Feminist Theories of Religion

Feminist Theories of Religion

• Religious organizations, places of worship, sacred texts, and religious laws and customs often perpetuate patriarchy, with women being given fewer rights and opportunities.
• Armstrong argues that earlier religions placed women at the center, but the development of monotheistic religions led to a patriarchal figure of God.
• Woodhead (2009) notes that while oppression is present in many religions, it's not true of all religions.
• Wearing the hijab is seen as a symbol of liberation by some Muslim women, allowing them to enter public spheres without being condemned as immodest.
• Women use religion to gain status and respect within the private sphere, participating in activities like Bible studies to share their experiences.

Religion and Social Change

Religion as a Conservative Force

• Religion often defends traditionalist customs, upholding conservative beliefs about morality and favoring a patriarchal headed family.
• It holds beliefs and functions that conserve or preserve things in stabilizing society.
• However, some societies have had higher levels of economic development without developing modern capitalism, which Weber argues is due to a lack of a religious belief system like Calvinism.

Evaluation of Weber

• Weber's views differ from Marx's, who believed that economic factors solely drive social change.
• Kautsky (1926) argues that Weber overestimates the role of ideas and underestimates economic factors in bringing capitalism.
• Tawney (1926) believes that technology plays a vital role in capitalism, not religious ideas.

Types of Religious Organizations

• Wallis (1984) highlights two characteristics of similarities and differences: how they see themselves and how they're seen by wider society.
• Churches and denominations are seen as respectable and legitimate, while sects and cults are seen as deviant.

New Religious Movements (Wallis)

• World-rejecting NRMs: highly critical of the outside world, seeking radical change, and desiring salvation.
• World-accommodating NRMs: breakaways from mainstream churches, focusing on religious rather than worldly matters.
• World-affirming NRMs: lacking conventional features of religion, offering access to spiritual or supernatural powers.

Social Deprivation and Pentecostalism

• Social deprivation explains why women are more likely to be poor and attracted to sects.
• Pentecostalism has grown in recent years, but is generally seen as patriarchal due to its male church leaders.
• Women are attracted to Pentecostalism due to its ascetic way of life and requirement for men to be breadwinners.

Ethnicity and Religiosity

• The UK is now a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society, with varying differences in religious participation patterns.
• Reasons for ethnic differences include religion offering support and a sense of cultural identity, especially in uncertain or hostile environments.

The CUDOS Norms

• Merton (2007) argues that science needs an 'ethos' or set of norms to make scientists act in ways that serve the goal of increasing scientific knowledge.
• Four such norms: communism, universalism, disinterestedness, and organized skepticism.

Closed Belief Systems

• Opposing science, religion is a closed belief system that cannot be challenged.
• Horton (1973) distinguishes between open and closed belief systems, with science being open and religion being closed.

Witchcraft among the Azande

• The Azande believe that misfortune is due to witchcraft, and they have a ritual to investigate.
• The Azande regard witchcraft as a psychic power coming from the intestines, which allows the accused to apologize and promise no further bewitching.
• Evans-Pritchard argues that this belief system performs useful social functions, such as preventing grudges and forcing neighbors to act accordingly.

This quiz explores feminist perspectives on religion, examining how patriarchal societies influence religious organisations, places of worship, sacred texts, and religious laws and customs.