Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
• The Sociological Study of Religion
• World Religions
• Sociological Perspectives on Religion
• Types of Religious Organization
• Trends in Religion in the United States
• Religion in the Future
Religion
An Overview Of Religion
• Religion : System of beliefs and practices based ________________________________
• ________________________________________________________________________
• The sociology of religion
• Focuses on religious groups and organizations, on the behavior of individuals within
those groups, and on ways religion is intertwined with social institutions
• Seeks to answer 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
• Seeks to answer 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
• Faith is unquestioning _________________________________________________________
• Sacred refers to those aspects of life that are extraordinary or supernatural
• Profane refers to the everyday, secular aspects of life
• Rituals are __________________________________________________________________
 Simple supernaturalism: the belief that supernatural forces affect people's lives positively or negatively
 Animism: the belief that plants, animals, and elements of the natural world are endowed with spirits that
impact events in society
 Theism: belief in a god or gods
 Monotheism: belief in one god
 Polytheism: belief in more than one god
 Transcendent idealism: belief in the sacred principles of thought and conduct, such as truth, justice, life and
tolerance for others
Functionalist Perspective
Religion is a cultural universal found in all societies because it meets basic human needs and
serves important societal functions:
•
Meaning and purpose
•
Social cohesion and a sense of belonging
•
Social control and support for the government
Religion has three functions:
Rational Choice Perspectives
o Religion is essentially a rational response to human needs.
o Religion is a competitive marketplace in which religious organizations (suppliers) offer a variety
of religions and religious products to potential followers (consumers), who shop around for the
religious theologies, practices, and communities that best suit them.
 According to Karl Marx, religion is the "opiate of the people“
Marx belived the capitalist class uses religious ideology as a tool of domination to mislead the workers about
their true interests. Religion causes people to become complacent and put up with suffering in this life
because of a promise of reward in the afterlife. Religion thus unites people in “false consciousness.”
• Max Weber argued that religion could be a catalyst to produce social change
Weber linked the teachings of John Calvin with the growth of capitalism. Calvin emphasized the
doctrine of predestination
(1) Predestination is the belief that all people are divided into two groups: the saved and the
damned.
(2) Only God knows who will go to heaven (the elect) and who will go to hell, even before they are
born.
Because people cannot know whether they will be saved, they look for signs that they are among the
elect. As a result, people work hard, save their money, and do not spend it on worldly frivolity;
instead, they reinvest it in their land, equipment, and labor.
From a conflict perspective, religion tends to promote conflict between groups and societies: it may be
between religious groups, within a group, or between a religious group and society.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
1) Religion as a reference group
a) For many people, religion serves as a reference group to help them define themselves.
b)Religious symbols, for example, have a meaning to large bodies of people (e.g., the Star of David
for Jews; the crescent moon and star for Muslims; and the cross for Christians).
2) Religion and social meaning
a) Religion provides social meaning for individuals as they learn about beliefs, rituals, and
religious ideas from others.
b) This process helps contribute to identity, which in turn helps people adjust to their
surroundings.
c) Social meaning in religion emerges through socialization and from interaction with others in a
religious setting.
• Religion serves as a reference group to help people define themselves
• Women’s versions of a certain religion usually differ from men’s versions
• Religious symbolism and language typically create a social definition of the roles of men and women
Hinduism
• Originated along the banks of the Indus River in Pakistan between 3,500 and 4,500 years ago
• It is estimated that there are between 900 and 950 million Hindus in the world today, with
most of them residing in India and Nepal
• Ethical religion: a system of beliefs that calls upon adherents to follow an ideal way of life
• No known founder of Hinduism
• May belief in one god or many gods
• Believe in reincarnation; people go thru several lives and may be reincarnated as other people,
animals or plants. Must go thru several lives and suffering before reaching liberation
• Believe in Karma: ____________________________________________________________
• Yoga grew out of the belief of controlling one’s consciousness
• Believe in devotion, mediation, good works and self control
Buddhism
•
•
•
•
Emerged in India ____________________
Adherents focus on following the teachings of Buddha
________________________is a major center of Buddhism
Buddha is seen as the leader/teacher or god like symbol
• In the 2010s, estimates of the total number of Buddhists vary widely, but it is
generally agreed that there are about 376 million Buddhists worldwide.
• Buddhism first arrived in the U.S. when Chinese immigrants arrived on the West
Coast during the 1840s.
• Today, Buddhism is one of the fastest-growing Eastern religions in the U.S.
Four Noble Truths: What Buddha has realized, while resting under the fig tree, is
that life is ruled by four truths, truths the Buddha called the Four Noble Truths.
Those truths are:
•Life is filled with suffering
•Suffering is caused by people's wants.
•Suffering can be ended if people stop wanting things, like more pleasure or
more power.
•To stop wanting things, people must follow 8 basic laws, called the Eightfold
Path.
