Organisations, Movements and Members

Question 1

What is a Schism?

Answer 1

A split in an existing institution

Question 2

What does the term New Age mean?

Answer 2

A range of activities and beliefs widespread since the 1980’s

Question 3

What two common themes characterise the New age according to Heelas?

Answer 3

• Self-spirituality

- Detraditionalisation

Question 4

In what four ways does Heelas see the New Age linked to modernity?

Answer 4

• A source of identity
• Consumer culture
• Rapid social change
• Decline of organised religion

Question 5

What 3 B’s are used to measure religiosity?

Answer 5

• Belonging
• Behaving
• Believing

Question 6

What are the proposed 5 reasons for gender differences?

Answer 6

• Risk, socialisation and roles
• Paid work
• Women and the New Age
• Women, compensators and sects
• The Pentecostal gender paradox

Question 7

What are the three main reasons for higher levels of Women’s religiosity according to Miller and Hoffman?

Answer 7

• Risk adversity
• Women are socialised into being passive, obedient and caring
• Gender roles, women have more time for religious activities

Question 8

What is cultural defence?

Answer 8

Using religion as a defence from a racist society

Question 9

What did Brierly (2013) show about churches and cultural defence?

Answer 9

There has been a growth in the amount of churches catered to specific languages and immigration

Question 10

What are the two mains forms of religious organisations proposed by Troeltsch?

Answer 10

Church and Sect

Question 11

What are the two forms of religious organisations proposed by Niebuhr?

Answer 11

Denomination and Cults

Question 12

What are the main features of a Church? Member Size, Functioning, Ideological position, Target audience.

Answer 12

• Millions of members
• Bureaucratic hierarchy
• Ideologically conservative
• Middle-Class

Question 13

What are the main features of a Sect? Member Size, Functioning, Ideological position, Target audience.

Answer 13

• Small
• Charismatic leader
• Claim a monopoly of the truth
• The poor

Question 14

What are the qualities of a denomination?

Answer 14

• They’re the mid-way between a Church and a Sect
• They accept social values but aren’t linked to the state
• They aren’t hostile to other groups in society

Question 15

What are the qualities of a cult?

Answer 15

• Highly individualistic
• Small group of people
• They lack a sharply defined belief system
• Run by ‘therapists’
• Members often leave once they’ve acquired the knowledge of the cult

Question 16

How does Wallis see all 4 religious organisations as similar and different?

Answer 16

• Churches and Sects claim to hold the truth whereas Cults and Denominations are tolerant of other views
• Churches and Sects are viewed as respectful in society whereas Denominations and Cults are viewed as deviant

Question 17

How does Bruce criticise Troeltsch’s idea of religious organisations?

Answer 17

Bruce claims this is only applicable prior to the Protestant reformation in the 16th century

Question 18

What are the three forms New Religious Movement?

Answer 18

1- World-rejecting NRMs
2- World-accommodating NRMs
3- World-affirming NRMs

Question 19

What are the 5 key features of a World-rejecting NRMs?

Answer 19

1- Clearly religious with a clear notion of god
2- Highly critical of the outside world, expecting radical change
3- Members are required to make a sharp break from their former life to achieve salvation
4- Members live communally with restricted contact to the outside world
5- Conservative moral codes

Question 20

What is the key feature of world-accommodating NRMs?

Answer 20

They accept the world for what it is and focus on restoring the purity into religion rather than changing the real world

Question 21

What are the 3 key features of world-affirming NRMs?

Answer 21

1- They optimistically accept the reality of the world
2- The are non-exclusive and tolerate other religions, offering special knowledge to their followers so they can achieve success
3- Most are cults, with ‘customers’ rather than followers

Question 22

How do Stark and Bainbridge criticise the typifications of NRM’s?

Answer 22

They say we should reject them and rather measure NRM’s by the degree of tension between the group and wider society

Question 23

What two organisations does Stark and Bainbridge say are in conflict with wider society?

Answer 23

Sects and Cults

Question 24

What causes a Sect?

Answer 24

A Schism

Question 25

What are the three categories Stark and Bainbridge organise cults into?

Answer 25

1- Audience cults 2- Client cults 3- Cultic movements

Question 26

What is an audience cult?

Answer 26

The least organised form of cult that doesn't involve formal membership. Participation may be through the media

Question 27

What is a client cult?

Answer 27

Based on the relationship between a consultant and a client, used to be contacting the dead etc but now carries an emphasis on therapies

Question 28

What is a cultic movement?

Answer 28

The most organised form of cult that restricts the affiliation of followers with other organisations

Question 29

What is the difference between the Church and a Sect in relation to their longevity?

Answer 29

Churches last for centuries while a Sect often dies out after it's first generation

Question 30

For what three reasons does Niebuhr argue that sects are short lived?

Answer 30

1- They die out 2- They compromise with the world 3- The abandon their ideas and become a denomination

Question 31

What three reasons are said to influence whether a sect dies out, compromises with the world or become a denomination?

Answer 31

1- The Second Generation 2- The 'Protestant ethic' effect 3- Death of the leader

Question 32

What are the steps in the sectarian cycle proposed by Stark and Bainbridge?

Answer 32

``` 1- Schism 2- Initial Fervour 3- Denominationalism 4- Establishment 5- Further Schism ```

Question 33

What two forms of established sects are proposed by Wilson? What are their intentions?

Answer 33

1- Conversionist. They aim to convert large numbers of people which often leads into denominationalism 2- Adventist. They await the second coming of a deity, therefore hold themselves apart from corrupt society so rarely compromise

Question 34

What are the positive and negative effects of globalisation for Sects according to Wilson?

Answer 34

Sects will find it harder to keep themselves separate from society but will find it easier to access oppressed people such as third-world members

Question 35

Despite 'the decline of female piety' what two reasons mean religion is more attractive to females?

Answer 35

1- Religion has a strong affinity with values such as caring for others 2- The decline of a masculine presence means the church has become feminised

Question 36

What does Woodhead theorise about Women's attraction to the New Age?

Answer 36

It offers a third sphere, the individual sphere where women can build an inner-self, focused on individual autonomy and personal growth

Question 37

What does Brown argue about 'self' religions and why Women are attracted to the New Age?

Answer 37

The idea of living through subjective religion appeals to their desire for autonomy

Question 38

How does class influence Women's religious preferences?

Answer 38

The middle-class are attracted to New-Age that encourages autonomy whereas the working-class are more attracted to the forms of religion that have them as a passive member

Question 39

What three forms of deprivation mean more women are part of sects according to Stark and Bainbridge?

Answer 39

1- Organismic deprivation 2- Ethical deprivation 3- Social deprivation

Question 40

What is Herberg's definition of cultural transition?

Answer 40

Using religion to ease the process of assimilating into a new society

Question 41

What three reasons does Voas and Crockett give for the age differences in religiosity?

Answer 41

1- The ageing effect 2- The period or cohort effect 3- Secularisation