beliefs Flashcards
(128 cards)
1
Q
what are ALL the beliefs theorists(29)
A
durkheim
parsons
malinowski
bellah
shills and young(less relevant)
marx
lenin
billings
maduro
gramsci
armstrong
daly
de beauvoir
el saadawi
woodhead
cohen and kennedy(less relevant)
huntington
redding
nanda
giddens
castells
bruce
davie
strinati
baudrillard
hervieur leger
lyon
stark and bainbridge
norris and inglehart
2
Q
what two categories did durkheim say all societies divided into?
A
- sacred (special and set apart)
- profane (ordinary)
3
Q
who studied arunta and what is it about? (2)
A
DURKHEIM
- arunta is a simple society with an elementary form of religion which is ‘totemism’.
- totem is a symbol of god and of society - means that god and society are one.
4
Q
how does religion maintain social order and value conscience?
A
social order - people are worshipping society through religious symbols =legitimatises the purposes and procedures of society itself.
collective conscience - done through worships/rituals - moral bonds unite them.
5
Q
what are 2 criticisms of DURKHEIM?
A
- religion is important for social solidarity but is religion really the worship of society?
- religion is not always associated with community and collective but conflict(religious wars- ireland)
6
Q
who studied the trobiand islands?
A
malinowski
7
Q
what was MALINOWSKI’S view on religion?
A
malinowski studied trobiand islands (pre-literature society in new guinea) - found that the function of religion is to cope with emotional stress , problems and anxieties.
8
Q
who said that religion provides guidelines for human action?
A
TALCOTT PARSONS
9
Q
what did TALCOTT PARSONS say about religion and secondary socialisation? GIVE EXAMPLE
A
religion provides guidelines for our actions - eg:christians follow 10 commandments such as ‘thou shalt not kill’ - served to justify the law against murder.
10
Q
what does civil religion mean?
A
despite differences between the faith of americans(catholic , protestant , jews) what unified them was a civil religion to their nation state. - faith in americanism helps to unite american people.
11
Q
who came up with the idea of a ‘civil religion’ ?
A
Robert Bellah
12
Q
who spoke about the coronation and religion and why?
A
shills and young - the coronation brought the nation together.
13
Q
what are some criticisms to the funtionalist approach to religion? (3)
A
- ignores dysfunctional aspects of religion
- it can not explain social change
- religion can at times resist the social order(iran) rather than conform to it.
14
Q
name all the functionalist theorists (5)
A
durkheim
parsons
shills and young
bellah
malinowski
15
Q
why does religion maintain a ‘false class consciousness’?
A
religion acts as an ‘opium of the masses’ helping dull the pain produced by the oppression but does nothing to solve oppression.
16
Q
who said that religion was an ‘opium of the masses’?
A
marx
17
Q
who said that ‘religion as a spiritual gin’?
A
lenin
18
Q
why did lenin say that religion was like a spiritual gin?
A
religion confuses the wc and keeps them in their place - keeps wc from attempting to overthrow capitalism.
19
Q
why did marx feel like mankind created god?
A
rulers and upper class promoted the myth that their position was given by god to justify and maintain their positions.
20
Q
name TWO religious ‘systems’ that keep the poor poor and the rich rich?
A
- divine right of kings
- hindu caste system
21
Q
what did althusser say about religion ?
A
ideological state apparatus
22
Q
what are some examples of evidence that religion can be a force for social change? (4)
A
- protestant work ethic(weber)
- MLK - civil rights movement
- liberation theology(maduro)
- desmond tutu in south africa helped to overthrow apartheid.
23
Q
why is marx’s view of religion criticised? (2)
A
- Marx stated that in a socialist society , religion would not need to exist but they still do.
- marx’s views are deterministic - mc believe in religion and sometimes are not linked to the economy
24
Q
name all marxist/neo marxist theorists (8)
A
marx
lenin
althusser
maduro
gramsci
bilings
bloch
engels
25
who said that religion can play an active role in society leading to revolutionary social change and provide an EXAMPLE of why.
ENGELS - early christian sects opposed roman rule and he compared them to communist and socialist political movements.
26
who said that religion can have a 'dual character'?
bloch
27
why does religion play a 'dual character'?
religion can play both a positive and negative role with regards to social change - can inspire change or protest/rebellion.
28
what does the 'principle of hope' mean? (BLOCH) (2)
- Dreams of a better life that contains images of utopia
- images of utopia can deceive people with promises of rewards in heaven but it can help people see what needs to be changed in this world.
