Chapter 17, Religion

1
Chapter 17, Religion

• The Sociological Study of Religion
• Sociological Perspectives on Religion
• World Religions
• Types of Religious Organization
• Trends in Religion in the United States
• Religion in the Future

2
Religion

• Asks
• Why do we exist?
• Why do people suffer and die?
• What happens when we die?
• All known groups over the past 100,000 years have
  had some form of religion.

3
Four Main Categories of Religion

1. Simple supernaturalism - the belief that
   supernatural forces affect people's lives
   positively or negatively.
2. Animism - the belief that plants, animals, and
   elements of the natural world are endowed with
   spirits that impact events in society.

4
Four Main Categories of Religion

1. Theism - belief in a God or Gods.
2. Nontheistic religion - based on a belief in
   divine spiritual forces such as sacred principles
   of thought and conduct, rather than a god or gods.

5
Functionalist Perspective

• Religion has 3 important functions
• Providing meaning and purpose to life.
• Promoting social cohesion and a sense of
  belonging.
• Providing social control and support for the
  government.

6
Conflict Perspective

• According to Karl Marx, religion is the "opiate
  of the people."
• Max Weber argued that religion could be a
  catalyst to produce social change.

7
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

• Religion serves as a reference group to help
  people define themselves.
• Womens versions of a certain religion usually
  differ from mens versions.

8
World Religions

• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Judaism
• Islam
• Christianity

9
Hinduism

• Believed to be the oldest religion.
• Individual souls (jivas) enter the world and pass
  through a sequence of bodies as they undergo
  cycles of life, death and rebirth until the soul
  earns liberation.
• The souls acquisition of each new body is tied
  to the law of karma.

10
Buddhism Four Noble Truths

• Life is dukkha - pain and suffering
• Cause of lifes suffering is tanha - grasping,
  craving and coveting.
• One can overcome tanha and be released in
  Ultimate Freedom in Perfect Existence (nirvana).
• Overcoming desire can be accomplished though the
  Eightfold Path to Nirvana.

11
Confucianism

• The family of scholars
• People must learn the importance of order in
  human relationships and follow a strict moral
  conduct including
• Respect for others
• Benevolence
• Reciprocity

12
Judaism

• There are an estimated 18 million Jews in about
  134 countries worldwide.
• Three key components God (the deity) Torah
  (Gods teachings ) and Israel (the holy nation).
• Three main branches Orthodox, Reform and
  Conservative

13
Islam

• More than 19 of the world's population considers
  itself to be Muslim.
• The notion of jihad (struggle) is a core belief.
• The Greater Jihad - internal struggle against sin
  in a persons heart.
• Lesser Jihad - external struggle that takes place
  in the world.

14
Christianity

• Does not have ethnic or tribal qualifications but
  is based on a set of beliefs.
• Almost 1/3 of the worlds population refer to
  themselves as Christians.

15
Four Types of Religious Organization

• Ecclesia
• Church
• Sect
• Cult

16
The Rise of Fundamentalism

• Has emerged because people do not like to see
  social changes taking place that affect their
  beliefs and values.
• People have viewed science and new technologies
  as a threat to traditional beliefs and practices.
• Fundamentalism opposes religious accommodation to
  the things of the world.