Chapter 12
Education and
Religion
Chapter Outline
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An Overview of Education and Religion
Sociological Perspectives on Education
Problems in Education
Religion in Historical Perspective
Sociological Perspectives on Religion
Types of Religious Organization
Trends in Religion in the United States
Education and Religion in the Future
Education and Religion
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Powerful forces in contemporary societies.
Impart essential values, beliefs, and
knowledge.
Grapple with issues of societal stability and
social change, reflecting society even as they
attempt to shape it.
Functions of Education
Manifest functions
 Socialization
 Transmission of culture
 Social control
 Social placement
 Change and innovation
Latent functions
 Production of social
networks
 Restricting some
activities
 Creation of generation
gap
Conflict Perspective
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Education is a vehicle for reproducing existing
class relationships.
Unequal funding is a source of inequality in
education.
Access to colleges and universities is
determined not only by academic record but
also by the ability to pay.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
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Self-Fulfilling Prophecy- students perform
according to the expectations of their teachers.
Students labeled as gifted may achieve at a
higher level because of the label.
Some girls learn to attribute success to effort
while boys learn to attribute success to
intelligence and ability.
Religion
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Seeks to answer important 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.
Four Main Categories of Religion
1.
Simple supernaturalism - belief that
supernatural forces affect people's lives
positively or negatively.
2.
Animism - 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.
Transcendent idealism - belief in sacred
principles of thought and conduct, such as
truth, justice, life and tolerance for others.
Major World Religions
Followers
Founder
Date
Christianity
1.7 billion
Jesus
1st century C.E.
Islam
1 billion
Muhammad
ca. 600 C.E
Hinduism
719 million
No specific
founder
ca. 1500 B.C.E.
Buddhism
309 million
Siddhartha
Gautama
500 to 600 B.C.E.
Judaism
18 million
Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob
ca. 2000 B.C.E.
Confucianism
5.9 million
K’ung Fu-Tzu
500 B.C.E.
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.
Characteristics of Churches and Sects
Church
Sect
Organization
Large, bureaucratic, led
by a professional clergy
Small, faithful group,
high degree of lay
participation
Membership
Open to all; members
usually from upper and
middle classes
Closely guarded
membership, usually
from lower classes
Worship
Formal, orderly
Informal, spontaneous
Salvation
Granted by God
Achieved by moral purity
Attitudes Toward
Other Religions
Tolerant
Intolerant
Trends in Religion in the U.S.
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The rise of a new fundamentalism has
occurred at the same time as a number of
mainline denominations have been losing
membership.
Some members of the political elite in
Washington have vowed to bring religion
"back" into schools and public life.
Goals 2000: Educate America Act
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Passed by Congress in 1994 to challenge the
nation’s public school system to meet specific
goals by 2000.
Very little progress has been made.
The stated goals are overly idealistic.
Goals 2000: Educate America Act
Three key goals:
 Students leave grades 4, 8, and 12 with
competency in English, math, science, history,
and geography.
 U.S. students will lead in science and
mathematics achievement.
 Every adult will be literate.