Religion

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Religion
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Religion as a Social Institution

• Religion
• Set of institutionalized beliefs and practices
  that deal with the meaning of life
• Beliefs and actions related to the supernatural
• Relieves anxiety when the world doesnt make sense

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Beliefs
• Define the supernatural/divine order, clarify
  humans role
• Organize perceptions of the world
• Create a guide for behavior

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Beliefs
• Myth Narrative stories about supernatural forces
  or beings
• Serve to express core beliefs and teach morality
• Transmit information about survival and
  conservation
• Doctrine Direct statements about religious
  beliefs
• Written, formal

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Rituals
• Formal enactments of religious beliefs
• Activities have symbolic meanings

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Rituals
• Periodic rituals

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Rituals
• Periodic rituals
• Life-cycle rituals
• Separation
• Transition
• Reintegration

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Rituals
• Periodic rituals
• Life-cycle rituals
• Separation
• Transition
• Reintegration
• Pilgrimage

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Rituals
• Periodic rituals
• Life-cycle rituals
• Separation
• Transition
• Reintegration
• Pilgrimage
• Rituals of inversion

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Elements of Religion

• Religious Rituals
• Periodic rituals
• Life-cycle rituals
• Separation
• Transition
• Reintegration
• Pilgrimage
• Rituals of inversion
• Sacrifice

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Elements of Religion

• Subjective Experiences
• Arise out of rituals and beliefs
• Religion provides framework to interpret inner
  states

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Elements of Religion

• Community
• Shared beliefs, rituals, experiences create a
  community of believers

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An Evolutionary Model of Religion

• Magic ? Religion ? Science
• Magic Peoples attempt to compel supernatural
  forces/beings to act in certain ways
• Imitative magic
• Contagious magic
• Arose out of need for explanation esp.
  difference between living and dead
• Animism

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A Functionalist Theory of Religion

• Durkheim Societies distinguish between
• Sacred That which is holy, inspires awe, must be
  treated with respect
• Profane Ordinary, everyday things that may be
  treated casually

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A Functionalist Theory of Religion

• Totem Sacred emblem that members of a group
  treat with reverence
• To Durkheim, totems were symbols of deity and
  symbols of society
• Experiences we categorize as religious are
  responses to social forces
• Role of science vs. role of religion

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A Conflict Theory of Religion

• Marx
• Religion serves the interests of the ruling elite
• Masks the exploitation of the workers and the
  class inequality of capitalism
• Alienation

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Religion as an Agent of Social Change

• Weber
• Calvinism
• Doctrine of Predestination
• Worldly Asceticism

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Types of Religious Organizations

• Established church
• Organization that claims unique legitimacy
• Has positive relationship with society

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Types of Religious Organizations

• Sect
• Organization that claims unique legitimacy
• Stands apart from society

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Types of Religious Organizations

• Denomination
• Organization that accepts legitimacy of other
  religions
• Has positive relationship with society

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Types of Religious Organizations

• Cult
• Organization that accepts legitimacy of other
  religions
• Has negative relationship with society

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Dilemmas of Institutionalization

• Mixed motivations
• Symbol systems
• Organization
• Letter vs. spirit of religious law
• Conversion vs. coercion