Religion

1
Chapter 17

• Religion

2
Chapter Outline

• 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

3
An Overview Of Religion

• Religion is a system of beliefs and practices
  based on some sacred or supernatural realm, that
  guides human behavior, gives meaning to life, and
  unites believers into a single moral community.
• The sociology of religion focuses on religious
  groups and organizations, on the behavior of
  individuals within those groups, and on ways
  religion is intertwined with social institutions.

4
How Much Do You Know About the Impact of Religion
on U.S. Education?

• True or False?
• The Constitution of the United States originally
  specified that religion should be taught in the
  public schools.

5
How Much Do You Know About the Impact of Religion
on U.S. Education?

• False.
• Due to the diversity of religious backgrounds of
  the early settlers, no mention of religion was
  made in the original Constitution. Even the sole
  provision that currently exists (the
  establishment clause of the First Amendment) does
  not speak directly of the issue of religious
  learning in public education.

6
How Much Do You Know About the Impact of Religion
on U.S. Education?

• True or False?
• Parochial schools have decreased in enrollment as
  interest in religion has waned in the United
  States.

7
How Much Do You Know About the Impact of Religion
on U.S. Education?

• False.
• Just the opposite has happened. As parents have
  felt that children were not receiving the type of
  education they desired in public schools,
  parochial schools have flourished. Christian
  schools have grown to more than 5,000 in number
  Jewish parochial schools have also grown rapidly
  over the past decade.

8
Question

• When you were a child, how often did your mother
  attend religious services?
• Rarely to Never(Never or 1 or 2 per year)
• Infrequently to Several a year (1 to 3 per
  month)
• Often (About weekly, Weekly, Several times/week)

9
GSS National Data
Religion Lib. Protestant Con. Protestant Catholic Jewish None
Rarely 14 14.1 11.4 53.7 34.1
Several 32.2 24.6 20.4 36.6 23
Often 53.8 61.2 68.2 9.8 42.9
10
Religion

• Seeks to answer questions such as why we exist,
  why people suffer and die and what happens when
  we die.
• Comprised of beliefs, symbols and rituals.
• All known groups over the past 100,000 years have
  had some form of religion.

11
Religion

• Faith is unquestioning belief that does not
  require proof or scientific evidence.
• Sacred refers to those aspects of life that are
  extraordinary or supernatural.
• Profane refers to the everyday, secular aspects
  of life.
• Rituals are regularly repeated and carefully
  prescribed forms of behaviors that symbolize a
  cherished value or belief.

12
Question

• How important would you say religion is in your
  own life?
• Very important
• Fairly important
• Not very important
• No opinion

13
Four Categories of Religion

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

14
Four Categories of Religion

• Theism - belief in a God or Gods.
• Transcendent idealism - belief in sacred
  principles of thought and conduct, such as truth,
  justice, life and tolerance for others.

15
Secularization

• The process by which religious beliefs,
  practices, and institutions lose their
  significance in sectors of society and culture.

16
Question

• _____________ is the belief that supernatural
  forces affect peoples lives either positively or
  negatively.
• monotheism
• polytheism
• simple supernaturalism
• nontheistic religion

17
Answer c

• Simple supernaturalism is the belief that
  supernatural forces affect peoples lives either
  positively or negatively.

18
Question

• ___________ is a belief in a single supreme
  being who is responsible for significant events.
• monotheism
• polytheism
• simple supernaturalism
• nontheistic religion

19
Answer a

• Monotheism is a belief in a single supreme being
  who is responsible for significant events.

20
Major World Religions
Christianity Islam
Current Followers 1.7 billion 1 billion
Founder Jesus Muhammad
Date 1st century C.E. ca. 600 C.E
21
Major World Religions
Hinduism Buddhism
Current Followers 719 million 309 million
Founder No specific founder Siddhartha Gautama
Date ca. 1500 B.C.E 500 to 600 B.C.E.
22
Major World Religions
Judaism Confucianism
Current Followers 18 million 5.9 million
Founder Abraham, Isaac, Jacob Kung Fu-Tzu
Date ca. 2000 B.C.E. 500 B.C.E
23
Durkheim on Religion

• According to Emile Durkheim, all religions share
  three elements
• Beliefs held by adherents.
• Practices (rituals) engaged in collectively by
  believers.
• A moral community based on the groups shared
  beliefs and practices pertaining to the sacred.

24
Functionalist Perspective

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

25
Civil Religion

• The set of beliefs, rituals, and symbols that
  makes sacred the values of the society and places
  the nation in the context of the ultimate system
  of meaning.
• Civil religion is not tied to any one
  denomination or religious group.

26
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.

27
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.

28
Question

• According to the functionalist perspective,
  religion offers meaning for the human experience
  by
• providing an explanation for events that create a
  profound sense of loss on both an individual and
  a group basis.
• offering people a reference group to help them
  define themselves.
• reinforcing existing social arrangements.
• encouraging secularization.

29
Answer a

• According to the functionalist perspective,
  religion offers meaning for the human experience
  by providing an explanation for events that
  create a profound sense of loss on both an
  individual and a group basis.