29
who did the study on textile workers v coal miners and where was it conducted ?
Billings - KENTUCKY , USA
30
what was Billings study on the textile workers v coal miners on? (4)
- study in kentucky usa
- low wages , protestant
- coal miners encouraged by the church to rebel against the conditions
- textile workers accepted their position.
31
what was gramsci's study on hegemony about?
gramsci recognised the hegomony the catholic church could play but religion can create a counter hegomony (alternate vision of how the world could be)
32
who came up with the study of a counter hegemony?
Gramsci
33
what is maduros liberation theology? (3)
- maduro believed that religion has some independence from the economic system
- latin american clergy are critical of oppressive regimes
- involved in anti communist activity in poland before abandonment of communism.
34
who's study was on the 'liberation theology'?
maduro
35
list some ways that religion can be patriarchal(5)
- religious organisation are male dominated - women not rabis
- places of worship - segregated seating
- participation in worship - women on period can not touch Qur'an
- sacred texts - feature the work of male gods
- religious laws/customs - give women fewer rights than men (FGM)
36
what is the decline of the goddess study by ARMSTRONG?
Large numbers of naked , pregnant goddess figures were uncovered by archeologists across europe and asia , however with monotheism(belief in one god) these died out.
37
who came up with the study of 'decline of the goddess' ?
armstrong
38
what are 3 passages that are evidence of the patriarchy within religion?
- 'blessed art thou O Lord our God that i was not born a slave'(jewish)
- 'Blessed art thou O Lord our God that i was not born a women'(jewish)
- wives be subject to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church(christianity)
39
why are two reasons why women's bodies/sexuality seen to be 'dangerous' by religions?
- women menstruate and give birth so theyre considered to have a greater capacity to 'pollute' religious rituals.
- As well as this their presence may distract men from their important roles involving worship.
40
who came up with the book 'the second sex' and said that religion serves as a way to compensate for womens second class status?
simone de beauvoir
41
what was simon de beauvoir's book 'second sex' about? (2)
- religion is used by oppressors (men) to control the oppressed (women).
- Religion also serves as a way for compensating women for their second class status by giving the false belief that they will be compensated for their suffering on earth by equality in heaven.
42
what was el saadawi's study on fgm and scriptures about? (2)
- Believed that fgm is not a practice that is needed and has no religious relevance.
- Scriptures and made and interpreted by men and therefore maintain patriarchal and class structures.
43
who's study involved fgm and male interpretation of scriptures?
El Saadawi
44
why did linda woodhead criticise the feminist explanation of religion being patriarchal?
woodhead argues that religion can be quite liberating for women - she uses the example of hijabs that muslim women wear that protects them from male attention and as a way of self expression.
45
what did cohen and kennedy say about fundamentalism , women and religion?
argued that there is a desire to restore fundamentalist religious values which is under threat by women's freedom of choice.
46
who said that christianity is a patriarchal myth?
Mary Daly
47
what was DALY's study on christianity and patriarchy about?
daly argues that christianity is a patriarchal myth because of the violent images of torture that embodies women hating.
48
list all theorists for gender and religion(6)
el saadawi
simone de beauvoir
armstrong
daly
cohen and kennedy
woodhead(criticism)
49
list all theorists for globalisation and religion (8)
giddens
castells
huntington
nanda
redding
bruce
strinati
weber
50
name the roles of religion in a globalised world (5)
- religion is used as a reaction to globalisation(fundamentalism)
- cultural defence against external threats(iran)
- religion is part of the clash of civilisations
- religion aids economic development
- religion is more diverse in a postmodern world and is disembedded from its local context.
51
who argued that fundamentalism is a product of and reaction to globalisation?(cosmopolitanism v fundamentalism)
Giddens
52
what was giddens study on cosmopolitanism and fundamentalism about?
argues that fundamentalism is a product of and reaction to globalisation - the choice, uncertainty and risk of a global world(cosmpolitanism) threatens traditions of religion (fundamentalism)
53
who distinguished the two types of postmodernity (resistant and project identity)?
Castells
54
what was CASTELLS study on resistant identity and project identity about? (3)
- argues that a postmodern society brings freedom of choice
- resistant which is a defensive reaction of those who feel threatened and turn back to fundamentalism
- project - response of those who are forward looking and engage in social movements such as feminism.
55
what is HUNTINGTON's clash of civilisations about? (2)
- argues that globalisation is leading to a 'clash of civilisations' because each country will defend their religion leading to more conflict.
