Exam 1 Review Flashcards
What is Religion?
A shared meaning system
Uses myths, rituals and symbols to sacralize that meaning system.
Give a sense of belonging to a reference group.
Involves a set of ethics or values that directs members’ lives.
Substantive Definition
Focus on SUBSTANCE of religion, especially beliefs
- Type of philosophy
- Belief system
- Moral code
Durkheim: “religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden”
Religion = division of SACRED and PROFANE
Greeley: sacred attitude, reverence or profound respect toward meaning-giving source
Functional Definition
Focus on what religion does
Religion meets fundamental needs:
Meaning, purpose in life
Explanations about death, suffering, evil, injustice
Durkheim: religion unites followers “into one single moral community called a Church”
Religion is powerfully integrative
Karl Marx: religion is “the opium of the people”
People uncritically accept religious teachings
Poor use religion for comfort and meaning, upper class use it as a tool of control
Functional Definition CONT.
Peter Berger: religion is an “audacious attempt to conceive of the entire universe as humanly significant”
Religion provides a sacred cosmos or order
Religion fends off chaos and meaninglessness
Functional definitions expand our view of what we might consider to be “religion” or “religious”
Can you think of anything else that fulfills these functions?
Symbolic Definition
Focus on symbols – objects, behaviors, or stories that represent or remind one of something else
Clifford Geertz: religion is “a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long lasting moods and motivations in [people] by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic”
Symbolic Def. Cont….
System of symbols” that provides blueprint for understanding the world
“Moods and motivations”: feelings and directions for behavior
“Conceptions of a general order of existence”: worldview, explanations, cognitive ordering
Much in common with functionalist definitions
Civil Religion
American flag, pledge of allegiance, “holy” sites (e.g., war memorials, etc.), national anthem
Macro theories
Macro theories look at structure of society and its overall patterns.
The “big picture,” rather than everyday interaction between individuals.
Sociologists use two primary theories:
Functional Theory
Conflict Theory
Functional theory
Durkheim:
“God stands in same relationship to worshipers as does a society to its members
Social norms, society’s needs given aura of divine authority”
What functions does religion fulfill?
Individual functions: meaning, comfort, social belonging
Societal functions: sacralizes cultural values, discourages deviance, unifies people
Conflict theory
Karl Marx: Basic reality of modern society is class conflict Religion an ideology that justifies the current social arrangements (“opiate of the masses”)
Society composed of groups seeking own interests
Social animosity, inequality are result of struggle for power, privilege, and prestige
Modern society characterized by conflict, coercion, and power play
Conflict theory cont..
Religious conflicts:
Jewish/Christian conflicts, anti-Muslim sentiment, anti-Catholic sentiment in 19th century
Conflict over religious and secular authority:
Anti-war, anti-abortion activism
Debates over science, technology, homosexuality, and more
Amish, Mormon conflicts with government
BUT, conflict can produce internal unity, cohesion
Conflict can produce social change
Religious values sometimes at odds with culture
Abolitionism, Civil Rights movement, etc.
Secularization theory
Until 19th century, religion fundamentally shaped the culture and institutions of most societies
Founders of sociology took for granted that modern societies would become more secular
Impact of modernity on religion
- Advances in science, technology, education
- Industrialization and urbanization
- Greater regulation by the state
Other institutions less dependent on religion
Dominant view in sociology until late 20th century
Secularization theory :
Peter Berger
A scientific worldview and the presence of religious diversity threaten the “sacred canopy” over society
Both make religious worldviews seem relative, fragile
Secularization theory :
Mark Chaves:
Religious authority is declining at the societal, organizational, and individuals levels
Economic Theory
These theories used to explain:
- Relatively high rates of religiosity in U.S.
- Growth of evangelical Christianity and Mormonism
- Decline of Catholicism and mainline Protestantism
Economic Theory cont…
Religious Capital:
Another insight from economic theories:
Degree of investment an individual has in his/her faith, mastery over and attachment to religious culture
Helps explain why individuals tend to switch to similar ones (if they do switch)
Individuals in highly distinctive faiths (e.g., Mormonism, Hinduism) tend not to leave them
Problems with economic theories
Individuals’ religious choices are deeply socially embedded
-Most people keep religion they grew up in
-Religion intertwined with race and ethnicity
-People often adopt religious behaviors of those
around them
Effect of pluralism on religious vitality (i.e., participation) is mixed
Biased toward American religion, especially Protestantism
Both secularization and economic theories have little to say about the role of religion in:
- Shaping political attitudes and behavior
- Bringing about social change
- Contributing to (or challenging) social inequality
- Non-dominant or dis-empowered groups of people
Institutional theories
Focus on local religious institutions like congregations
Why? Most people practice and experience religion through local congregations.
Penny Edgell: congregations vary in degree to which they facilitate
- Civic engagement and social activism
- Fostering of close-knit support networks
Robert Wuthnow: religious institutions failing to adapt their ministries to young adults
- Delayed or absent marriage and childbearing
- Longer periods of education
Subcultural theories
Religious subcultures important for creating identities, meaning-making, and political engagement.
Christian Smith: “religion survives and can thrive in pluralistic, modern society” by offering “satisfying morally orienting collective identities which provide meaning and belonging”
Example: Evangelical Christians create group boundaries to distinguish themselves from rest of society (“in the world but not of the world”)
Nancy Ammerman: fundamentalists create a world in opposition – modern world is chaotic and fallen
- -Maintain that God is in full control of their lives
- -Creates sense of permanence, power, and stability
Individual theories
–“Lived religion” or “everyday religion”
–Focuses on how religiosity is practical, experienced,and expressed by ordinary people in their daily lives
–Research uses interviewing and ethnographic
observation
–Acknowledges that individual religion may differ from
official, institutional religion
–Important contrast to large-scale theories because of attention to non-dominant religious groups and practices
Methods:
What is the Sociology of Relgion?
The study of religion as a product and creator of of human action.
AKA
STUDY of human system of religion
How does it differ from other ways of studying about religion?
study Social dimensions of religion and take a Scientific approach: --Objectivity --Methodological empiricism
What does Sociology of Religion focus on?
Focus on both individuals and religious groups
Method: Surveys and statistical analysis
Responses are quantifiable (e.g., How often do you attend religious services?)
- Multivariate inferential statistics:
- -Effect of independent variables on a dependent variable
- -Example: effect of church attendance on donating to charity
- -Use of “control variables”: age, education, race, region, income
Method: Surveys and statistical analysis
Strengths
- -Generalizability
- -Multivariate analysis
**Important issues to consider:
Measurement
Sampling
Weaknesses
Causality
Oversimplistic
Mis-reporting or over-reporting
