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(Hallelujah!)
RELIGION
RELIGION & SOCIOLOGY
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First off, when speaking of ‘religion,’ we are concerned with sacred
things
Rather than judging the validity of religions, we are more interested
in looking at how those aspects of religion can be measured and
observed in society
Durkheim really pioneered this study with his work focused on the
Australian aborigines
Religion – a unified system of beliefs and practices concerned with
sacred things
Sacred – holy; set apart and given a special meaning that goes
beyond immediate existence
Profane – nonsacred aspects of life
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This does NOT mean that profane is not holy, rather it means commonplace
and does not involve the supernatural…think secular
RELIGION & SOCIOLOGY
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Particular things considered sacred vary from society to society
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I.E. Bolivian miners attach sacred meaning to figures of the devil and bulls. Since
Americans don’t share these religious beliefs, those cultural items are part of their
profane world
Some nonreligious aspects of culture can assume a sacred character
“When Babe Ruth was a living idol to baseball fans, the bat he used to slug
his home runs was definitely a profane object. It was Ruth’s personal
instrument and had little social value in itself. Today; however, one of
Ruth’s bats is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is not longer used
by anyone. It stands, rather, as an object which in itself represents the
values, sentiments, power, and beliefs of all members of the baseball
community. What was formerly a profane object is now in the process of
gaining some of the qualities of a sacred object.”
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Babe Ruth’s bat illustrates that a profane object can become sacred (and vice
versa) and that Sociologists can deal with religion without becoming involved in
theological issues
RELIGION & SOCIOLOGY
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So then how do Sociologists study religion?
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Sociologists study religion by examining a set of meaning attached to a
world beyond human observation
The non-physical world cannot be directly observed…so Sociologists have to
ask themselves tough questions:
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How can we find evidence for something that can’t be seen?
How can we remain objective about such a value-laden subject, especially when
we have our own beliefs?
Is science really the proper tool to evaluate religion?
Obviously, you can’t study something that is unobservable;
consequently, they avoid the strictly spiritual side of religion and
focus on social aspects of religion that can be measured and
observed
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Not in the business of determining which religion(s) people should follow
Sociologists keep their own faith personal while investigating the social
dimensions of religion
THEORETICAL PERSPECITVES
FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION
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Religion has several functions:
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Legitimates the structure of society
Promotes social unity
Promotes a sense of meaning and belonging
Religion has existed in some form in virtually all societies
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Earliest evidence of religion and religious customs and taboos have been
traced as far back as 50,000 B.C.
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Ancient Rome
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Humans had already begun to bury their dead…a practice based on the belief in
the existence of life after death
Specific gods for objects and events
Tribes of New Guinea
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Considered pigs holy creatures worthy of ancestral sacrifice
FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION
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Durkheim wondered why was it that ALL societies have some form
of religion
In one of his books, Durkheim offered an explanation that is
rooted in the function religion performs in society
Off of Durkheim’s work, Sociologists have identified 4 major
functions of religion:
FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION
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Religion gives formal approval
to existing social arrangements
Religion justifies of gives
authority to social norms and
customs
A society’s religion explains
why the society is, and should
be, the way it is
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Tells us why some people have
power and others don’t; why
some are rich and some are not
Many social customs and rituals
are based on religion
FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION
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Religion encourages a sense of
unity
According to Durkheim,
religion is the glue that holds
society together…without
religion, society would be
chaotic
In some cases, religion causes
societies to fragment, even to
the point of civil war
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Ireland divided by Catholics &
Protestants
FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION
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Religion provides a sense of
understanding
Provides individuals meaning
beyond day-to-day life
We mark important life events
with religious ceremonies and
explain such events in religious
terms
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Birth, death, marriage, etc.
