Religion

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Religion
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Profane and SacredDifferentiating Between
Ordinary Extraordinary

• Emile Durkheim
• Religion focuses on things that surpass the
  limits of our own knowledge

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Profane outside the temple- Ordinary elements
of everyday life Sacred That which
is extraordinary, inspiring a sense of awe,
reverence, and even fear
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• Religion The social institution involving
  beliefs and practices based upon a conception of
  the sacred
• Ritual formal, ceremonial behavior

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• Faith
• Belief anchored in conviction rather than
  scientific evidence
• If not science, what?
• Scientific sociology is interested in the
  consequences of religious belief rather than a
  direct critique of the belief systems

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Structural Functional Analysis of Religion

• According to Durkheim religion has 3 major
  functions
• Social cohesion Unites people through shared
  symbols, values, and norms
• Totem an object in the natural world
  collectively defined as sacred
• Social control The use of religious symbols and
  language to control human behavior has always
  been with us
• Provides meaning and purpose Personal
  spirituality allows humans to pass through tough
  times without total collapse
• Critical Evaluation
• Downplays religions dysfunctions such as
  generating social conflict and violence

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Symbolic-interaction Analysis of Religion

• Religion is socially constructed (although
  perhaps with divine inspiration). Through
  rituals like prayers, fasts, observances we
  sharpen the distinction between sacred and
  profane
• According to Peter Burger placing our brief lives
  in some cosmic frame of reference gives us the
  semblance of security and permanence
• Critical Evaluation
• Socially constructed religion only works if we
  ignore that it is a social construct
• Downplays religions link to social inequality

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Social-conflict Analysis of Religion

• Religion serves the ruling elites by legitimizing
  the status quo and diverting peoples attention
  from social inequities
• Disrupts cultures with attempts to convert
  heathens
• Focuses on the better world to come Marx called
  it the opium of the people
• Critical Evaluation
• Downplays religions efforts to promote social
  equality as in the abolition of slavery and the
  civil rights movement

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Religious Organizations

• Church organization that is well integrated
  into society
• State church formally allied with the state
• Denomination independent of the state and
  pluralistic
• Sect a type of religious organization that
  stands apart from the larger society
• Leaders sometimes have charisma extraordinary
  personal qualities that can turn an audience into
  followers
• Cult religious organizations that are
  substantially outside a societys cultural
  traditions

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Religion in the U.S.

• RELIGIOSITY
• REFERS TO IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION IN A PERSONS
  LIFE
• TYPES
• EXPERIENTIAL EMOTIONAL TIES
• RITUALISTIC FREQUENCY OF ACTIVITIES
• IDEOLOGICAL DEGREE OF BELIEF IN DOCTRINE
• CONSEQUENTIAL TIE INTO DAILY ACTIVITIES
• INTELLECTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF RELIGION

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Religious Practices Are Found to Be Tied to
Various Other Social Patterns

• Social class
• High achievement Episcopalians, Presbyterians,
  and United Church of Christ congregations
• Moderate achievement Methodists and Catholics
• Lower achievement Baptists, Lutherans, and
  members of sects
• Jewish people tend to be represented among the
  higher achievers due to stress on education and
  achievement
• Race and ethnicity
• Many religions are tied to specific regions and
  societies in America
• Irish Catholics, Anglo-Saxon protestants, Greek
  orthodox, Russian Jews, etc

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History of religion

• IN PREINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
• RITUALS PRACTICED 40,000 YEARS AGO
• EMBRACED ANIMISM
• ELEMENTS OF THE NATURAL WORLD ARE CONSCIOUS LIFE
  FORMS THAT AFFECT HUMANITY
• NO FULL-TIME RELIGIOUS LEADERS
• IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
• SCIENCE HAS OFTEN REPLACED RELIGION AS A SOURCE
  OF COMFORT AND CERTAINTY
• SCIENCE IS SILENT WHEN IT COMES TO ANSWERING
  WHY WE AND THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE EXISTS
• OFTEN THESE TWO BELIEF SYSTEM ARE AT ODDS WITH
  ONE ANOTHER

