Sociology: Beliefs and Religious Groups

Beliefs Overview

• Functionalists focus on the role of religion in maintaining social stability.
• Feminists examine how religion impacts gender inequality.
• Marxists view religion as a tool used for class oppression.
• Postmodernists explore the diverse range of beliefs in today's fragmented society.

Religious Groups and Concepts

• Secularization refers to the decline of religious influence in society.
• Niebuhr stated that religious fervor often diminishes after a sect's initial generation.
• Troeltsch theorized that sects typically emerge from dissatisfaction with mainstream churches.
• A charismatic leader is an individual leading sects without bureaucracy.
• Total commitment is when members must make significant sacrifices to participate in a sect.
• World-rejecting sects oppose mainstream society and the state.
• Marginalized groups are individuals from low-income or minority backgrounds.

Key Sociologists and Their Theories

• Wallis: World-affirming movements enhance personal and work life.
• Wilson: Marginalization is influenced by economic deprivation and loneliness.
• Stark and Bainbridge: New Religious Movements (NRMs) compensate for the secularization of mainstream religion.
• Heelas et al: New Age ideas fill the meaning vacuum that is caused by the decline of traditional religion.
• Barker: The Moonies offer a temporary exit from conventional society.
• Weber: Disenchantment directly leads to the rationalization of the world.
• Bruce: Religious belief becomes a last resort when science fails.

Trends in Religious Observance

• Disengagement is the reduced involvement of the Church in social and political life.
• Decline in Clergy saw a decrease from 45,000 clerics in 1900 to 34,000 in 2000.
• Religious market theory suggests that the demand for religion persists as people seek rewards.
• Lyon: 'Disneyfication' trivializes religious significance in modern culture.
• Individuals tailor their identities through Customised Identities in postmodern society.
• Commodity Religion: Treating religion as something to be marketed.
• Believing Without Belonging refers to faith in God without regular service attendance.
• Privatisation of Religion: Worship is conducted privately, outside of traditional religious institutions.
• Vicarious Religion: When a minority within a population practices religion on behalf of the majority.
• Interruption to Normality: Disasters can trigger shifts in religious engagement.
• Cultural Amnesia: Societies lose their collective religious memory.
• Demand for Religion varies across and within different societies.
• Secularisation Trend: Population growth presents challenges to its decline.

Religion and Global Interactions

• Clash of Civilisations: Conflicts stem from interactions between different cultures and religions.
• Huntington identified Seven Civilisations, including Western and Islamic.
• Nation State Identity Gap: Religion fills the identity void left by nations.
• Globalisation Impact: Increased cultural contact can potentially lead to conflict.
• Tele-Gurus: Hindu leaders use media to exert influence.
• Prosperity and Wealth in Hinduism: Tele-gurus reshape views on material success.
• Religious Activity Change: Beliefs evolve beyond congregational settings.
• Hinduism traditionally denounced wealth as sin, but now views wealth positively.
• Contemporary Gurus promote wealth pursuit as divine favor.
• Calvinism promotes economic growth through hard work and discipline.
• Ultra Nationalism: Worship of Indian culture is linked to economic prosperity.
• Bellah's Civil Religion: Sacred qualities are attached to societal beliefs.
• Berger: Religion plays a role in economic development.
• Pentecostalism encourages self-improvement instead of waiting for salvation.
• CAGE is a framework for understanding social and cultural dynamics.
• Bird's Explanation: High religiosity provides community and cultural identity.
• Socialization Pressure: Children face pressure to maintain religious commitments.
• Pentecostalism in Bristol helps the Afro-Caribbean community cope with discrimination.

Sociologists Studying Religion

• Voas and Crockett: Research religious trends and demographics.
• Miller and Hoffman studied gender differences in religious participation.
• Woodhead explores women's roles in New Age movements.
• De Beauvoir analyzes women's experiences in religious contexts.
• Bruce found that ethnic minorities show higher religiosity levels than whites.
• Cultural Defense: Religious identity provides community solidarity.
• Trezebiatowska and Bruce examined gender differences in spirituality and New Age Movement (NAM) participation.
• Brierley's Statistics: The number of women leaving churches decreased from 65,000 to 51,000.
• Durkheim's Collective Conscience covers shared beliefs/norms essential for social life.
• Parsons' Core Values explains that religion provides cultural guidelines/social stability.
• Malinowski's Psychological Functions discusses how religion helps cope with emotional stress/control.
• Bellah's Civil Religion Examples details Nazism, Marxism, and Americanism as non-true religions.

Religion and Social Issues

• Marx's Opium of the Masses explains how religion distracts from capitalist oppression and exploitation.
• Althusser's Ideological State Apparatus refers to institutions spreading bourgeois ideology and ensuring false consciousness.
• El Saadawi is an Egyptian feminist who argues that male violence stems from patriarchy.
• Patriarchal Dominance is a system where men hold primary power over women.
• El Saadawi suggests Islam is misused, but not the direct cause of oppression.
• De Beauvoir: Religion deceives women about their equality.
• Marxist Theory links religion to class oppression.
• Armstrong: Women's exclusion from priesthood symbolizes marginalization.
• Monotheistic Religions are centered around one god and are often patriarchal.
• Woodhead suggests religion isn't inherently sexist; there's societal resistance.
• Gramsci proposed that the bourgeoisie maintain power through hegemonic control.
• Maduro highlighted religious organizations guiding the oppressed positively.
• Bruce is recognized for contributions to understanding religion's social role.
• Weber explored the Protestant Ethic's influence on capitalism.
• Calvinism is a belief system emphasizing predestination and asceticism.
• Capitalism is an economic system influenced by religious values/ethics.
• Popper critiqued Marxism's scientific study as unfalsifiable.

Paradigms Shifting

• Kuhn proposed that science operates within paradigms shaping theories.
• A paradigm is a framework of assumptions guiding scientific understanding.
• Lyotard is a philosopher known for critiques of grand narratives.
• Social Change encompasses transformations in societal norms and values.
• Conservative Force: Religion can resist social change and uphold traditions.
• Hegemonic Control: Dominance achieved through cultural and ideological means.