- identifies 7 civilisations: islam,western,latin america ,china , japanese , hindu , russia/eastern europe.
56
who came up with the idea of a 'clash of civilisations'?
Huntington
57
what was BRUCE's cultural defence and transition about? (2)
cultural defence - religion is used as a way to unite as a community against external threats
cultural transition - using religion as a common ground as a way of finding community in a different country.
58
who came up with the idea of cultural defence and cultural transition?
bruce
59
what was WEBER's protestant ethic and spirit of capitalism about?
calvinism which is a form of Protestantism - in order to be one of the 'elect' the lived very basic lifestyles and put all their money back into their businesses creating the spirit of capitalism.
60
who studied the protestant ethic and came up with the idea of 'spirit of capitalism'?
weber
61
what was NANDA's indian ultra-nationalism about?
india's new mc and hinduism in india has been an essential in creating ultra-nationalism for the mc - they use their wealth by spending loads on religious rituals to 'balance' out their mc consumerism.
62
who came up with the idea of ultra-nationalism and hinduism?
nanda
63
what was REDDING's study on capitalism in east asia about?(east asian tiger economies) (2)
- south korea and taiwan are examples of successful industrialisation.
- the post confucian (traditional chinese belief system) values and encourages hard work , self discipline ,frugality and a commitment to education - aids economic success.
64
who studied capitalism in east asia and found their post confucian values aided capitalism?
redding
65
what were the three mains reasons for post modernism identified by STRINATI?
1) emphasis on consumerism - the media is central to these processes
2)new mc occupation - such as design , marketing and advertising persuade people about the importance of taste.
3) the disappearance of identities based on things such as class - as personal identities become more personal , individual and constructed by the media.
66
who found three main reasons for post-modernism?
strinati
67
what did BAUDRILLARD talk about regarding a post-modern society and the buying/sellings of material goods? (2)
- argued that buying and selling knowledge in the form of images/signs emphasises the importance of signs as the guiding principle of how society functions.
- 'hyper reality' which is where 'reality' is entirely a product of media and its production of signs.
68
who argued that buying/selling material goods is a form of knowledge in a post modern society?
baudrillard
69
what was DAVIE's 'believing without belonging' theory about?
argues that religion is not declining it's just changing - people can still hold a strong faith but no longer attend church because they feel they have to(vicarious religion).
70
who argued that now people experience religion vicariously by 'believing without belonging'?
grace davie
71
what was HERVIEUR-LEGER's spiritual shopping(pick n mix) about?
argues that people today now feel they have a choice as consumers of religion - we choose elements of religion we want to explore and join groups we wish to join - 'pick n mix ' religion.
72
who came up with the idea of 'spiritual shopping'?
hervieur - leger
73
what was LYON's study on 'jesus in disneyland' about?
Argued that religion has been disembedded from its local context (such as televangelism) and uses the example of a harvest day crusade being spent in disneyland instead of a church.
74
who came up with the idea of 'jesus in disneyland' and religion being disembedding from its local context?
Lyon
75
what was STARK&BAINBRIDGE's religious market theory about?(2)
- propose a cycle of decline , revival and renewal - when some religions decline others grow(sects/cults) which attracts new members.
- 'the church that makes their product attractive will succeed in attracting customers' - improvement of 'religious goods'.
76
who came up with the idea of a religious market theory?
stark and bainbridge
77
what was NORRIS&INGELHART's existential security theory about?
religion meets a need for security so in areas where there is less security(low income groups + societies) religion is in high demand.
78
who came up with the 'existential security theory'?
norris and ingelhart
79
list all postmodernist theorists (6)
- davie
- norris and inglehart
- stark and bainbridge
- lyon
- hervieur - leger
- baudrillard
80
what is the definition of a church? (in sociological thinking)
an institutional religion - large organisations with millions of members such as the catholic church.
81
what is the definition of a sect? - give an example
a small , exclusive group with no professional clergy , radical religious groups that demand total commitment (world rejecting) - Jim Jones temple.
82
what is the definition of a denomination?
a midway between churches and sects - membership is less exclusive , do not claim a monoply of truth and are tolerant of other religious organisations.
83
what is the definition of a cult?
least organised and informal religious organisation , loose knit , individualistic , led by practitioners or 'therapists'.
84
what are characteristics of world affirming NRMS? Give one example. (3)
- offer followers access to spiritual powers
- accept the world as it is (optimistic)
- non exclusive and tolerant of other religions.
