Religion Flashcards
Religion definition
Religion is a set of beliefs, symbols and practices based on the idea of the sacred or superhuman powers
Durkheim religion definition
Religion was the main integrating force of societies, by ‘uniting self-interested individuals into a moral community’
Martin
Religion’s role as a political instrument and a means of exertion and legitimisation of power has been evident throughout history
Dalton
Argues both denominational and religiosity effects on voting are modest
Kotler-Berkowitz
- Church of England identifiers more likely to vote UKIP in 2015, Leave in 2016 and hold negative attitudes to immigration, despite church teaching. In other European countries, religion also has a negative effect on views towards immigration
- But religious denominational effects in Britain can depend on belief and on class identity eg. Catholics are generally more likely to vote Labour, but this is voting-Labour correlation is weaker among stronger believers and among working-class individuals
- In early 1990s, religion was still very much a salient voting factor then, and that ‘religious belonging, behaviour and belief, as well as the religious context of households, continue to influence British voting behaviour’.
Paterson
Anglicans that attend church more often hold more positive views towards immigrants.
Greater exposure to elite cues, via attendance at religious services, is related to more positive immigration attitudes
McCauley
Religious priming leads to values-based voting. In Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, ethnic priming leads to preferences for local goods, while religious (Muslim vs Christian) priming leads to preferences for high moral standards. Author’s hypothesis is that ethnic groups are more geographically bounded in these countries, and this might not apply in all contexts
Ben-num et al
While the private aspect of religious belief is associated with traditional and survival values which decrease support for democracy; the communal aspect of religion increases political interest and trust in institutions, which lead to more support for democracy
Hayes
In eight Western countries, ‘apostates’ (people who have given up their religious beliefs) are significantly less opposed to abortion and working women; oppose religion in politics; and have less confidence in institutions compared to their catholic or protestant counterparts. There are no significant differences between ‘apostates’ and ‘stable independents’
Just et al
- Religion can mobilise immigrants politically, but there is variation on the immigrant generation, religiosity, and type of religion.
- Immigrants who belonged to a religion participated less in politics, but those who were more exposed to religious institutions participate more.
- Second-generation Muslim immigrants are more religious and less satisfied with their host countries, and that for them, religiosity is more strongly linked to their political engagement, albeit only for uninstitutionalised political action.
Kauffmann
Why are American woman more likely to be Democrats when they are more religious?
(i) that religion is only influential amongst the most committed;
(ii) that men and women politicise their belief in different ways; and
(iii) that gender differences in opinion on nonreligious issues, such as the social welfare state, can explain the partisan gap moreso than religious differences.
Savage
Previous literature shows that religious individuals are less likely to favour redistribution either because (1) religion provides a substitute for state welfare; or (2) that it adds a salient moral dimension to an individual’s calculus where they may act contrary to their economic interest.
Savage (2020) argues of a process of partisan-motivated reasoning. When parties can combine religion with pro-distribution policies, religious voters are more likely to favour redistribution because it reinforces their partisan identity. In advanced democracies, religious individuals may be more inclined to support centre-right parties that oppose redistribution. However, in Central and Eastern Europe, nationalist populist parties adopt policy platforms that combine religion and leftist economic programmes. They can credibly combine these two positions, because religion and the welfare state have become linked to conceptions of the nation. Furthermore, religious supporters of nationalist populist parties are more likely to favour redistribution than religious supporters of other parties
Tilley
- Religion has been consistently important in predicting voters’ party choices in Britain over time.
- Neither social makeup nor ideological differences (social conservatism, economic leftism, or national identity) between religious groups can account for it.
- Particular denominations are associated with parties that represented them when social cleavages were frozen
HENCE parental transmission of party affiliations within denominations is important to explain the persistence of social cleavages and the mechanisms that maintain them - Religiosity increases support for the right through links between Christian Democratic parties and other conservative parties to the national church
Definition of secularisation
Disassociation or separation from religious or spiritual concerns
Robin quote
‘the growing secularization of Western European societies is now a well-documented and virtually uncontested phenomenon’
