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What is Religion?
 Religion is a unified system of beliefs, rituals, and
practices that typically involve a broader community of
believers who share common definitions of the sacred
and the profane.
Three Key Elements of Religion
 It is a form of culture.
 It involves beliefs that take form in ritualized practices.
 It provides a feeling that life is ultimately meaningful because it frames
life in a way that other institutions do not.
Sacred and Profane
 Sacred is the supernatural,
divine, awe inspiring, and
spiritually significant
aspects of our existence.
 Include religious beliefs,
rites, duties or anything
requiring special religious
treatment.
 Profane is that which is
part of the everyday life
experience.
 Ordinary practices that are
regarded with an everyday
familiarity.
Religiosity
• Religiosity is the measurable importance of religion to a
person’s life.
• It signifies the numerous aspects of religious activity and
dedication in a person’s life such as attending mass or privately
worshiping at home.
Approaches to Religion
• Religion is usually studied in two
approaches:
 1) A cultural approach that
evaluates the religious aspects of
the culture shared by followers of
a certain religion.
 2) A theoretical approach to
religion including symbols,
functions, exchanged-based
interactions, and power issues.
• Religion is important at the personal
and larger social levels of society.
World’s Largest Religions
 Muslims cover the largest
belief system in the world.
 Roman Catholics are the
second largest religious
belief system followed by
Hindus in third.
United State’s Religions
•
Protestants are the
largest US belief system.
Protestants includes
Baptists, Lutherans, and
Anglicans.
Compromised of many
diverse denominations.
•
Roman Catholics are the
second biggest religion,
has grown due to higher
birth rates and
immigrants from Mexico
brought Catholicism in
the 1980s.
Religious Tolerance
• Everyone believes passionately in their faith, and finding common ground
takes more effort, but sustains the process of non-prejudiced treatments.
• In his book “Oneness”, Jeffrey Moses describes common beliefs and values
which are expressed in core doctrines and scriptures of world religions such as
“Be good to those around you,” or “Honor your mother and father.”
• Most people from the world's religions share most beliefs in common.
Although we more often define ourselves based on differences not similarities.
The more we agree to accept each other’s beliefs, the more understanding and
tolerant we'll become.
Sociology of
Religion
• Sociologists classify
religions based on beliefs
and rituals.
 Supernaturalism is a belief
system with no gods but
focuses on human and nonhuman supernatural focuses
that can influence human
events.
 Animism is a belief system
that has no gods, but focuses
personalized spirits or ghosts
of ancestors that take an
interest in and actively work
to influence human affairs.
 Theism includes the belief in divine
beings which are gods that actively
influence human affairs.
 Monotheism is the belief in one god.
The 3 monotheistic religions include:
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.
 Polytheism refers to religions with
multiple gods. Hinduism is an example
of a polytheistic religion.
 Abstract Ideals are religions that focus
on sacred principles and thoughts
which guide our lives and typically
have no divine beings in charge of the
world and the universe, such as
Buddhism.
Sociology of
Religion
• Religions can be
distinguished based on
membership.
 Cult is a newer religion with
few followers whose teachings
are perceived to be at odds
with the dominant culture and
religion.
 Sect is a group larger than a
cult but still perceived as
being weird and is often
treated with hostility by nonsect members.
 Church is a sect that has
gained numerous followers
and has become highly
bureaucratized.
 An ecclesia is a large assembly of
people, a congregation, or a church
integrated with government and other
social institutions.
Secularization
 Secularization is the trend
toward worldly concerns
and away from concerns
for the religiously sacred in
the lives of society's
members.
 Typically the more modern
a society becomes the less
religious it remains and the
more secular or
materialistic it becomes.
The Functionalist
Perspective
 There are 4 functional aspects of religion:
 1) Religion satisfies the individual needs.
 2) Religion promotes social cohesion.
 3) Religion provides a world overview.
 4) Religion helps adaption to society.
 Émile Durkheim explained that religion divides society into two categories, the
profane and the sacred.
 The sacred consists of things that are awe-inspiring and knowable only
through extraordinary experiences
 The profane consists of all observable things, things that are knowable
through everyday experiences.
The Functionalist
Perspective
 Durkheim believed he could study the social role of religion by
studying totemism, mainly because it is one of the simplest forms of
religion.
 A totem is an ordinary object, such as a plant or animal that has become a
sacred symbol to and of a particular group or clan, who also identity with
the totem.
 Religious symbols, as well as religion, arise
from society itself. Individuals create religion
rather than religion creating individuals.
 Society is the origin of a religion’s beliefs.
The Conflict
Perspective
• Max Weber
 Claimed Protestant ideals of
self-discipline and hard work
lead to financial success of
many as they lived Protestant
work ethics and built
foundation for capitalism's
success in Western
Civilization.
 Suggested religion sometimes
encourages social change.
• Karl Marx
 Inferred that the dominant
religion of society used by the
ruling class to justify
economic political, and social
advantages over the
oppressed.
The Conflict
Perspective
• Karl Marx
 Defined alienation as the
process by which people
lose control over the social
institutions that they
created themselves.
 Called religion the “opiate
of masses,” or dominated
masses kept from actions.
 Summarized that once
people created a unified
system of sacred beliefs
they act as if it were
something out of their
control.