion can be driver for great changes - christianity acted as an ideaological rescource to provide beliefs and practices

Four main reasons why American Civil rights movement was succesful

They took the moral high ground - using religious ideas to promote the idea of equality

The challanged dissent- through the use of church buildings as meeting places

They acted as honest brokers - Church was respected by both sides and 'above politics'

They mobilised public opinion - and campaigned for public support across the whole of USA

Liberation theology

Led by Oscar Romero (movement within Catholic Church ) - They focused on Christianity as a preferential option for the poor and challenged authorities

Neo-Marxist view on liberation theory

Religion as a dual character

1.Religion is a conservative force - supprts capitalism

2, religion as a force for change - religion should be used to preach freedom from oppression

Gramsci

Capitalists maintain hegemony through controlling ideas to which the proleteriat are exposed to (capitalists rule with consent of the people.

Who are organic intellectuals

Priests and Bishops as they arent controlled by the ruling class as they are controlled by religious world view

Bloch 1959 - Principle of hope

which expresses dreams of a better world and inspires protests and revolutions

Eval of religion as a force for change (Bruce )

Religion can be a force for change but only if they are supporting a more general and secular social movement eg civil rights gained momentum in non-religious groups

Church (basic Info)

long standing-centuries, mainstream,connected to the wider society eg church of england and catholic church

Sect (basic info)

Breakaway group from the church, often over teaching eg Calvary Chapel, mormons,jevohas witness

Denomination

evolve from a sect which has cooled down and become more established and lasted the test of time(national/international) eg methodists, pentecostal

Cult (basic info- Stark and Bainbridge)

New mystical movements that focus on individual experience - seeking an ultimte truth and not a group to 'join'

three types of cults

audience cult, client cult, cultic movements

audience cult

self-help therapies- little face to face interaction - usually contacted via mass media - a series of ideas ppl use to improve their lives eg astrology

Client Cults

Offer a particular service- face to face therapies focusing on wellbeing and personal improvement eg tarot

Cultic movements

High demand - meet all your needs- organised and demanding and set apart from wider society eg heavens gate

The new age movements

The hollistic milieu (the environment of new age movement)- focus on individual spirituality , love and coming age of harmony- no collective worship eg reiki

Wallis - New Religious Movements ( new way of classification)

World rejecting norms

world affirming norms

world accomodating norms

World affirming norms

life positive, individualistic and aiming to release 'human potential'- more like theraoy group that accepts the world as it is

world rejecting norms

highly critical of the outside world- split from mainstream and req followers to break away from their old life ans seperate from the world

world accommodating norms

want more clarity/ certainty on teachings and expectatioms that leads to higher demands eg mormons

Crockett 1851

40% of population attend church on a sunday

Berger - sacred canopy

in the past the church influenced nearly every part of a persons life

Divine right of Kings

The church had te power to decide who would be in charge and gave legitimacy to their rule

rites

the church performed important rites at important life events eg baptism, wedding

Structural differentiation (Parsons)

There is no longer a sacred canopy - as many people can go their entire life w/o interacting with the church as other institutions do the functions of the church

secularised from within

sects and cults have grown in membership as people have found that churches have secularised from within

Sects- death or denominations

Somtimes sects can die out when the first memeers die or move on but sometimes sects grow beyond and become a denomination

cults -spirituality w/o religion (stark and bainbridge)

cults allow individuals to take part in spiritual practices w/o structured orgnisations

The growth of new age movements

They focus on spirituality and personal experience rather than collective workship of a God or diety

Drane (1999) - growth of new age movements

NAM hve grown bc they fit well into our postmodern world of pick and mix religion and identities

Define secularization

The decline in religious thinking, institutions and practice (loses social significance )

Desacralization of conciousness (Bruce)

people dont think in terms of religion anymore (religious thinking declines) - religion has minimal impact on someones life

data for desacralization of conciousness

2021 census - 49% of britons say they belive in God in comparison to 75% in the 1981

Cultural Christian (Bruce)

Many people describe themeselves as religious/christian but dont know much about the life of Jesus or the Bible

