Topic 3 -Religious Organisations

Question 1

Examples of Sects

Answer 1

Jehovah’s Witnesses
Moonies
People’s Temple

Question 2

Wilson - 3 Types of Sect

Answer 2

Convertionist - Go into and interact with the world, try to convert, if successful become a denomination ie the Salvation Army.

Introvertionist- The only way to be saved is to turn away from World to be avoid being corrupted. If interact with society the premise behind the belief is gone and religion declines. Cannot become a denomination.

Revolutionary/Adventist Sects:
Interact with the world and try to convert but the intensity of their belief means they cannot become an denomination as this would again totally undermine their religious beliefs. ie Jehovah’s Wittness. Hold Millenarian beliefs

Question 3

Why are Sects shortlived?

Answer 3

BECKER- Cool down to become respectable

BARKER - Hard to sustain commitment as members leave. The anomie or deprivation that caused them to join the sect cannot last forever. As the young grow older, less cause to stay.

NEIBHUR- Cannot maintain commitment and dedication after first generation. Either die (People’s Temple) or turn into denomination (Quakers)

Postmodernists- Consumer market of religion, cannot last long as will cease to be fashionable.

Question 4

Are Sects always shortlived?

Answer 4

Wilson- Depends on what members believe is required to be saved, if need total commitment like Jehovah’s Witness then more likely to continue in Sect formation.

Aldridge-
Discipline can stay LT, many children are socialised into the sects, not overly reliant on one leader. DON’T HAVE TO DISAPPEAR.

Question 5

CULTS - Features

Answer 5

BRUCE AND WALLIS
‘ loose knit, open to all, individualistic’

GIDDENS - What defines a cult is its commitment to self.

ALDRIDGE - They see themselves as offering one of many roots to salvation. Followers allowed to drift in and out and have normal lifes as world affirming.

Question 6

Stark and Bainbridge - Types of Cult

Answer 6

Audience Cult - individually consumed infomation spread by the media, no interaction or group i.e horoscopes

Client Cult- Sell products to optimise their lives such as therapy or meditation sessions, loose knit group.

Cult Movement- Organised group of people that have similar spiritual beliefs that requires a level of commitment and support i.e scientology

Question 7

Sects- Wallis

Answer 7

Features of a sect include:

• Charismatic Leader
• Initiation tests
• Marginalised and deprived followers
• Stern discipline and regulation of behaviour
• Total commitment from members
• World rejecting
• Monopoly of truth.

Question 8

Features of Cults - General

Answer 8

Loose knit group
Predominant focus on self
Normally upper class, successful people that feel something is lacking in their lives
No monopoly on the truth, tolerant of other beliefs, allowed to engage in them
drift in and out
WORLD ACCOMMODATING
Open to all
Lack traditional features or structure of religion

Question 9

Church - Bruce

Answer 9

Bruce- Term is obsolete, should only be applied if have universal control and conformity ie Catholic Church in Greece. In the UK the CofE is just another denomination among many, weakening itself with its increasingly liberal, watered down views and acceptance of other denominations.

Question 10

Church - Features generic

Answer 10

Assumed a member till actively unsubscribe
Often linked to state.
Passed on culturally and through the family.
All social groups represented
World Accommodating
Bureaucratic, Hierarchal organisation with paid officals
Tolerant of other faiths.

Question 11

Denominations - Features

Answer 11

World Accomodating
Tolerate other religions
Focus on individual not society
Often more middle class but universal- disillusioned with mainstream church.
More democratic participation but still hierarchy.
Open membership

Question 12

WALLIS - NRMS

Answer 12

3 attitudes towards wider society

• World Affirming - Like the world, try to optimise own happiness and potential within it (Client Cults) BUT ALDRIDGE- consumers may come into conflict with specific groups ie scientologists and psychologists.
• World accommodating - Accept world even though are not entirely content with, focus on personal salvation. ie denominations
• World Rejecting - hugely dislike the world, turn away from. Deprogramme from societal beliefs and norms. Sects. ALDRIDGE- millenarian belief.

Question 13

BARKER - Characteristics of NRMS

Answer 13

• Charistamtic leader
• Hostility to the wider world
• Transient
• Monopoly of truth
• Religious but only in terms of spirituality
• High turnover of members

Question 14

NRMS - when?

Answer 14

1945 onwards but especially since sixties

Question 15

NAMS - when?

Answer 15

1980s+

Question 16

NAMS - Features HEELAS

Answer 16

HEELAS - Consumerist

           - Self Spirituality
           - Detraditionalisation.

Question 17

NAMS - Features - SUTCLIFFE

Answer 17

Denies existence of New Age Movement, just loosely knit groups, cannot constitute a movement.

Question 18

NAMS - Features - Bruce

Answer 18

5 features

• Focus on self
• Everything is connected, mind body and soul
• Self is the final authority
• Global cafeteria of beliefs, mix and match
• Theraputic

Question 19

Why has NRMs/NAMs membership increased?

INDIVIDUALISM

Answer 19

Individualism-

WEBER- Disenchantment with the world

Giddens- Small, tight knit NRMs give more support and faith than large, watered down international religion.

Bruce- Refuge in secular society where there is high disillusionment with traditional religious leaders. Self Betterment.

Self Betterment-

HEELAS- Upper class join NAMS as feel sothing mssing in lives and want to unlock potential

WALLIS- Appeal lies in ability to unlockkpotential.

Question 20

Why has NRMs/NAMs membership increased? Globalisation

Answer 20

Baudrillard - Media saturated society means there are a greater variety of beliefs available to subscribe to and a greater number of people who have heard about otherwise obscure NRMS.

Lyotard- Declining faith in Metanarratives

Bauman - crisis of meaning

Heelas- spiritual revolution to fill void created by secularisation

Consumerism- create identity through what mix and match of belief you consume.

Question 21

Why has NRMs/NAMs membership increased?

DEPRIVATION

Answer 21

Stark and Bainbridge - world rejecting sects offer compensation for relative deprivation and deprivation in society by offering exclusive entry to the afterlife.

Weber- ‘Theodicy of disprivellge’ - Provide religious justification for their suffering.

Wallis- Reaction of middle class after failure to change system in the 60s

Marx- Opium of the people.

Question 22

Why has NRMs/NAMs membership increased?

Status Frustration/Youth

Answer 22

WALLIS-
Gives independent status and sense of belonging during difficult transition between adult and childhood. SHORT-LIVED.
Barker- Less responsibilities so can drop out of society then re-integrate.
Wallis and Barker- world rejecting appeal to independence and companionship of young.

Question 23

Why has NRMs/NAMs membership increased?

Anomie

Answer 23

Wilson - Anomie causes more to turn to NRMs as source of certainty and structure.

Question 24

Why has NRMs/NAMs membership increased?

Escape

Answer 24

Barker- Moonies gave a second family and source of support enabling them to escape their own personal crisis.

Question 25

Why has NRMs/NAMs membership increased?

Protest

Answer 25

GLOCK AND STARK - NAMs/NRMS of 60s represent protest against society.