Slide 1
chapter
fifteen
Sociology in Modules
Richard T. Schaefer
1st Edition
Religion
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 2
Religion
15
•Module 44: The Sociological Approach to Religion
•Module 45: World Religions
•Module 46: Religious Organization
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Slide 3
A Look Ahead
█
█
█
What social purposes
does religion serve?
Does religion help to hold society
together or foster social change?
What happens when
religion mixes with politics?
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 4
The Sociological
Approach to Religion
█
Durkheim and the Importance of Religion
– Religion: Unified system
of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things
(Durkheim)
– Collective act
• Includes many forms of
behavior in which people
interact with others
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 5
The Sociological
Approach to Religion
█
Durkheim and the Importance of Religion
– Sacred: elements beyond everyday
life that inspire awe, respect, and even fear
– Profane: includes the
ordinary and commonplace
– Sociologists study religion through:
• Norms and values of religious
faiths through their substantive beliefs
• The social functions it fulfills
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 6
World Religions
█
89% of world’s population
adheres to some religion
– Christianity largest faith, Islam 2nd largest
– Judaism forms historical
foundation for Christianity and Islam
– Hinduism embraces number
of gods and reincarnation
– Buddhism developed as reaction
against Hinduism; uses meditation
to overcome selfish cravings
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 7
Figure 44-1: Major Religious
Traditions in the United States
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 8
Sociological Perspectives
on Religion
█
█
Manifest functions: Open and stated
functions; religion defines the spiritual
world and gives meaning to the divine
Latent functions: Unintended, covert, or
hidden functions; might include providing a
meeting ground for unmarried members
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 9
The Integrative
Function of Religion
█
Durkheim viewed religion as an
integrative force in human society
–
–
–
–
–
Gives meaning and purpose to lives
Offers ultimate values and ends
Strengthens social integration
Socializes young children
Can be dysfunctional
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 10
Religion and Social Support
█
Religion’s emphasis on divine and
supernatural allows us to “do
something” about calamities we face
– Encourages people to view personal
misfortunes as relatively unimportant
– Faith-based community organization taken
more responsibilities in social assistance
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 11
Religion and Social Change
█
The Weberian Thesis
– Protestant ethic: Followers of
Protestant Reformation emphasized
a disciplined work ethic, this-worldly
concerns, and a rational orientation for life
– “Spirit of capitalism” has
emerged as generalized cultural trait
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 12
Religion and Social Support
█
Liberation theology: Church
should be used in political efforts
to eliminate poverty, discrimination,
and other forms of injustice
May be dysfunctional
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 13
Religion and Social
Control: A Conflict View
█
Marx: religion impeded social change
– People focus on other-worldly concerns
– Religion drugged masses into submission
by offering consolation for harsh lives on earth
– To whatever extent religion influences
social behavior, it reinforces existing
patterns of dominance and inequality
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 14
Feminist Perspective
█
Theorists stressed fundamental role
women play in religious socialization
– Women generally take subordinate
role in religious governance
– Women play vital role as
volunteers, staff, and educators
– In U.S., women more likely than men
to be affiliated with religion
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 15
Research Today
█
Income and Education,
Religiously Speaking
– Of the faiths and denominations
with houses of worship in your
hometown, do the houses mirror
the congregation size or
social class differences?
– What group affiliations might suggest a
person’s income or educational level?
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 44
Slide 16
Table 44-1: Sociological Perspectives on Religion
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 45
Slide 17
Belief
█
Religious beliefs: Statements to which
members of a particular religion adhere
– Fundamentalism: emphasizes
doctrinal conformity and literal
interpretation of sacred texts
• Found worldwide
Spirituality not as strong in industrialized
nations as in developing nations
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 45
Slide 18
Rituals
█
Religious rituals: Practices required or
expected of members of a faith
– In recent decades, participation in religious
rituals tended to hold steady or decline
█
Religious experience: Feeling or
perception of being in direct contact
with ultimate reality or of being
overcome with religious emotion
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 45
Slide 19
Table 45-1: Major World Religions
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 45
Slide 20
Figure 45-1: Religions of the World
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 45
Slide 21
Figure 45-2: Religious Participation
in Selected Countries, 2006
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 45
Slide 22
Table 45-2: Components of Religion
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 23
Religious Organization
█
█
Ecclesiae: Religious
organization claiming to
include most or all
members of a society
Denominations: Large,
organized religion not officially
linked with the state or government
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 24
Religious Organization
█
Sects: Relatively small religious
group that broke away from some
other religious organization to
renew original vision of the faith
– Fundamentally at odds with society
and does not seek to become
established national religions
– Established sect: Out-growth
of a sect that remains isolated
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 25
Research Today
█
Islam in the United States
– Is there a mosque in your community or
a Muslim congregation on campus? Are
the members primarily Sunni or Shia?
– Should communities be allowed to block
the construction of mosques or dictate
their appearance?
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 26
New Religious
Movements or Cults
█
New Religious Movement (NRM) or
cult: Small, secretive religious groups
that represent either a new religion
or a major innovation of an existing faith
– Similar to sects
– Tend to be small
– Viewed as less respectable
than more established faiths
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 27
Comparing Forms of
Religious Organization
█
█
Ecclesiae, denominations, and sects
best viewed as types along a continuum
From individual perspective, religion
and spirituality remarkably fluid
One sign of fluidity is
rapid rise of electronic church
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 28
Table 46-1: Characteristics of Ecclesiae,
Denominations, Sects, and New Religious Movements
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 29
Research Today
█
The Church of Scientology:
Religion or Quasi-Religion?
– What do you think of the practice
of measuring a person’s mental
state with an Electropsychometer?
– Do you agree that Scientology
would not be considered a religion?
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 30
Case Study: Religion in India
█
India is large and complex; it might
be considered a world of its own
– 400 languages, of which 16 officially
recognized by the government
– Hinduism and Buddhism are major
religions, but several other faiths exist
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 31
The Religious Tapestry of India
█
Hinduism and Islam most
important religions in India
– Islam arrived in 1000 CE
– Sikhism founded in 15th century by Hindu
named Nanak
– Jainism founded 600 BCE
– Christians play disproportionate
role in country’s social safety net
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 32
Religion and the State in India
█
Religion influential in India’s drive to
overturn British colonialism
– India secular state dominated by Hindus
– Tensions between Hindus
and Muslims remain high
– Many observers see religion
as moving force in Indian society
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 33
Religion in the Schools
█
Understanding the Issue
– Some believe there is a role
for prayer and religion in schools
– Others want to maintain strict
separation of church and state
– Controversy over teaching theories of
the origin of humans and the universe
• Creationism: Accepting biblical account of
the creation of humans and the universe
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 34
Religion in the Schools
█
Understanding the Issue
– First Amendment protects
religious freedom
• 1962: Supreme Court ruled that prayer in
schools “wholly inconsistent” with amendment
• 1987: Supreme Court ruled states
could not compel schools to teach creationism
• Intelligent Design (ID): Life is so
complex that it could only have
been created by intelligent design
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 35
Religion in the Schools
█
Applying Sociology
– Supporters of school prayer
and creationism: there is
too much separation in schools
between sacred and profane
– Opponents: religious majority
in a community might impose
viewpoints specific to its faith
at expense of religious minorities
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Module 46
Slide 36
Religion in the Schools
█
Initiating Policy
– Public school education is a
fundamentally local issue
– Federal courts have taken a
hard line on religion in schools
– Religion-school debates
show no sign of ending
© 2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.