Download Chapter 17, Religion

Chapter 17, Religion
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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
Religion
Asks:
 Why do we exist?
 Why do people suffer and die?
 What happens when we die?
All known groups over the past 100,000 years
have had some form of religion.
Four Main Categories of Religion
1.
Simple supernaturalism - the belief that
supernatural forces affect people's lives
positively or negatively.
2.
Animism - the belief that plants, animals, and
elements of the natural world are endowed
with spirits that impact events in society.
Four Main Categories of Religion
3.
Theism - belief in a God or Gods.
4.
Nontheistic religion - based on a belief in
divine spiritual forces such as sacred
principles of thought and conduct, rather than
a god or gods.
Functionalist Perspective
Religion has 3 important 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.
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.
World Religions
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Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Judaism
Islam
Christianity
Hinduism
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Believed to be the oldest religion.
Individual souls (jivas) enter the world and
pass through a sequence of bodies as they
undergo cycles of life, death and rebirth until
the soul earns liberation.
The soul’s acquisition of each new body is tied
to the law of karma.
Buddhism: Four Noble Truths
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Life is dukkha - pain and suffering
Cause of life’s suffering is tanha - grasping,
craving and coveting.
One can overcome tanha and be released in
Ultimate Freedom in Perfect Existence
(nirvana).
Overcoming desire can be accomplished
though the Eightfold Path to Nirvana.
Confucianism
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The “family of scholars”
People must learn the importance of order in
human relationships and follow a strict moral
conduct including
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Respect for others
Benevolence
Reciprocity
Judaism
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There are an estimated 18 million Jews in
about 134 countries worldwide.
Three key components: God (the deity) Torah
(God’s teachings ) and Israel (the holy nation).
Three main branches: Orthodox, Reform and
Conservative
Islam
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More than 19% of the world's population
considers itself to be Muslim.
The notion of jihad (struggle) is a core belief.
The Greater Jihad - internal struggle against
sin in a person’s heart.
Lesser Jihad - external struggle that takes
place in the world.
Christianity
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Does not have ethnic or tribal qualifications but
is based on a set of beliefs.
Almost 1/3 of the world’s population refer to
themselves as Christians.
Four Types of Religious
Organization
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Ecclesia
Church
Sect
Cult
The Rise of Fundamentalism
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Has emerged because people do not like to
see social changes taking place that affect
their beliefs and values.
People have viewed science and new
technologies as a threat to traditional beliefs
and practices.
Fundamentalism opposes religious
accommodation to the things of the world.