EXAMPLE:SCIENTOLOGY
85
what are some characteristics of world accommodating nrms? Give one example. (3)
- do not accept or reject the world
- focus on religious matters over worldly matters
- members lead conventional lives
EXAMPLE:NEO-PENTECOSTALISTS
86
what are some characteristics of world rejecting nrms? Give one example (3)
- highly critical of outside world
- to achieve salvation members must break from their former life
- hold conservative moral codes
EXAMPLE:THE PEOPLE'S TEMPLE
87
what are five reasons for the growth of NRMS? (5)
- marginality
- relative deprivation
- social change
- pragmatic motives
- spiritual void
88
what is the 'theodicy of disprivilege' when relating to sects and who said it?
weber - sects offer solutions/explanations to those who feel marginalised that offers rewards in the future for keeping the faith.
89
what is does relative deprivation mean and who discussed this?
stark and bainbridge - someone who is well off materialistically may feel spiritually deprived therefore turn to religion to help them.
90
which two theorists discuss
social change in relation to religion?
wilson - argues that periods of rapid social change disrupts and undermines established norms and values which produces anomie or normalness.
bruce - sees the growth of sects as a response to the social changes involved with modernisation and secularisation - people prefer to join cults as they're less demanding.
91
what does pragmatic motives mean?
practical reasons such as a happier life.
92
what does spiritual void mean?
science not being able to answer questions
93
who said that young people are more likely to join world rejecting nrms and why?
WALLIS - world rejecting nrms lack adult commitments and thrive on the commitment a highly demanding world rejecting nrms offers.
94
what social group is more likely to join world affirming sects?
middle classes , married - because they're not deprived materially they often seek spirituality in a rational world.
95
what did NEIBUHR argue about sects?
argued that sects are short lived and that within a generation they either die out or compromise with the world abandoning their extreme ideas.
96
what are the three key reasons for sects being short lived and who said this?
neihbur
the second generation - who are born into the sect and therefore lack the commitment their parents had.
the protestant ethic effect - sects that practise hard work and saving tend to become prosperous and upwardly mobile(compromise).
death of the leader - sects often rely on a charismatic leaders and when they die the sect will either collapse or a formal bureaucratic leadership will take over.
97
what is the stages of the sectarian cycle and who said this?
Stark and bainbridge
1 - schism
2 - initial fervour
3 - denominationalism
4 - establishment
5 - further schism
98
explain each stage of the sectarian cycle (stark and bainbridge)
schism - break away from church due to tension between the needs of deprived and privileged members of group.
initial fervour - with charismatic leadership and tension between the sect and society
denominationalism - the protestant ethic and the coolness of the second generation means the fervour disappears.
establishment - the sect becomes more world accepting and tension with wider society reduces.
further schism - this results when more zealous or less privileged members break away to found a new sect true to the original message.
99
what are two common themes amongst the new age?
self spirituality - new agers have turned away from traditional external churches and instead look inside themselves to find it.
de-traditionalism - the new age rejects the spiritual authority of external traditional sources such as priests or sacred texts.
100
who researched the kendall project and what were the findings? (2)
heelas and woodhead
- 80% of the 'hollistic milieu' were female.
- churches are still the dominant way of expressing religion - 7.9% of kendall still attend church weekly .
101
what were MILLER AND HOFFMAN's 3 reasons for why women are more religious than men?
- different socialisation
structural location
- risk
102
who said there were three reasons women are more religious than men and why?
miller and hoffman
different socialisation - women taught to be submissive,passive and obediant.
structural locations - men are more likely to work fulltime whereas women parttime therefore can do more church related activities
risk - women are more averse 'risk' than men and fear 'going to hell' therefore more religious.
103
who said that women are closer to questions of life and death and WHY?
davie
women often fulfil carer roles and therefore more likely to think about 'ultimate questions' about the meaning of life.
104
which social class of women tend to be more religious and why?
wc women tend to follow religious groups where they are more passive.
105
what are THREE reasons for ethnic differences in religion?(3)
- Globalisation
- cultural defence (bruce)
- cultural transition (bruce)
106
who identifies two main explanations for the age difference in religious participation and why?
voas and crockett
the ageing effect - people turn to religion as they get older as we're naturally more concerned about spiritual matters.
the generational effect - as society becomes more secular each new generation is less religious.
107
list ways that social class and religion relate (with theorist examples) (6)
'cushions oppression' for wc - marx
liberation theology - maduro
existential security theory - norris and inglehart
theodicy of disprivilege - weber
relative deprivation - stark and bainbridge
ultra hinduism - nanda
108
list evidence that religion is a source of social change with theorist examples (4)
weber - protestant ethic & spirit of capitalism.
bruce - american civil rights movement vs new christian right.
neo - marxism - bloch,gramsci,maduro,billings
iran revolution - implementing social change through asserting conservative values.