Religion give believers a sense of
their place in the cosmos and
gives eternal significance to a
short and uncertainly earthly
existence
FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION
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Religion promotes a sense of
belonging
Provides opportunities for
people to share important
ideas, ways of life, and ethnic
and racial backgrounds
People usually join religious
organizations freely and feel a
degree of influence within
these organizations
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Membership provides a sense of
community and helps to
counteract depersonalization,
powerlessness and rootlessness
Holi – marks the beginning of the spring season
CONFLICT THEORY & RELIGION
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Conflict theory looks at how religion works to either inhibit or
encourage social change
Karl Marx and Max Weber looked at religion through this lens…
MARX & RELIGION
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Marx believed that once people
have created a unified system of
sacred beliefs and practices, they
act as if it were something
beyond their control…eventually
become “alienated” by the system
they created
Marx argues that religion is used
by the ruling class to justify its
economic, political and social
advantages over the oppressed
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So, they justify things like poverty,
degradation and misery as ‘God’s
will’
To eliminated these inequalities
and injustices is to tamper with
God’s plan
WEBER& RELIGION
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Weber suggests that religion
encourages social change
Weber wondered why capitalism arose
in nonwestern Europe and America and
not in other parts of the world
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Spirit of capitalism – the obligation to
reinvest money in business rather than to
spend it
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Work is no w amoral obligation, rather than just
a necessity
Protestant ethic – set of values, norms,
beliefs, and attitudes stressing hard work,
thrift, and self discipline
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Most major religions did not define hard work as
an obligation or demand the reinvestment of
capital…but certain Protestant sects did
CALVIN& PROTESTANTISM
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Protestant ethic comes under John
Calvin (1509-1564)
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According to Calvin, God identifies his
chosen by rewarding them in this world –
the more successful people were in this
life, the more sure they were of being a
part of the “elect” or select few that were
predestined
Consumption beyond necessity was
considered sinful – those who engaged in
self-pleasure were agents of the devil
There was an underlying purpose of life
and that is the glorification of God on
earth through your occupational calling
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Since everyone's material rewards were actually
God, and the purpose is to glorify him, profits
should be multiplied rather than used in the
pursuit of personal pleasures (reinvest in your
occupation)
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM &
RELIGION
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Sociologist Peter Berger explored the idea that humans create from
their religious traditions a canopy, or a cover, of symbolic
meanings to “lay” over the secular world
These otherworldly symbolic meanings are used to guide everyday
social interaction
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Religious beliefs, rituals, and ideas tell people the difference between the
sacred and the profane and provide stability and security in an ever-changing
world
i.e. there are no atheists in foxholes
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Insecurity/uncertainty are at their peaks in the life-and-death situation of
war and the desire to restore that is a natural human response
Religious meanings, especially about the afterlife, can provide some relief
i.e. bad marriage – people may find ways to strengthen their bad marriage by
their commitment to uphold their wedding vows
ORGANIZATIONS & RELIGIOSITY
TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS
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In western society, religion is practiced through some sort of
organizational structure and have determined 4 basic types:
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Church – a life-encompassing religious organization to which all members
of a society belong
Denomination – one of several religious organizations that most members
of a society accept as legitimate
Sect – a religious organization that arises out of a desire to reform an
existing religious organization
Cult – a religious organization whose characteristics are not drawn from
existing religious traditions within a society
1. CHURCH
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To Sociologists, a church exists
when religion and the state are
closely intertwined
Elizabethan England
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Archbishop Richard Hooker:
“there is not any man of the
Church of England but the same
man is also a member of the
commonwealth: nor any man a
member of the commonwealth
which is not also of the Church
of England”
When Americans think of
church, they are actually
referring to denominations
2. DENOMINATION
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Denominations are not tied to
the state, membership in them
is voluntary and competition
among them for members is
socially acceptable
Denominations generally
accepts the values and norms
of the secular society and the
state, although it may at times
oppose them
In American churches we are
talking about Methodist,
Episcopalian, Baptists, Roman
Catholics, etc.
3. SECT
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Generally, sect members believe
that some valuable beliefs or
traditions have been lost by the
parent organization and they
form their own group to save
these features
They don’t see themselves as
establishing a new religion, but
rather redeeming an existing one
The withdrawal fro the group is
usually psychological, but
sometimes they go further and
form communal groups apart
from the larger society
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i.e. The Pilgrims (Separatists),
Mennonite, Seventh-Day
Adventists, Amish, Quakers, etc.
4. CULT
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Whether imported from
outside the society or created
within the society, cults bring
something new to the larger
religious environment
Often times we think of “cults”
as engaging in extreme
behavior, but cults do not
usually appear in such extreme
and bizarre form
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i.e. the Unification Church (the
Moonies,) the Divine Light
Mission, Hare Krishna's,
Scientology, etc.
RELIGIOSITY
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Sociologists Charles Glock and Rodney Stark focused on religiosity –
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Glock and Stark identified five dimensions
ways in which people express their religious interests and convictions;
they types of religious attitudes and behaviors people display in their
everyday lives
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Belief refers to what a person considers to be true; i.e. people may say that they
believe that Jesus is the son of God or that there is no God but Allah
Ritual is a religious practice that members of a religion are expected to perform;
can be private (personal prayer,) or public (attending mass)
Intellectual dimension may involve knowledge of holy or sacred scriptures OR
an interest in religious aspects relating to the human existence (i.e. death, evil,
suffering, etc.) Religious people are expected to be knowledgeable about their
faith
Experience encompasses certain felling attached to religious expression; hardest
to measure – a religious believer may feel “close” to a deity when praying
Consequences the decisions and commitments people make as a result of
religious beliefs, rituals, knowledge or experiences
1.
