Chapter 17, Religion

1
Chapter 17, Religion

• Defining Religion
• The Significance of Religion in American Society
• Forms of Religion
• Sociological Theories of Religion

2
Chapter 17, Religion

• Globalization World Religions and Diversity
• Religious Organizations
• Becoming Religious
• Social and Political Attitudes The Impact of
  Religion
• Religion and Social Change

3
Six Defining Elements of Religion

1. Religion is institutionalized.
2. Religion is a feature of groups.
3. Religions are based on beliefs that are
   considered sacred, as distinguished from profane.

4
Six Defining Elements of Religion

1. Religion establishes values and moral
   proscriptions for behavior.
2. Religion establishes norms for behavior.
3. Religion provides answers to questions of
   ultimate meaning, as distinguished from secular
   beliefs.

5
Religious Identification in the U.S.

• Protestant 57
• Catholic 26
• None/Undesignated 12
• Jewish 2
• Mormon 1
• Orthodox Church 1
• Other 2

6
Durkheim The Functions of Religion

• Religion is functional for society
• Reaffirms the social bonds between people.
• Creates social cohesion and integration through
  religious rituals.
• Binds individuals to society by establishing a
  collective consciousness.

7
Weber The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of
Capitalism

• The Protestant faith supported the development of
  Capitalism.
• Material wealth meant one was favored by God,
  motivating Protestants to work to confirm their
  salvation.
• Value judgments about those who havent succeeded
  can be traced to influence of religion.

8
 Marx Religion, Social Conflict, and Oppression

• Religion legitimates the social order and
  supports the ideas of the ruling class.
• Oppressed people develop religion to soothe their
  distress and it prevents them from rising up
  against oppression.
• Religion can be the basis for social change or
  social continuity.

9
Religions of the World

• Religions of the World
• Christianity 1.9 billion
• Islam 1.2 billion
• Hindus 761 million
• Chinese folk-religionists 379 million
• Buddhists 363 million
• Jewish 14 million

10
 Christianity

• Dominant religion worldwide and in the U.S.
• Two categories of Protestants mainline and
  conservative fundamentalists.
• Roman Catholics adhere to a hierarchical
  religious system, with values and codes of
  behavior mandated by the Pope.

11
 Judaism

• More than 40 of the world's Jewish population
  lives in the U.S.
• The Jewish faith is more than 4,000 years old.
• 19 of Jewish Americans attend services in a
  typical week, but most observe the high holidays
  and bar/s mitzvahs.

12
 Judaism

• Jews are both a religious group and a minority
  group.
• The bond of solidarity among the Jewish people is
  strengthened by their history of persecution and
  by continuing prejudice against them.

13
 Islam

• Muslims believe that Islam is the word of God,
  revealed in the prophet Muhammad.
• Highly traditional Islamic fundamentalists adhere
  strictly to the word of the Koran.
• Muslims have a patriarchal world view with women
  being denied the freedoms men enjoy.

14
Hinduism

• Karma is the principle that sees all human action
  as having spiritual consequences.
• Deeply linked to the caste system in India.
• Gandhi used Hindu principles of justice, honesty,
  and courage to guide one of the most important
  independence movements in the world.

15
 Buddhism

• Buddhism encourages its followers to pursue
  spiritual transformation and enlightenment to
  relive themselves of worldly suffering.
• Involves a concept of birth and rebirth through
  reincarnation.
• Many New Age spiritual groups in Western society
  have adopted its focus on meditation.

16
 Confucianism

• A complex religious system originating in China,
  Confucianism promotes a disciplined way of life.
• Confucians follow the principles of Confucius, a
  leader who promoted certain moral practices.
• The expression of goodness and social unity is an
  important principle, there is not a particular
  god or set of disciples Confucians follow.

17
 Diversity and Religious Belief

• In general, those most likely to be unaffiliated
  with any church are young, White, well-educated,
  non-Southern men who move frequently.
• The most religiously committed are older, African
  American, less educated, Southern women who are
  geographically stable.

18
Three Types of Religious Organizations

• Churches - formal organizations that are seen by
  society, as the primary and legitimate religious
  institutions.
• Sects - groups that have broken off from an
  established church.
• Cults - religious groups devoted to a specific
  cause or a leader with charisma.

19
 Becoming Religious

• People learn religious faith through religious
  socialization.
• The family is one of the main sources of
  religious socialization.
• Religious conversion involves a dramatic
  transformation of religious identity.

20
Religious Conversion

• A social process in three phases
• Disruption in previous life experience leading to
  withdrawal and some loss of autonomy.
• Creation of an emotional bond with group members
  and a weakening of former bonds.
• Period of intense interaction with the new group.

21
Religion Social and Political Attitudes

• Racial Prejudice. People who belong to religious
  organizations that encourage intolerance are
  likely to be racially prejudiced.
• Homophobia is linked to religious orientations
  that promote intolerance of any kind.
• Anti-Semitism is one of the worlds most
  persistent forms of prejudice.

22
The New Religious Conservatism

• Fundamentalists whose unity is facilitated
  through Christian religious media, have
• Fueled anti-abortion activism.
• Revived the effort to teach creationism.
• Campaigned against womens rights and gay and
  lesbian rights, while supporting family values.

23
Changes in Religious Behavior

• Enormous growth in conservative religious groups.
• Evangelical groups have been highly influential
  though their use of electronic media.
• Religion has had an important part in the civil
  rights movement and feminism.