How Religion
is Organised
How do religions develop – and
who joins them?
Learning Objectives




1. Describe the key features and differences between four types of
religious organisation:
Church
Denomination
Sect
Cult
2. Identify two examples of a religious group belonging to each
type
3. Explain the origins and key beliefs of a chosen religious cult


4. Describe the following two cult-related movements:
Cult apologists
The anti-cult movement
You will need your
Sociology handbook
(the blank grid)!
Which organisations do the
following represent?
The Typology* of Religious
Organisations
 Church
 Denomination
 Sect
 Cult
In Pairs:
Discuss – which of the above have you
heard of and what do they mean?
* A typology is a
system of classifying
things into ideal
‘types’
Church vs. Sect
Early typologies, such as those described by
Weber (nd) and Troeltsch (1912),
differentiated between churches and sects.
1. Church
“A well-established religious body” –
Troeltsch (1912)
 Not
a building!!! We would associate the
concept of ‘church’ with the “big”, old,
global religions.
Features of a Church
1.
2.
3.
4.
Universal appeal; members from all social classes.
Complex hierarchy of paid officials
Huge! National or international.
Accept the norms and values of society; usually close
relationship to the State.
5. The level of members’ involvement varies; often members
don’t need to do much at all!
6. Claims a monopoly on truth
Examples: The Roman Catholic Church, Islam, Hinduism
Evaluation Point:
“The Church is Obsolete”
(Bruce; 1996)
 The
concept of ‘church’ is outdated in
most modern societies…
 Countries like the UK have religious
pluralism and the ‘churches’ are tolerant
of other religions, no longer claiming a
monopoly of truth…
 The connection between Church and
State is disappearing.
COE close to extinction
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEPp4xeFZPA
2. Sect
A
sect is a small, exclusive group which
people are not usually born into – they
‘choose’ to join.
 Sects usually are created when a group
breaks away from a church (or
denomination) due to a disagreement or
different way of understanding
something.
Features of a Sect
1. Membership mainly comes from lower social classes
2. No hierarchy of paid officials; often a single, charismatic
leader
3. Small; strongly integrated
4. Challenge the norms and values of society; oppose the State
5. Members are expected to make a deep commitment;
sometimes expected to withdraw from society
6. Claim a monopoly of truth
Examples: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Amish, Mormons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBhnyIV
Wwl4
Watch the clip and read
the Jonestown handout:
Complete the activity.
Exam Question: 15 mins
Identify & Explain two differences between a
church and sect [17]
Remember:
Two paragraphs
 Introduce the difference
 Explain
 Evidence/Further Explanation
 Example
Denominations & Cults
The typology gets more complicated…
 In
the 1920s, Niebuhr compared sects with
denominations.
 More
recently, the concept of cult
was added to some typologies.
3. Denominations
 Denominations
are offshoots of
established churches.
 Becker (1950) argues that denominations
are sects that have ‘cooled down’.
Features of Denominations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Membership tends to be from the middle-classes
Hierarchy of paid officials; bureacratic
National or international
Do not identify with the state
Little pressure on members to participate
Do not claim a monopoly of truth; usually practice religious
tolerance
Examples: Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostalists
Further Points
Sects become denominations because,
once the charismatic leader has died, they
need to establish a bureaucratic,
hierarchical structure to survive (Niebuhr)
Many sects do survive for a long time
without becoming denominations (Wilson)
4. Cults
 The
least coherent form of religious
organisation
 A bringing-together of like-minded
individuals; people don’t usually formally
‘join’.
 Hard to differentiate from sects.
 Many sociologists now describe cults as
either NRMs or NAMs.
Features of a Cult
1. Membership usually middle-class (rarely any diversity
within the group)
2. No hierarchy; usually a single, charismatic leader
3. Can be local, national or international
4. Some are critical of society, others accept it: All have
a unique approach which offers something new
5. Membership is usually flexible; easy to join, easy to
leave
6. No monopoly on truth; simply offer ‘a’ truth (usually)
Examples: Scientology, transcendental meditation
Cults & Moral Panics


Cults have often been the centre of moral
panics.
Extreme examples have led to the concept
having very negative connotations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFQpblt2y
vw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4qZB2ytq
10
Cult-Related Movements
Cult Apologists
• Defend the right of cults to
exist
• Claims they are misunderstood
and only seem strange
because people don’t know
enough about them
• Accuses their critics of
spreading lies and fear
The Anti-Cult Movement
• Concerned about cults (often
made up of parents or exmembers)
• Some anti-cult members
become deprogrammers
(‘kidnapping’ members and
forcing them to abandon their
beliefs)
Group Research
 In
groups, research one of the following
and prepare a 5 minute presentation to
the class.
 The Divine Light Mission
 The Unification Church (Moonies)
 The Church of Scientology
 The Children of God
 Hare Krishna
Typology of Religious
Organisations: Evaluative
Points
 The
typology is vague, confusing and
should be abandoned (Stark &
Bainbridge; 1985). For example,
Scientology is called a ‘cult’ but doesn’t
really fit into any of the types.
 The
typology is also accused of being
ethnocentric (too focused on Christian
examples)
Homework
Essay or Blog
Religious cults and sects should have
freedom to believe and practice whatever
they want.
Using evidence from this section, write a
short essay (500-1000 words) that either
supports or refutes this viewpoint.