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Religion
Lecture #17
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 systems are at odds with one
another
Religion and Social Change
At some points in history, religion has promoted
dramatic social transformations.
It was the religious doctrine of Calvinism that
sparked the Industrial Revolution (Capitalism).
Christianity has a long standing concern for the
poor and oppressed people
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Defining Religion
Religion is a common human
response to the fact that we all stand
at the edge of an abyss. It helps us
cope with the terrifying fact that we
must die. It offers us immortality, the
promise of better times to come, and
the security of benevolent spirits who
look over us. It provides meaning and
purpose in a world that might
otherwise seem cruel and senseless.
Types of Religious Groups
Cult
A new or different religion, with few followers, whose
teaching and practice put it at odds with the dominant
culture and religion
Sect
Loosely organized and small (but larger than a cult)
“Evangelism”
Types of Religious Groups
Institutionalized Religion
Highly bureaucratized
Formal
Ecclesia
Strong links to broader society and its institutions
(especially government)
Denominations
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Christianity
APPROXIMATELY 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
Global Map: Christianity in Global Perspective
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
THE QUR’AN 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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Global Map: Islam in Global Perspective
Judaism
15 MILLION ADHERENTS WORLDWIDE
NATIONAL MAJORITY ONLY IN ISRAEL
JEWS BELIEVE THAT A COVENANT EXISTS BETWEEN
GOD AND GOD’S 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
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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Global Map: Hinduism in Global Perspective
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 JUDGEMENT,” BUT DAILY ACTION
HAS ITS CONSEQUENCES
Global Map: Buddhism in Global Perspective
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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
Religion in Canada
Weekly attendance has declined, but
Most still believe God exists
New Age movements are popular
More identify with Roman Catholicism than
with other religions
Increases in number of Hindus, Muslims,
and Sikhs
16% now say “No Religion”
Theoretical Analysis of Religion:
Structural-Functional Analysis
Society has a power of its own beyond the
life of the individual.
Society itself is a “godlike” being.
People engage in religious life to celebrate
the awesome power of their society.
People transform everyday objects into
sacred symbols of their collective life.
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Durkheim: Religion and Social
Solidarity
Religion is not an unnecessary illusion; it promotes social
solidarity. Society itself inspires religious convictions.
The most distinctive claim is the division of life into two
components:
That which people set apart as extraordinary, inspiring a
sense of awe and reverence is considered sacred
Emile Durkheim stated as human beings, we define most
objects, events, and experiences as Profane (ordinary
things)
Religious leaders designate some objects as sacred and
others as profane.
Religion – a social institution involving beliefs and
practices based on a conception of the sacred.
Durkheim
According to Durkheim religion has 3 major functions
Social cohesion – Unites people through shared symbols, values, and
norms
Example: 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
Durkheim pays too much attention to the role of religion in
maintaining social cohesion. In reality, religion often incites
social conflict.
When religion does increase social cohesion, it often reinforces
social inequality. Durkheim ignores this issue too.
Theoretical Analysis of Religion:
Social-Conflict Analysis
Religion serves ruling elites by legitimizing
the status quo and diverting people’s
attention from social inequities.
Religion encourages people to look
hopefully to a better world to come
Religion and social inequality are also
linked through gender.
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Marx: Religion and Ideology
Religion serves to justify the rule of one class
over another; under capitalism, it is the rule of
bourgeoisies over the proletariats; under
communism, the churches would wither awa
Beliefs are comforting illusions for the
oppressed: “opium of the people.”
Distractions from oppression
The emancipation of humanity requires a
critique of religion.
Weber: Religion and Rationalization
Greater rationalization is not necessarily good:
Modern people were “specialists without spirit and
sensualists without heart.”
Religion explained pain and suffering
At first, magic and “this-worldly” explanations
As societies became complex, turned to ascetic
and “other-worldly.” They demanded purity of
thoughts and deeds: the conception of the world
and behaviour became more rational.
By comparing different religions, Weber also showed
that conceptions of God are strongly related to the
economic, political, and social conditions in which
people live.
Weber: Religion and The Spirit of
Capitalism
Max Weber
Modernization
The “Spirit of Capitalism”
“Protestant Ethic”
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Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Religious Symbols
Rituals
Beliefs
Community
Feminist Perspective
Female spirituality
Revisionists
Reformists
Revolutionaries
Rejectionists
The Consequences of Religion
Personal Consequences
• Findings on the relationship between level of
religious commitment and mental health are
contradictory.
• In general, Canadian studies show that religious
commitment in itself has a very small influence on
mental health, suggesting that religion is only one
route to personal happiness.
Interpersonal Consequences
• Religious and non-religious Canadians are about
equally compassionate and tolerant but religious
people are more opposed to “moral innovation”.
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The Consequences of Religion
Social Consequences
• In the United States, there exists a civil
religion which is simply the American Way
of Life. This is less true in Canada.
• In the United States religion has an
integrative function. This is also less true in
Canada.
• Religion has on occasion challenged North
American culture.
Religion in the 21st Century
Emphasis is on revivalism and innovation.
Shift in religious consciousness to
1. Individualism: what can be done for me
2. Religious experience: people want to be moved
3. Pragmatic approach to authority and practice
4. Greater tolerance for other systems, and their
beliefs and practices are integrated:
syncretism
5. Holistic approach
6. Suspicion of institutionalization
The Future of Religion in Canada
• Canada is paradoxical. Personal beliefs and
practices are high, yet involvement in religious
groups is low. Few Canadians are deserting
traditional religions for new ones.
• Most Canadians say they are affiliated with
Christian churches, but reject Christianity as an
authoritative system of meaning, drawing instead
on Judeo-Christian and non-conventional
“fragments” of belief and practice in a consumerlike fashion.
• In Canada, teenagers differ little from adults in
religious matters except with respect to attendance
of religious services.
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Thinking Further about Religion in
Canada
Invisible religion is practised by many
people:
Pervasive, non-institutionalized
Highly individualistic spirituality
Canadians inhabit an environment of
Denominations
Invisible religion
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