109
what are some examples for religion declining today? (8)
- rationalisation
- church attendance today
- religious beliefs today
- religious institutions today
- technological worldview
- structural differentiation
- social and cultural diversity
- religious diversity
110
what are the trends following church attendance today and who said this? (3)
wilson
- 6.3% of church attendance (2005)
- sunday school attendance declined
- 2006 only 1/3 of weddings in church
111
who done a national survey on religious beliefs from 1939-1996 and what were the findings?
Gill
'would you describe yourself as being of any religion or denomination' - 23% said no in 1950 but 1996 increased to 43%.
112
who spoke about rationalisation and what did they say?
weber
the protestant reformation brought a new worldview where events were no longer explained by spirits but science and reason. DISENCHANTMENT.
113
who came up with the technological worldview and what did they say?
bruce
the growth of a technological worldview has largely replaced religious or supernatural explanations of why things happens
EXAMPLE: when a plane crashes with the loss of many lives , we are unlikely to regard it as the work of evil spirits instead we look for scientific/technological explanations.
114
who spoke about structural differentiation and what is it?
parsons
specialised institutions develop to carry out functions that were previously performed by a single institution - the church performed functions such as education but now there are actual institutions for this.
115
which TWO theorists argue that social and cultural diversity is a reason for the decline in religious beliefs?
wilson - religion has lost its basis in stable communities and therefore it lost its vitality/hold over individuals.
bruce - even when people continue to hold religious beliefs they cannnot avoid knowing that many of those around them hold very different views.
116
who said that religious diversity is the reason for a decline in religious beliefs and why?
berger
in the middle ages everyone lived under a 'sacred canopy' however now we no longer live under one canopy as religion is now diversified so it comes with a 'plausibility structure' the reasons why people find it believable.
117
what are some examples of religion NOT declining today with theorist names (5)
cultural defence - bruce
cultural transition - bruce
postmodernism
spiritual revolution - heelas and woodhead
was religion ever that religious in the first place? - martin
118
who said cultural defence and cultural transition was a reason for religion not declining and why?
BRUCE
cultural defence - using religion as a way to defend yourself/communities from external threats
cultural transition - using religion as a common ground when migrating to new environments.
119
which postmodernists argue that religion is not declining? (3)
davie
lyon
harvieur-leger
120
why did MARTIN question whether britain was ever that religious in the first place?
in victorian britian the mc tended to use church as a way of creating and maintaining a sense of respectability not because they were actually religious
121
who said that there has now been a spiritual revolution and why?
heelas and woodhead
traditional christianity is now giving way to more holistic spriituality or new age beliefs such as crystals , yoga.
122
who argues that science is an open belief system and why?
popper - every scientists theories are open to scrutiny , criticism and testing by others.
123
what are MERTON's cudos norms?
communism - scientific knowledge is not private property
universalism - the truth or falsity of scientific knowledge is judged by universal testing
disinterestedness - this means being committed to discovering knowledge for its own sake - to avoid fraud.
organised scepticism - no knowledge claim is sacred - every idea is open to investigation and objective investigation.
124
who argues that science is a closed belief system due to paradigms and why?
kuhn
science works within its own paradigm as geology , biology and physics are based on a shared set of assumptions.
125
what are the FOUR main aspects to ideology? (4)
- disorted/mistaken , one sided view of the world/reality
- ideas that conceal the interests of a particular group or that legitimates privileges.
- ideas that prevent change by misleading people about the reality of the situation
- a self sustaining belief system that is irrational and closed to criticism .
126
why is nationalism a form of false class consciousness? (2)
nationalism helps to prevent the overthrow of capitalism by dividing the international wc
- nationalism encourages workers to believe they have more in common witth capitalists of the country than other workers.
127
what is a 'dual consciousness' and who said it?
gramsci
believes that capitalist society and wc have a dual consciousness which is a mixture of ruling class ideas and their own ideas they develop in response to their exploitation and struggles against it.
128
who came up with the idea of a 'free floating intelligentsia' and why?
manheim
- ideological thought and utopian thought are thought processes that particular classes of social groups attach themselves too
- instead suggests a 'free floating intelligentsia' that stands above conflicts and is freed from expressing the interests of any group and instead society has a 'total worldview'
