Chapter 12: Religion

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Chapter 12 Religion

• The Meaning of Sacred Meaning

Soc 100
Dr. Santos
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What does religion do for us?

• Meets basic spiritual needs
• Explains the meaning of life and suffering
• The sacred realm- the dimension of life separate
  from the mundane elicits awe
• Provides guidelines, beliefs, and values that
  separate right from wrong
• Sacrilizes our culture - makes some things in our
  culture sacred and unquestionable

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Components of religion

• Meaning system- a faith or world-view that
  provides a sense of meaning and purpose in life
• Belonging system- a set of interpersonal
  relationships and friendship networks
• Structural system- a stable pattern of roles,
  statuses, and organizational practices

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Meaning system

• Micro-level
• Includes the ideas and symbols of religion
• Provides a big picture explanation for chaotic
  or otherwise incomprehensible events
• The meaning system of religions vary with the
  needs of each culture

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Belonging system

• Micro- and meso-level
• Many people join religions because they feel a
  sense of belonging there, not just because they
  believe in the tenants
• Religions in the U.S. that encourage endogamy and
  foster belongingness have been the most
  successful in recent years

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Structural system

• Macro- and global-level
• Religious authorities must interpret certain
  tenants of faith - otherwise there would be
  little common meaning, just individual
  interpretations
• Religions must find a way of raising funds,
  ensuring group coordination, etc.
• Religions must become institutionalized in order
  to survive
• Routinization of charisma

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How do individuals become religious? Micro-level
analysis

• Religion is mostly learned through family
  socialization
• Formal means- within a temple, church, or mosque
• Informal means- by observing others practice
  their religions, do what they preach
• Individuals usually change religions first on the
  belonging level - meaning and structural levels
  follow

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Symbolic interactionist perspective

• Concerned with how people make sense of things
  and construct their worlds
• Myths - stories embodying ideas about the world
• Rituals - group activities in which myths are
  reinforced
• Orthopraxy- conformity of behavior
• Orthodoxy- conformity of beliefs
• Symbols - anything that can stand for something
  else
• Symbols are used extensively in rituals to
  represent myths

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Rational choice perspective

• Individuals who have freedom of religion decide
  whether to belong to a religious group by
  weighing the costs and benefits of membership
• Churchgoers viewed as consumers
• Churches seen as entrepreneurial establishments
• Religious groups produce commodities to meet
  consumer demand

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Religion and modern life Meso-level analysis

• In more complex societies, religion is distinct
  from other institutions, but influences and is
  influenced by them
• The dominant religion generally supports the
  political system and ideology of the dominant
  group and can be pressured by other institutions

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Religion and family

• Parents provide our first contact with religion
• Religiosity- a persons degree of religious
  involvement
• Associated with positive moral beliefs and
  behaviors
• Religion can sometimes increase family tensions

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Religion and politics

• Theocracy - rule by God (or religious leaders who
  act in accordance with Gods presumed wishes)
• State religion - a religion that has some
  autonomy but receives state tax money
• Some states prohibit religion
• Civil religion - a movement that develops in
  complex societies which is based on a set of
  beliefs, symbols, and rituals that pervade many
  aspects of secular life and institutions they
  endorse what the nation stands for.
• E.g., the American Creed

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Religion and the economy

• Max Weber- Protestantism and capitalism
• Predestination
• The calling
• Self denial and delayed gratification
• Individualism
• Religion is a big business in the United States
• When the economy is bad, religions arise that
  predict a swift end to the world

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Types of religious associations

• The ecclesia - claim everybody within the
  boundaries of a certain society as members
• Denominations - generally supports the basic
  values of the larger society, has a clear
  hierarchy, trained leadership, and accommodates
  the state
• Sects - form in protest against its parent
  religion separated from other religions and
  social groups, claim a monopoly over religious
  truth, and often demand total allegiance of their
  members
• New religious movements - unlike sects, if these
  groups survive for several generations, become
  established, and gain some legitimacy, they
  become new religions in the society rather than
  new denominations of the existing faith

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Religion in society Macro-level analysis

• Functionalist perspective - religion has positive
  consequences in society through
• Promoting social cohesion
• Blessing (legitimizing) social values and norms
• Promoting social change (e.g., nation-building,
  social justice, conquest, etc.)

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Religion in society Macro-level analysis

• Conflict perspective - religion can serve
  different purposes for people based on their
  position in society and can reinforce
  socially-defined differences in a way that
  legitimizes inequality
• Marx - religion perpetuates the current social
  structure and acts as the opiate of the masses
• Religion is class-based in most societies
• Elective affinity

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Racial bias, gender prejudice, and religion

• Part of conflict theory
• Ministers used to interpret sacred texts to
  justify, explain and sustain racial hierarchies
• Women have traditionally been more active in
  religion than men, but are often denied the
  highest positions within the church

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Religion in North America

• Religion as a whole has been more stable than
  unstable over time
• Mainline Protestant Catholic religions are
  losing members while fundamentalist (Evangelical)
  and Pentecostal groups are gaining members

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Secularization

• Secularization - a movement away from the
  supernatural and sacred in favor of logic and
  empirical evidence
• Acts differently on different levels of analysis
• There is a general trend toward secularization,
  but religion is still very important at the
  micro-level and has numerous macro-level
  consequences, including fundamentalist backlashes
• The global level is almost totally secular

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Social policy The homosexual debates

• Opposition to homosexuality is very high among
  fundamentalists
• Liberals see the rejection of homosexuals within
  churches as discriminatory
• Policy issues for the future include
• Whether homosexuals can become clergy
• Whether gay marriage should be permitted
• Whether churches should become involved in
  governmental policies e.g., constitutional
  amendment banning gay marriage

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Religion in the modern world

• Fundamentalist groups - those that believe in a
  literal interpretation of their holy books and a
  personal experience with their deity generally
  believe they are the one true religion often
  reject modernity
• Liberal theologians - believe there can be more
  than one path to truth (though they may feel that
  their personal beliefs are the fullest and most
  complete path) some emphasize social justice,
  peace

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• Most religious groups advocate peace and harmony,
  but some try to spread what they see as the true
  word through force
• Conflict between religious groups is more intense
  if ethnic, larger religious, and economic
  differences exist
• Religion can also reduce hatred between groups if
  there are some commonalities between groups
• New technology has allowed for greater spread of
  religions