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Religions Changing Face

• Secularization historical decline in the
  importance of the supernatural and the sacred
• Religion isnt going away, but rather some
  features are in decline
• Civil religion A quasi-religious loyalty
  binding people in a basically secular society
• American way of life has its core rooted in a
  moral belief system
• Religious revival
• New age spirituality flourishes
• Membership in mainstream churches dwindles
• Interests increases in Fundamentalism a
  conservative religious dogma that opposes
  intellectualism and worldly accommodation in
  favor of traditional otherworldly religion

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Fundamentalism

• Interpret sacred texts literally
• Rejects religious pluralism
• Pursues the personal experience of Gods presence
• Opposes secular humanism
• Endorse conservative political goals

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The Electronic Church

• Some organizations especially fundamentalist are
  becoming electronic churches
• Prime-time preachers include Oral Roberts, Pat
  Robertson, and Robert Schuler
• 10 million regular watchers 40 million watch
  some every week
• The internet is one of the most recent modalities
  to spread religion to people
• Pope John Paul II called it the new evangelism

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Christianity

• 2.0 BILLION FOLLOWERS
• 85 OF AMERICANS AND CANADIANS
• CHRISTIANITY BEGAN AS A CULT
• IT IS MONOTHEISTIC (ONE GOD)
• JESUS CHRIST IS CENTRAL FIGURE AS BOTH MAN ON
  EARTH AND SON OF GOD
• PREACHES PERSONAL SALVATION
• MANY SPLITS FROM ORIGINAL FORM OF ROMAN
  CATHOLICISM

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Islam

• 1.2 BILLION FOLLOWERS
• NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE ARABS
• THE MIDDLE-EAST, ASIA, AND PARTS OF AFRICA ARE
  ISLAMIC-CENTERED
• ISLAM IS THE WORD OF GOD AS REVEALED TO THE
  PROPHET MUHAMMAD, BORN IN MECCA AROUND 570
• THE QURAN URGES SUBMISSION TO GOD (ALLAH) AS THE
  PATH TO INNER PEACE
• FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
• RECOGNIZE ALLAH AS THE TRUE GOD
• RITUAL PRAYER
• GIVING OF ALMS TO THE POOR
• FASTING DURING RAMADAN
• MAKING THE ONCE IN A LIFETIME PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA

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Judaism

• 15 MILLION ADHERENTS WORLDWIDE
• NATIONAL MAJORITY ONLY IN ISRAEL
• JEWS BELIEVE THAT A COVENANT EXISTS BETWEEN GOD
  AND GODS CHOSEN PEOPLE
• THE TORAH EMPHASIZES MORAL BEHAVIOR IN THE WORLD
• DENOMINATIONS
• ORTHODOX JEWS ARE VERY TRADITIONAL
• REFORM JUDAISM IS MORE CHURCH-LIKE
• CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM ACTS TO BRIDGE THE FIRST TWO
  BELIEF SYSTEMS
• ANTI-SEMITISM
• PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST JEWISH
  PEOPLE

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Hinduism

• THE OLDEST OF ALL WORLD RELIGIONS
• MORE THAN 800 MILLION BELIEVERS
• FOUND MOSTLY IN INDIA AND AFRICA
• NO SACRED WRITINGS LIKE THE BIBLE
• PRINCIPLES
• DHARMA REFERS TO CORRECT LIVING
• KARMA REFERS TO BELIEF IN SPIRITUAL PROGRESS
  THROUGH REINCARNATION
• NIRVANA REPRESENTS SPIRITUAL PERFECTION AND A
  RELEASE FROM THE CYCLE OF REBIRTH

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Buddhism

• 350 MILLION PERSONS
• ALMOST ALL ASIANS
• RESEMBLES HINDUISM IN DOCTRINE AND CHRISTIANITY
  DUE TO ITS TIES TO THE LIFE OF ONE INDIVIDUAL
• SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA
• ACHIEVED BODHI OR ENLIGHTENMENT
• BECAME BUDDHA
• NO GOD OF JUDGMENT, BUT DAILY ACTION HAS ITS
  CONSEQUENCES

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Confucianism

• 100,000 PERSONS IN NORTH AMERICA
• PRIOR TO THE 1949 REVOLUTION, IT WAS AN ECCLESIA
  THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF CHINA
• PERHAPS IT IS MORE A WAY OF DISCIPLINED LIVING
  THAN A RELIGION