Eightfold Path: These are the eight basic laws that all people must follow if they wish
to end suffering:
•To know the truth
•To intend to resist evil
•To not say anything to hurt others
•To respect life, property, and morality
•To work at a job that does not injure others
•To try to free one's mind from evil
•To be in control of one's feelings and thoughts
•To practice appropriate forms of concentration
Judaism
• Today, there are an estimated _______________Jews worldwide.
• The majority live in _______________________________
• Monotheistic: focusing on Yahweh
• Abrahamic: tracing its origins to Abraham and Moses
• Jews have been victims of much prejudice and discrimination (Anti-Semitism)
• Scripture recognized is the Torah first 5 books of the Old Testament
• Orthodox Jews do not eat pork or shellfish; don’t eat meat and dairy together; Do not work, travel, use
the phone, touch money or pose for pictures on Sabbath.
• Reformed Jews don’t always follow the rituals but still believe the laws or teachings
• Share many beliefs with Christians but differ on who Jesus was- Jews believe he was a prophet but not
the son of God or the Messiah
Islam
• Founder was Muhammad, born in Mecca in 570 B.C.E.
• Abrahamic Religion
• Followers adhere to a code of conduct called the Five Pillars
• More than 22% of the world's population is Muslim
• Nearly _______________followers
• Allah is their deity
• Qur’an is the sacred scripture for Islam
• Muslim must publicly state that there is only one god Allah; pray 5 times a day; give 2.5 % of profit to
widows, orphans, sick and other unfortunates; Fast for the entire month of Ramadan their mostly holy
time; food, drink, smoking and sexual pleasures are forbidden during daylight hours; usually eat meals
before and after sunlight; must make a pilgrimage to Mecca or send someone in his place.
• Believe Jesus was a prophet but did not die for man’s sins. Allah does not love those who do wrong, each
person must earn their salvation; man is born with hearts of a clean slate.
Christianity
• Focus is on Jesus and the New Testament
• Based on acceptance of a set of beliefs
• 1/3 of the world's population
• Most live in ______________________________
• Believe in one God; the trinity-the father, the son and the holy ghost
• Believe Jesus was the son of God or may believe Jesus was God in person form
• Believe Jesus died for our sins; heaven and hell exist; only way to heaven is thru Jesus or God
• God is Love
• Only one life; soul goes to either heaven or hell
• Jesus will return to earth for Judgment day
CHURCH
• A large, bureaucratically organized religious organization that tends to seek accommodation with
the larger society in order to maintain some degree of control over it
• Open to all
• Formal, orderly worship
Denomination
• A large organized religion characterized by accommodation to society by frequently lacking in ability or
intention to dominate society
• Makes use of both clergy and lay leaders
• Thrives in religious pluralism
 A sect is a relatively small religious group that has broken away from another religious organization to
renew what it views as the original version of the faith.
 Sects offer members a more personal experience and an intimate relationship with a supreme being.
 Religious sects appeal to those who might be characterized as lower class.
 As members of a sect become more economically and socially successful, they tend to focus more on this
world and less on the next.
CULT: A loosely organized religious group with practices and teachings outside the
dominant cultural and religious traditions of a society
• Because the term cult has assumed negative and sometimes offensive meanings, some researchers
now use the tern new religious movement (NRM) instead.
• Some analysts point out that a number of the major world religions (including Judaism, Islam, and
Christianity) started out as cults.
• Most cults or NRMs do not exhibit the bizarre behavior or have the unfortunate ending of some of
the more notorious groups.
• Cult leadership is usually based on charismatic characteristics of the individual, including an unusual
ability to form attachments with others.
• Over time, some cults undergo transformation into sects or denominations, while others disappear
Trends in race, class, gender, and religion: The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey identified
a number of trends regarding religion and race, class and gender:
1) Race
 African Americans are the most likely of all major racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.
to report a formal religious affiliation
 Even among those who are “unaffiliated,” three in four African Americans state that
religion is either somewhat or very important in their lives.
 Most racial and cultural minorities who have felt overpowered by a lack of resources
have been drawn to churches or other places of worship for a sense of dignity and
self-worth.
2) Gender
o In the U.S. today there are about 49 males to every 52 females, and this pattern is
reflected in religious adherents
o Women consistently show higher rates of religiosity.
o Men are significantly more likely to claim no religious affiliation.
o Mormons and Muslims have the largest families.
Social class
• Hindus and Jews in the U.S. report higher incomes than those in other categories.
• Researchers attribute this to higher education levels.
• Other religious groups with the most members making more than $100,000 per
year have been the mainline liberal churches
• Members of evangelical churches, historically black churches, Jehovah’s Witnesses,
and Muslims typically earn less than $50,000 per year.
You can make a difference: Understanding and tolerating religious and cultural differences
* In Brooklyn, there is an enclave of Muslims that hopes people will see that Islam shares a great
deal with Christianity and Judaism.
* Some Muslims also hope for greater tolerance for those who celebrate a different religion and have
different holidays.
* Learning about our own beliefs and about the different denominations and religions available
worldwide and in the U.S. can make a difference in tolerance and understanding.