May be person (i.e. supporting capital punishment) or personal (i.e. practice sexual abstinence
until marriage)
RELIGION IN THE U.S.
RELIGIOSITY & SECULARIZATION
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Religion has always been of great importance in American life, but
historically, it has played a more active part in some periods than
others
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There have been several “Awakenings” in U.S. History when religious
principles have guided the development of culture and society
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Rise in those against slavery, consumption of alcohol, etc. of moral/religious
grounds
Just as there have been periods of religiosity in the U.S. so too have
there been periods of secularization – process through which the
sacred loses influence over society
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Formal education originally was a function of religion
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Most early teachers, and professors were clerics and church-going church members;
overtime we have seen this function being taken over by the state, even though there
are still a lot of church sponsored schools
RELIGIOSITY & SECULARIZATION
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Is secularization destroying religion in the U.S.?
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On the one hand, some findings indicate a decline in the importance of
religion
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The percentage of Americans claiming that religion is very important in their lives
fell from 75% in 1952 to 57% in 2001
In 1957, 14% of the public indicated that they believed religion was losing
influence on American life…compare that to 2001, where 55% of the public
believed religion was losing influence on American life
On the other hand, research has found Americans today to still be highly
committed to religion
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Sociologist Theodore Caplow observed a trend toward greater involvement
through things like growth in number of churches per capita, the proportion of
regular churchgoers, or financial support of the churches
Compare the U.S. to other industrialized nations, America still appears to be
religions
Americans tend to support traditional religious beliefs
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65% believe in life after death, 90% believe in Heaven, 73% believe in Hell
FUNDAMENTALISM
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There are over 300 denominations and sects in the U.S. with a
significant amount belonging to different Protestant
denominations
We have also seen a rise in fundamentalism – the resistance of
secularization and the rigid adherence to traditional religious
beliefs, rituals, and doctrines
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It is found in all religions including Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, etc.
We tend to find that fundamentalists are politically conservative and we saw
that rise because of 2 main events:
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Fundamentalists were concerned about the spread of secularism – Science was
challenging the Bible, Darwinism challenged Creationism, etc.
Fundamentalists rejected the movement away from emphasis on the traditional
message of Christianity toward an emphasis on social service
FUNDAMENTALISM
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What is nature of fundamentalism today?
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Fundamentalists believe in the literal truth of the Scriptures (i.e. God created
in the world in 7, 24-hour days) and Protestant fundamentalism involved
being “born again” through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son God
who was sent to redeem mankind
Are all fundamentalists the same?
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Religious organizations that share in much of the fundamentalist theology
have some unique beliefs and practices of their own
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Neo-Pentacostalism or the charismatic movement – often speak of baptism of
the Holy Ghost, but most notably “speaking in tongues”
WHY IS FUNDAMENTALISM SO
STRONG TODAY?
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Many Americans feel that their
world is out of control
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Vietnam, Civil Rights, Watergate,
increase in substance abuse, abortion,
increase in divorce rates have been seen
as signs of moral decline
Fundamentalist churches provide
solace to people who are witnessing
and experiencing the weakening of
family and community ties
Fundamentalist churches offer what
they consider a more purely sacred
environment, where mainline
denominations are seen to be
accommodating to secular society
The electronic church and
televangelism has been an important
contributing factor in the growth of
fundamentalism
RELIGION, CLASS & POLITICS
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There are marked differences in social
class among the various religions in
the U.S.
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Generally speaking, Jews, Presbyterians,
Episcopalians are at the top of the
structure
Religiosity exist between the upper and
lower classes – upper class display
through church membership, church
attendance, etc.; lower class – pray
privately, and have emotional religious
experiences
Protestants (Episcopalians and
Presbyterians) generally support the
Republican Party (upper class)
whereas Jews, Catholics and
Protestants generally support the
Democratic Party
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There are some differences or course,
i.e. Presbyterians end to be less
conservative than Baptists, particularly
in the South…but also support the
Democratic Party for economic reasons
RELIGION, SCIENCE & SOCIETY
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Depending of the values and
norms of the culture, society may
favor religious or scientific
explanations
Strict fundamentalists do not
believe that scientific theories
such as evolution and the big
bang theory of creation should
be taught in public schools
Today, many people are
wondering whether “pure science”
can remain independent of
cultural or social norms
One thing we know for sure is
that interface between science
and religion is going to increase
and they’ll need to learn how to
deal with each other