30
Question

• In regard to religion, Max Weber asserted that
• church and state should be separated.
• religion could be a catalyst to produce social
  change.
• religion retards social change.
• the religious teachings of the Catholic Church
  were directly related to the rise of capitalism.

31
Answer b

• In regard to religion, Max Weber asserted that
  religion could be a catalyst to produce social
  change.

32
Characteristics of Churches and Sects
Organization Membership
Church Large, bureaucratic organization,led by professional clergy Open to all members usually from upper and middle classes
Sect Small group,high degree of lay participation Guarded membership, usually from lower classes
33
Characteristics of Churches and Sects
Worship Salvation
Church Formal, orderly Granted by God
Sect Informal, spontaneous Achieved by moral purity
34
Characteristics of Churches and Sects
Attitude Toward Other Religions
Church Tolerant
Sect Intolerant
35
Question

• The Anglican Church in England and the Lutheran
  church in Sweden are examples of a(n)
• church
• sect.
• denomination.
• ecclesia.

36
Answer d

• The Anglican Church in England and the Lutheran
  church in Sweden are examples of a(n) ecclesia.

37
Original Locations of the Worlds Major Religions
38
Major U.S. Denominations That Self-identify As
Christian
Religious Body Members Churches
Roman Catholic 66,407,000 19,484
Southern Baptist Convention 16,248,000 42,775
United Methodist 8,251,000 35,102
Church of God in Christ 5,500,000 15,300
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints 5,411,000 11,879
39
Major U.S. Denominations That Self-identify As
Christian
Religious Body Members Churches
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 5,038,000 10,721
National Baptist Convention,USA 5,000,000 9,000
National Baptist Convention of America 3,500,000 N.A.
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 3,407,000 11,097
Assemblies of God 2,687,000 12,133
40
Question

• What was your mother's religious preference when
  you were a child was it
• Protestant
• Catholic
• Jewish

41
GSS National Data
Region East Midwest South West
Protestant 43 64.7 79 61.3
Catholic 53.4 34.3 19.8 34.6
Jewish 3.7 1 1.2 4.1
42
U.S. Religious BodiesMembership
Religious Body Members
Protestants 91,500,000
Roman Catholics 63,683,000
Muslims 6,000,000
Jews 5,602,000
Orthodox Christians 5,631,000
Buddhists 1,864,000
Hindus 795,000
43
Question

• Do you believe in God?
• Yes
• No

44
Sociological Perspectives Of Religion

Functionalist Sacred beliefs and rituals bind people together and help maintain social control.
Conflict Religion may be used to justify the status quo (Marx) or to promote social change.
Symbolic Interactionist Religion may serve as a reference group for many people, but because of race, class, and gender people may experience it differently.
45
Question

• How much confidence do you have in organized
  religion?
• Great deal
• Only some
• Hardly any

46
GSS National Data
Education No High School Diploma High School Diploma College Education
Great deal 30.5 27 22.6
Only same 46.8 51.2 55.3
Hardly any 22.7 21.8 22.2
47
Fundamentalism

• A traditional religious doctrine that is
  conservative, is typically opposed to modernity,
  and rejects worldly pleasures in favor of
  otherworldly spirituality.

48
Liberation Theology

• The Christian movement that advocates freedom
  from political subjugation within a traditional
  perspective and the need for social
  transformation to benefit the poor and
  downtrodden.

49
Quick Quiz
50

• 1. According to Sociologists, religion attempts
  to
• bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.
• have a personal relationship with God.
• all of the choices.
• save every soul.

51
Answer a

• According to Sociologists, religion attempts to
  bridge the gap between the known and the unknown.

52

• 2. Who said "religion is the opiate of the
  masses?
• Emile Durkheim
• Karl Marx
• Max Weber
• Talcott Parsons

53
Answer b

• Karl Marx said "religion is the opiate of the
  masses?

54

• 3. A relatively small religious group that has
  broken away from another religious organization
  to renew what it views as the original version of
  the faith is referred to as
• an ecclesia
• Catholicism
• a sect
• a denomination

55
Answer c

• A relatively small religious group that has
  broken away from another religious organization
  to renew what it views as the original version of
  the faith is referred to as a sect.

56

• 4. Unquestioning belief that does not require
  proof or scientific evidence is
• sacred
• profane
• taboo
• faith

57
Answer d

• 4. Unquestioning belief that does not require
  proof or scientific evidence is faith.

58

• 5. Which of these is not one of the three
  elements shared by all religions, as enumerated
  by Emile Durkheim?
• beliefs
• practices
• a moral community
• dogma

59
Answer d

• Dogma is not one of the three elements shared by
  all religions, as enumerated by Emile Durkheim?

60

• 6. From a Conflict perspective, religion tends
  to
• end strife and bring people together.
• promote strife between groups and societies.
• save souls, but marginalize groups.
• separate the good people from the bad.

61
Answer b

• From a Conflict perspective, religion tends to
  promote strife between groups and societies.

62

• 7. _____ is the belief that humans can become
  better through their own efforts rather than
  through belief in God and religious conversion.
• New Ageism
• Secularization
• Liberation theology
• Secular humanism

63
Answer d

• Secular humanism is the belief that humans can
  become better through their own efforts rather
  than through belief in God and religious
  conversion.