Download Religion (Chapter 17)

Chapter 17
Religion
Chapter Outline
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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
An Overview Of Religion
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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.
How Much Do You Know About the
Impact of Religion on U.S. Education?
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True or False?
 The Constitution of the United States
originally specified that religion should
be taught in the public schools.
How Much Do You Know About the
Impact of Religion on U.S. Education?
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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.
How Much Do You Know About the
Impact of Religion on U.S. Education?
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True or False?
 Parochial schools have decreased in
enrollment as interest in religion has
waned in the United States.
How Much Do You Know About the
Impact of Religion on U.S. Education?
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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.
Question
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When you were a child, how often did your
mother attend religious services?
a. Rarely to Never
(Never or 1 or 2 per year)
b. Infrequently to Several a year
(1 to 3 per month)
c. Often
(About weekly, Weekly,
Several times/week)
GSS National Data
Lib.
Con.
Religion
Catholic Jewish None
Protestant Protestant
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
Religion
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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.
Religion
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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.
Question
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How important would you say religion is
in your own life?
a. Very important
b. Fairly important
c. Not very important
d. No opinion
Four Categories of Religion
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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.
Four Categories of Religion
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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.
Secularization
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The process by which religious beliefs,
practices, and institutions lose their
significance in sectors of society and
culture.
Question
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_____________ is the belief that
supernatural forces affect people’s lives
either positively or negatively.
a. monotheism
b. polytheism
c. simple supernaturalism
d. nontheistic religion
Answer: c
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Simple supernaturalism is the belief that
supernatural forces affect people’s lives
either positively or negatively.
Question
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___________ is a belief in a single
supreme being who is responsible for
significant events.
a. monotheism
b. polytheism
c. simple supernaturalism
d. nontheistic religion
Answer: a
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Monotheism is a belief in a single
supreme being who is responsible for
significant events.
Major World Religions
Christianity
Islam
Current
Followers
1.7 billion
1 billion
Founder
Jesus
Muhammad
Date
1st century C.E.
ca. 600 C.E
Major World Religions
Hinduism
Buddhism
Current
Followers
719 million
309 million
Founder
No specific
founder
Siddhartha
Gautama
ca. 1500 B.C.E
500 to 600
B.C.E.
Date
Major World Religions
Judaism
Confucianism
Current
Followers
18 million
5.9 million
Founder
Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob
K’ung Fu-Tzu
Date
ca. 2000 B.C.E.
500 B.C.E
Durkheim on Religion
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According to Emile Durkheim, all
religions share three elements:
1. Beliefs held by adherents.
2. Practices (rituals) engaged in
collectively by believers.
3. A moral community based on the
group’s shared beliefs and
practices pertaining to the sacred.
Functionalist Perspective
Religion has 3 functions:
1. Providing meaning and purpose to life.
2. Promoting social cohesion and a sense
of belonging.
3. Providing social control and support for
the government.
Civil Religion
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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.
Conflict Perspective
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According to Karl Marx, religion is the
"opiate of the people."
Max Weber argued that religion could be
a catalyst to produce social change.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
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Religion serves as a reference group to
help people define themselves.
Women’s versions of a certain religion
usually differ from men’s versions.
Question
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According to the functionalist perspective,
religion offers meaning for the human
experience by:
a. providing an explanation for events that
create a profound sense of loss on both
an individual and a group basis.
b. offering people a reference group to help
them define themselves.
c. reinforcing existing social arrangements.
d. encouraging secularization.
Answer: a
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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.
Question
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In regard to religion, Max Weber asserted that:
a. church and state should be separated.
b. religion could be a catalyst to produce
social change.
c. religion retards social change.
d. the religious teachings of the Catholic
Church were directly related to the rise
of capitalism.
Answer: b
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In regard to religion, Max Weber asserted
that religion could be a catalyst to
produce social change.
Characteristics of Churches
and Sects
Organization
Church
Large, bureaucratic
organization,led by
professional clergy
Sect
Small group,high
degree of lay
participation
Membership
Open to all;
members usually
from upper and
middle classes
Guarded
membership, usually
from lower classes
Characteristics of Churches
and Sects
Worship
Salvation
Church
Formal, orderly
Granted by God
Sect
Informal,
spontaneous
Achieved by moral
purity
Characteristics of Churches
and Sects
Attitude Toward Other Religions
Church
Tolerant
Sect
Intolerant
Question
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The Anglican Church in England and the
Lutheran church in Sweden are
examples of a(n):
a. church
b. sect.
c. denomination.
d. ecclesia.
Answer: d
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The Anglican Church in England and the
Lutheran church in Sweden are examples
of a(n) ecclesia.
Original Locations of the
World’s Major Religions
Major U.S. Denominations That Selfidentify 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
Major U.S. Denominations That Selfidentify 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
Question
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What was your mother's religious
preference when you were a child was it:
a. Protestant
b. Catholic
c. Jewish
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
U.S. Religious Bodies
Membership
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
Question
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Do you believe in God?
a. Yes
b. No
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.
Question
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How much confidence do you have in
organized religion?
a. Great deal
b. Only some
c. Hardly any
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
Fundamentalism
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A traditional religious doctrine that is
conservative, is typically opposed to
modernity, and rejects “worldly pleasures”
in favor of otherworldly spirituality.
Liberation Theology
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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.
Quick Quiz
1. According to Sociologists, religion
attempts to:
a. bridge the gap between the known
and the unknown.
b. have a personal relationship with
God.
c. all of the choices.
d. save every soul.
Answer: a
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According to Sociologists, religion
attempts to bridge the gap between
the known and the unknown.
2. Who said "religion is the opiate of the
masses?”
a. Emile Durkheim
b. Karl Marx
c. Max Weber
d. Talcott Parsons
Answer: b
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Karl Marx said "religion is the opiate of
the masses?”
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:
a. an ecclesia
b. Catholicism
c. a sect
d. a denomination
Answer: c
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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.
4. Unquestioning belief that does not
require proof or scientific evidence is:
a. sacred
b. profane
c. taboo
d. faith
Answer: d
4. Unquestioning belief that does not
require proof or scientific evidence is
faith.
5. Which of these is not one of the three
elements shared by all religions, as
enumerated by Emile Durkheim?
a. beliefs
b. practices
c. a moral community
d. dogma
Answer: d
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Dogma is not one of the three elements
shared by all religions, as enumerated
by Emile Durkheim?
6. From a Conflict perspective, religion
tends to:
a. end strife and bring people
together.
b. promote strife between groups and
societies.
c. save souls, but marginalize groups.
d. separate the good people from the
bad.
Answer: b
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From a Conflict perspective, religion tends
to promote strife between groups and
societies.
7. _____ is the belief that humans can
become better through their own efforts
rather than through belief in God and
religious conversion.
a. New Ageism
b. Secularization
c. Liberation theology
d. Secular humanism
Answer: d
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Secular humanism is the belief that
humans can become better through their
own efforts rather than through belief in
God and religious conversion.