Religion and Globalization

• Religion and globalization are adaptable and share a relationship.
• Globalization narrows cultural gaps, allowing religion to thrive globally.
• The merging of different cultures may lead to the evolution of new religious traditions and the disappearance of old ones.

Key Concepts

• Global Peace is a state of harmony and the absence of conflict between nations and peoples around the world.
• Secularization is the action or process of converting something from religious to secular possession or use.
• Secularization means disassociation or separation from religious or spiritual concerns.

Effects of Globalization on Religion

• Advances in communication, transportation, and media have interconnected the world.
• Religion acts as a "structure of beliefs and practices."
• Religions use globalization to expand beliefs and practices across geographical boundaries.
• Religion benefits from technological advances in media, helping it to reach global audiences for "binding people together".
• Websites, TV channels, and radio stations are examples of how religious ideas are promoted globally.

Types of Religious Organizations

• A Church is a large religious body closely integrated into the larger society.

Types of Churches

• Ecclesia is a national/state religion that provides automatic membership at birth.
• Islam in Saudi Arabia and the Catholic Church in Spain are examples of ecclesia.
• A Denomination is a large religious group integrated into society but is not part of the state.
• Denominations offer membership due to parents being members already.
• Megachurches are churches with over 2,000 weekly attendees and a focus on practical needs.
• Diverse services and practical offerings are common in megachurches.
• A Sect is a small, non-bureaucratic group splintered away from a denomination.
• Emotional services and intense worship practices are common in sects.
• Sects are loosely organized religious groups with non-professional leadership.
• Sects actively reject the social environment and break away from a larger religious group.
• A Cult is a small group outside mainstream traditions.
• Cults are led by charismatic leaders.
• Cults are non-conventional religious groups where social conditions demand separation.
• Members of Cults are required to withdraw from normal life; a full-time communal obligation is required for members.

Religious Organizations: Key Characteristics

• Churches have the largest membership size with a middle-class membership base and low commitment.
• Denominations have medium membership size with working classes and ethnic minorities that feature higher or more exclusive commitment levels than church.
• Sects have smallest membership size with working classes and ethnic minorities that have the highest level of commitment.
• Cults have medium membership size, with middle classes and low level of commitment
• Churches and Sects believe in a monopoly of truth.
• Churches are formal, bureaucratic and hierarchical with professional paid clergy.
• Denominations are formal, bureaucratic and hierarchical with professional paid clergy.
• Sects are hierarchical and organised around charismatic leaders.
• Cults have loose knit networks with client-customer relations.
• Churches and Denominations are allied with the State.
• Sects at times can be in conflict with the State.
• Churches and Denominations accept mainstream values.
• Sects reject mainstream values.
• Cults are generally apolitical and accept mainstream values.
• The Church of England is an example of a Church.
• The Methodist Church is an example of a Denomination.
• The Branch Davidians were an example of a Sect.
• Transcendental Meditation is an example of a Cult.

Purposes of Religion

• Religion fulfills four main purposes.
• Religion provides group identity with shared beliefs, practices, and values that unite people into a community.
• Religion establishes a sense of belonging and common identity, strengthening bonds among members.
• In a globalized world, religion strengthens identity, especially when cultural boundaries are blurred.
• Religion reinforces a sense of self and belonging.
• The purpose of social cohesion promotes social harmony and stability by establishing shared norms, values, and moral codes.
• Religion encourages cooperation, mutual support, and a sense of collective responsibility within the religious community.
• Religion strengthens and challenges social cohesion, uniting people across national borders but also creating divisions based on religious differences.
• Religion encourages social control by establishing rules, laws, and moral guidelines that influence behavior and maintain social order.
• Religion promotes conformity, deters deviance, and provides a framework for resolving conflicts within the community.
• Religion’s influence may vary in a globalized world, where some religious norms are universal while others clash with secular laws/cultural values.
• Religion encourages spiritual enlightenment by offering pathways to spiritual growth, self-discovery, deeper meaning/purpose in life.
• Religion provides rituals, practices, and teachings that help individuals connect with the divine or achieve a state of inner peace and fulfillment.
• Globalization has facilitated the spread of diverse spiritual practices/beliefs, allowing exploration of different paths to enlightenment.

Five Major World Religions

• The major world religions include Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity.
• The creator god in Hinduism is Brahma; in Judaism, Yahweh; in Islam, Allah; in Buddhism, Gautama Buddha; and in Christianity, the Holy Trinity.
• Hinduism's sacred text is The Vedas: Judaism's sacred texts are The Torah: Islam has The Qur'an, Buddhism has The Tripitaka and Christianity has The Bible.
• Hinduism's house of worship is a Mandir; Judaism, a Synagogue; Islam, a Mosque; Buddhism, a Buddhist Temple; and Christianity, a Church.
• Hinduism seeks to achieve dharma (good conduct and morality).
• Judaism prepares for the messianic era.
• Islam involves worshipping Allah and following His commands (the Five Pillars of Islam).
• Buddhism seeks freedom from suffering.
• Christianity seeks to fulfill the God's purpose though love and faith.

Globalization's Role in Religious Spread

• Globalization enables religions to cross geographic boundaries.
• Media platforms like websites, TV, and radio disseminate beliefs.
• Religious leaders adapt to global channels to assert identities.

Relationship Between Religion and Conflict/Peace

• Religion is a source of pride during globalization.
• Globalization has heightened religious identity and creation of conflict among world religions.
• Global competition has led to stronger assertions of religious identity.

Division of the World's Religions (2022)

• Christianity accounts for 31.6% of global population.
• Islam: 25.8%.
• Hinduism: 15.1%.
• Unaffiliated: 14.4%.
• Buddhism: 6.6%.
• Folk Religions: 5.4%.
• Other Religions: 0.8%.
• Jews: 0.2%.
• "Unaffiliated" is Atheists, agnostics, and people who do not identify with any particular religion.
• Folk religions are also known as traditional religions or any ethnic or cultural religious practice.
• Under "other religions" fall Baha'i Faith (Iran), Jainism (India), Shintoism (Japan) and Taoism (China).

Contemporary views of Religion

• Religion is no longer a set of beliefs that people arrive at by reflection.
• It is now a symbolic system which carries identities, marking social/ethnic boundaries.
• Religion leads to an increased understanding and respect for other cultures.
• Religion marks crucial moments in life cycle with rituals.
• Religion provides powerful mechanisms for psychological and social tension.
• Religion-based conflicts are on the rise.
• Religious issues ought not be considered independently from globalization.
• In the Philippines, a 2020 SWS poll found that 73% Filipinos consider their religion "very important”.

Secularization

• As societies modernize, public role of religions and religious practices significantly declined.
• Religious practices are becoming more private and separated from worldly institutions.

Religious Affiliation in the Philippines

• In the Philippines 2020 Census Roman Catholicism accounted for 78.8%; Islam, 6.4%; and Iglesia ni Cristo, 2.6%.
• Roman Catholicism has decreased almost 2% between 2010 and today.
• In 2010, Roman Catholicism accounted for 80.6%, in 2015, 79.5%, and in 2020, 78.8%.
• Islam and Iglesia ni Cristo remained almost constant.
• Globalization has reshaped religion as a global force while challenging its traditional practices.