Religion and Gender

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Religion and Gender
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Key Points

• In every known time and place and in almost every
  way, women tend to be more religious than men.
• Prior research (and Stark and Millers own data)
  fails to sustain claims that differential
  socialization is the basis for the link between
  gender and religiousness.
• The only other gender difference similar to the
  one involving religion is that males are
  universally far more likely than females to
  commit crimes.
• Irreligiousness, like committing crime, is a form
  of risk-taking behavior.
• Gender effects on religion might be explained in
  terms of differences in risk-taking behavior
  between men and women (women tend to have greater
  aversion to risk).
• There is a strong possibility that the gender
  difference related to risk-taking can be at least
  partially accounted for physiologically.

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Percent Who Attend Church at Least Monthly
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Percent Who Pray
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Percent Who Say They are A Religious Person
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Discussion Questions

• Do you find Stark and Millers argument and data
  about religion and gender to be compelling? Why
  or why not?
• What are the implications if the gender
  difference in religiosity is physiologically
  drive?

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Revelations
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Key Points

• A sociological study of revelation is limited to
  looking at the human side of the phenomenon.
  Scientists cannot say whether or not individuals
  actually speak with God.
• A revelation is a communication believed to come
  from a God.
• Individuals who receive revelations will be more
  confident in them to the extent that others
  accept them.
• Recipients of revelation will be more likely to
  convince others of their validity when they are
  respected members of an intense primary group.
• The greater the reinforcement received the more
  likely a person is to have additional revelations.

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Who will be more likelyto receive revelations?

• Individuals who have had direct contact with a
  role model (someone who has had such
  communications).
• Individuals who live when and where there is a
  supportive cultural tradition of revelation.
• Individuals who are either open or sensitive to
  real communication or who have unusual creativity
  enabling them to create it.
• Individuals who are interested in religion

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What kind of revelations will more likely occur?

• Most episodes involving contact with the divine
  will merely confirm the conventional religious
  culture.
• Novel revelations will be more likely to occur
  when shortcomings in conventional faith is
  perceived.
• Novel revelations will be more likely to occur
  during periods of social crisis.
• Revelations received by a certain individual tend
  to become more novel over time if they continue
  to be reinforced.
• Successful religious groups developed around
  revelations will attempt to curtail revelations
  or to at least prevent novel revelations.

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Discussion Questions

• In what ways might religious organizations
  founded on revelation attempt to prevent or
  curtail further revelation. Why?
• How might this be related to Webers discussion
  of charisma?