Decline in religious practice

1851 - 40% of the population went to church on sunday but now only 5% attend (CofE have seen a 15% drop in attendance)

Declining influence of religious institutions

Berger suggests Catholic Church has a sacred canopy over the world (Hegemony) -

Hegemony

Everyone holds the sames ideas which was set by the church

Structural differentiation (Parsons)

The idea that the functions of the church are being done by a different institutions eg the secular state - church loses significance

The rise of scientific ideologies and rationalism

Weber - protestant reformation brought new ideas of rationalism -as god acted consistently ppl felt that they could explore the world through scientific methods

Disenchantment of the world

Bruce - as people look for scientific and naturalistic explanations for phenomena rather than supernatural explanation

Privatisation of religion

Structural differentation - which means people have less contact with religious institutions and so people dont know what religion teaches

virtual collapse of religious socialisation

Arweck and Beck - secularisation of RE in schools - as students are not learning from religion itself and this leads to RE in schools being incredibly poor

why is RE in school incredibly poor

Many Re teachers are not subject-specialists and likely non-religious - will teach secular views

RE syllabus is more like sociology / cultural studies

Secularised from within

Herberg - religious have watered down teachingt to remarket themselves and be more attractive ( religious market theory)

Disneyization of religion

Bryman - people's experiences of religion is nowadays considered irrelevant and commercialised and that religious ideas that secular ppl are aware of have been diluted/simplified

Rise of postmodern ideologies; globalisation

Globalisation - more accesible to people bc of international media and migration

International media

People are aware of religions from around the world

Migration

Increased cultural diversity in British society so people are more accepting of different religions in order to be inclusive

What undermined the sacred canopy of the Catholic Church

Protestant reformation = plurality of religions have been tolerated in western world

Plausability crisis

Berger - where there are multiple opinions about religion so people start to they are all wrong

Individualisation and rejection of metanarratives

Lyotard - suggests that contemporary consumer - driven society ppl now chose their own 'pick and mix religions' ( centered around themselves and their own identity

Belief without belonging

Davie - secularisation isnt taking place its just that ppl are doing religion differently bc in the past ppl attended church bc of strong cultural norms

belief w/o belonging Hellend

Churches operate online to reach wider society - sermons online/ podcast ect

Vicarious religion

Davie - that people expect someone to do religion on their behalf

Spiritual health service

Davie- Church is where people can dip in-and-out when they need it

What did hervieu-leger say about society

Individualistic and Consumeristic

Spiritual pilgrims

Hervieu leger argues that one way people can fufill their spirituality is to become spiritual pilgrim (these people follow an individual path of personal self discovery.

Spiritual converts

Hervieu- leger -argues that another way to fufil their spirituality is to become a spiritual convert - thsi offers a strong sense of belonging

Lyon (2000)

argues that today postmodern society rejects all meta narrative claims

Postmodern religion

People may feel that religions might hold some truth and postmodernists are willing to pick-and-mix religion

Bellah

Sheilaism- 'I believe in God. Im not a religious fanatic'

Heelas and Woodhead

argue tha people have moved on from religion to spirituality

What did Heelas and Woodhead suggest

1. The holistic milieu was growing - new age spirituality is growing

2. The traditional churches were in decline

3. Evangelical churches are fairly stable

Cultural transition (Bruce)

Second and third generation immigrants lose their religious identities as they have transitioned into a new culture and secularisation follows

Cultural defence (Bruce)

Migrants feel uncertain in a new environemnet so revert back to religion to feel better

Religious market theory suggests two ways in which religion can show renewal of society

1. Times in a persons life when they feel out of control or start considering an ultimate questions

2. religions will rebrand themselves to be more appealing to society

= more religious ideas will enter the maretplace - growth of NAM and sects

Religion as a conservatice force (Functionalist perspective)

Parsons- shared norms and values - goal of religion is to produce value consensus that can produce social order like teachings such as do not murder

Durkheim : Totemism and Society worship

religion has been a major way by which society has been held together - religious ideologies seperate the world into the scared and profane

Totem represents the group idenity and so worship of the totem is worship of social group= strong level of social cohesion