perspectives on religion

Question 1

what are the 6 points of post-modernists on religion?

Answer 1

-lyotard - monopoly of truth
-lyon - spiritual shopping
-hervieu-leger - inability to change
-lyon - disembedding
-growth of NAMs
-pick and mix culture

Question 2

what is meant by monopoly of truth according to postmodernists?

Answer 2

-Lyotard
-religion provides a meta-narrative that tries to hold a monopoly of truth
-such claims are no longer acceptable because there’s no such thing as an absolute truth

Question 3

what is meant by spiritual shopping according to postmodernists?

Answer 3

-Lyon
-spiritual marketplace has developed as a result of religious leaders turning to the media to publicise their beliefs
-people try out new religions to find one that matches their own personal belief system

Question 4

what is meant by disembedding according to postmodernists?

Answer 4

-Lyon
-we no longer need to be face to face for contact, which breaks down geographical boarders making interactions more impersonal, allowing religion to spread and people to pick and choose what they do and don’t want to follow

Question 5

what is meant by an inability to change according to postmodernists?

Answer 5

-Hervieu-Leger
-religions inability to change has led to its demise because there are so many alternating views to compete with its teachings

Question 6

what is meant by a pick and mix culture according to postmodernists?

Answer 6

postmodernity has enabled people to select and choose a religion based on its suitability in answering existential questions

Question 7

what does growth of NAMs mean according to postmodernists?

Answer 7

traditional religions are being replaced by new age movements that focus of self improvement rather than a devotion to God

Question 8

briefly evaluate the postmodern view of religon

Answer 8

-Bruce - postmodernists overemphasise the extent of decline in trad religions(NAMs are short lived so can’t compare)
-disembedding has been overexaggerated

Question 9

why did Stark and Bainbridge claim women were more likely to join sects and cults?

Answer 9

they offer compensations for three types of deprivation
1-oragnismic deprivation
2-ethical deprivation
3-social deprivation

Question 10

what are the three main points associated with the feminist perspective of religion?

Answer 10

-maintain patriarchy
-second class believers
-stained glass ceiling analogy

Question 11

why do feminists argue religion maintains the patriarchy?

Answer 11

-Mary Daly
-portrays male domination
-men determined what was in the bible so controlled the narrative
-Daly argues there cannot be equality in religion until there’s an acceptance that God could be a woman
-example - depicting women as bad influences eg eve eating the apple
-Woodhead - women use religion as a way of gaining freedom and respect, eg hijabs can be a form of liberation

Question 12

what does ‘second class believers’ mean in terms of the feminist perspective on religion?

Answer 12

-Simone De Beauvoir
-religion tricks women in to believing they’re equal in the eyes of God and will be rewarded for their suffering in the afterlife
-girls are socialised into worshiping a male God and so may be encouraged to see men as superior
-example - Jean Holm - segregated places of worship, or in Islam women aren’t allowed to read from sacred texts if they’re menstruating
-1/5 of the priests in the CofE are female

Question 13

what does ‘stained glass ceiling’ mean in reference to the feminist perspective of religion?

Answer 13

-Karen Armstrong
-women are often blocked from high positions in mainstream churches
-example - the vote for female bishops in the CofE was strongly opposed by traditionalists
-El Saadawi - suggests its not religions that are patriarchal but the societies they belong to eg in Arab culture men hold all powerful positions meaning they can interpret the Qur’an to support this

Question 14

what is the dual nature of religion according to neo-marxists?

Answer 14

-Bloch - religion can act as a conservative force but it can also act as a principle of hope
-Gramsci - the church does maintain cultural hegemony but it also could produce its own ideas to inspire social change (individual autonomy)

Question 15

how does neo-marxism differ from Marxism?

Answer 15

Neo-Marxism agrees that religion can exploit the poor, however it criticised Marxism for failing to see how religion can be a cause of social change

Question 15

what are the two ways that Neo-Marxism sees religion as a force for social change?

Answer 15

-Maduro - in countries where protests were illegal, churches offered an outlet for frustration, religious leaders could be seen as charismatic leaders inspiring social change, seeming untouchable as they’re ‘sacred’, if they were harmed it would be a catalyst for a revolution
-liberation theology - radical movement, south America, response to poverty, ill-treatment and the failure of the Vatican, priests encouraged people to fight for change

Question 16

what was the father camillo torres case study?

Answer 16

colombian sociologist, roman catholic priest, a predecessor of liberation theology and a member of the national liberation army
he helped organise student political protests

Question 17

briefly evaluate the neo-marxist view of religion

Answer 17

-sees religion as being socially significant in society despite evidence for secularisation
-Pope John Paul II rejected the liberation theology and told priests to focus on their religious responsibilities

Question 18

what are the 3 marxist points on religion as an ideology?

Answer 18

-legitimates inequality (suffering is god-given)
-legitimates power of the ruling class (the way society is organised was God’s intention)
-spiritual gin (Lenin)(obscure reality)

Question 19

what is alienation? What are the 3 Marxist points of religion as a product of alienation?

Answer 19

the lack of power, control and fulfilment experienced by workers in capitalist societies
-suffering as a test of faith
-existential security (supernatural intervention)
-promises of an after life (eternal bliss)

Question 20

what is meant by ‘opium of the masses’? list 3 ways religion is like it

Answer 20

-(marx) religion dulls the pain of oppression by offering a temporary high, the same way that opium dulls the pain of an injury
1-dulls the pain (of exploitation) rather than dealing with the cause
2-gives a distorted world view
3-temporary high

Question 21

briefly evaluate the Marxist view of religion

Answer 21

-ignores the positive functions of religion
-althusser rejects alienation for being unscientific
-abercrombie, hill and turner - religion doesn’t control the population, in pre-industrial society it had very little impact on peasantry

Question 22

what are Durkheim’s 4 functionalist points on religion?

Answer 22

-the sacred and the profane
-totemism (Arunta Aboriginal tribe)
-collective consciousness (which rituals reinforce)
-cognitive functions (believed religion was the origin of concepts and categories we need for reasoning)

Question 23

what did Durkheim find about the Arunta Aboriginal tribe?

Answer 23

-bands of kin that come together periodically to worship a totem
-totem was an animal/plant to represent the clans origin and identity
-the ritual reinforces the clans sense of belonging and solidarity

Question 24

what is Parsons functionalist view of religion?

Answer 24

religion helps people cope with unforeseen situations /uncontrollable outcomes, 2 essential functions:
-created and legitimates societies central values by sacralising them, promoting a value consensus
-a primary source of meaning to answer ultimate questions, enabling people to make sense of it and helping maintain social stability

Question 25

what is Bellah’s functionalist view of religion?

Answer 25

-civil religion, attach sacred qualities to society, e.g. the American way of life
-American civil religion involves loyalty to the nation and a belief in God, expressed in various ways such as the national anthem, or phrases such as ‘one nation under God’

Question 26

what is Malinowski’s functionalist view of religion?

Answer 26

-psychological functions
-religion helps people cope with emotional stress, which could undermine social solidarity
-2 types of situation where religion does this:
1-where the outcome is important but uncontrollable, eg Triobrand Tribe fishing vs ocean fishing with canoe magic rituals
2-at times of life crisis, eg funerals reinforcing social solidarity among survivors

Question 27

briefly evaluate the functionalist view of religion

Answer 27

-ignores the negative aspects such as hate crimes, oppression etc.
-hamilton and dysfunction - ignores the ways that religion can cause social division eg northern ireland between protestants and catholics