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Religion
Basic Concepts
Theoretical Types of Religion
Types of Religious Organizations
World Religions
Religious Fundamentalism
Basic Concepts
• The French sociologist Emile Durkheim stated
that religion involves “things that surpass the
limits of our knowledge”.
• Profane- that which people define as an ordinary
element of everyday life.
• Sacred- that which people set apart as
extraordinary, inspiring a sense of awe and
reverence.
• Religion- is a social institution involving beliefs
and practices based on a conception of the sacred.
• ritual-formal, ceremonial behavior. Example Holy
communion is the central ritual of Christianity
Religion and Sociology
• Sociologist study religion as they study family: to
understand religious experiences around the world
and how religion is tied to other social institutions.
Not using judgement in the process.
Theoretical Analysis of Religion
• Functions of Religion• According to Durkheim, society has an existence
and power of its own beyond the life of any
individual.
• Totem- an object in the natural world collectively
defined as sacred.
• The totem—perhaps an animal or an elaborate
work of art—becomes the centerpiece of ritual,
symbolizing the power of collective life over any
individual.
• 1. Social cohesion- Religion unites people
through shared symbolism, values, and norms.
• 2. Every society uses religious ideas to promote
conformity.
• 3. Providing meaning and purpose-Religious
belief offers the comforting sense that our brief
lives serve some greater purpose.
Constructing the Sacred
• Through various rituals such as daily prayers to
annual religious observances such as Easter and
Passover.
• As Peter Berger explains, placing our fallible brief
lives within some “cosmic frame of reference”
gives us “the semblance of ultimate security and
permanence.”
Inequality and Religion
• Social-Conflict Analysis
• The social-conflict paradigm highlights religion’s
support of social hierarchy. Religion serves ruling
elites by legitimizing the status quo and diverting
people’s attention from social inequalities, Karl
Marx proclaimed.
• In a well-known statement, Marx dismissed
religion as “the sigh of the oppressed creature, the
sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of
soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.”
Religion and Social Change
• Max Weber: Protestantism and Capitalism
• Max Weber contended that new ideas often are
engines of change. It was the religious doctrine of
Calvinism that sparked the Industrial Revolution
in Western Europe
Types of Religious Organizations
• Church- a type of religious organization that is
well integrated into the larger society.
• State church- a church formally allied with the
state.
• Denomination- a church independent of the state,
that accepts religious pluralism.
Sect
• The second general religious form is the sect, a
type of religious organization that stands apart
from the larger society. Sect members have rigid
religious convictions and deny the beliefs of
others. In some cases members of a sect may
withdraw from society in order to practice their
religion without interference.
• Charisma- extraordinary personal qualities that
can turn an audience into followers.
Cult
• Cult a religious organization that is largely outside
a society’s cultural traditions.
• Many long-standing religions—Christianity,
Islam, and Judaism—began as cults.
Religion in Pre-Industrial Societies
• Animism- the belief that elements of the natural
world are conscious life forms that affect humans.
• Animistic people view forests, oceans, mountains,
and even wind as spiritual forces. Many Native
American Societies are animistic.
• Hunters and gathers might have singled out
someone to be the Shaman with special religious
skills, but they have no full time religious leader.
• Among pastoral and horticultural people, there
arose a belief in a single divine power responsible
for creating the world.
• In agrarian societies, religion becomes more
important, with a specialized priesthood in charge
of religious organizations.
Religion in Industrial Societies
• Learning how the world works is a matter for
scientists, but why we and the rest of the universe
exist at all is a question for religion to answer.
World Religions
• Christianity
• Christianity is one example of monotheism-belief
in a single divine power,
• Polytheism- belief in many gods.
• Islam
• Islam has some 1.2 billion followers (about 20 %
of humanity); followers of Islam are called
Muslims.
• Islam is the word of God as revealed to
Muhammad, who was born in the city of Mecca
(now in Saudi Arabia) about the year 570.
• The Qur’an, sacred to Muslims is the word of God
(Allah) as transmitted through Muhammad, Gods
messenger.
• The Five Pillars of Islam:
• (1) recognizing Allah as the one, true God and
Muhammad as God’s messenger;
• (2) ritual prayer;
• (3) giving almost the poor;
• (4) fasting during the month of Ramadan; and
• (5) making a pilgrimage at least once to the Sacred
“House of Allah in Mecca. Followers of Islam
believe they will be held accountable for their
deeds on earth.
• To Many Westerners, Muslim women are the most
socially oppressed people on Earth.
• Judaism
• Judaism has deep historical roots that extend some
4,000 years before the birth of Christ to the
ancient cultures of Mesopotamia.
• A distinct concept of Judaism is the covenant, a
special relationship with God by which Jews
became the “chosen people.” The covenant also
implies a duty to observe God’s law, especially the
Ten Commandments as revealed to Moses on
Mount Sinai.
• Jews share a history of prejudice and
discrimination. A collective memory of centuries
of slavery in Egypt, conquest by Rome, and
persecution in Europe has shaped Jewish identity.
• On average Jews have prospered, with social
standing well above average.
Religion in the United States
• Religiosity- the importance of religion in a
person’s life.
Religion and Social Stratification
• Social Class
• By and large, Protestants with high social standing
are people of northern European background
whose families came to the United States at least a
century ago.
Race and Ethnicity
• Throughout the world, religion is tied to ethnicity.
Many religions predominate in a single nation or
geographic region. Islam predominates in the
Arab society of the Middle East, Hinduism is
fused with the culture of India, and Confucianism
runs deep in Chinese society.
Religious Fundamentals
• Fundamentalism- a conservative religious
doctrine that opposes intellectualism and worldly
accommodation in favor of restoring traditional
otherworldly religion.
• 1. Fundamentalists interpret sacred texts literally.
Fundamentalists insist on a literal interpretation of
the Bible and other sacred texts.
• 2. Fundamentalists reject religious pluralism.
They maintain that their religious beliefs are true
and other beliefs are not.
• 3. Fundamentalists pursue the personal
experience of God’s presence.
• 4. Fundamentalism opposes “secular humanism.”
Secular humanism is a general term that refers to
our society’s tendency to look to scientific experts
rather than God for guidance about how to live.
• 5. Many political fundamentalists endorse
conservative political goals. Fundamentalists
oppose the “liberal agenda”
Looking Ahead: Religion in the
21st Century
• The world is becoming more complex, and rapid
change seems to outstrip our ability to make sense
of it all. But rather than undermine religion, it
fires the religious imagination.