sociology, tenth edition religion. sociology, tenth edition profane and sacred differentiating...
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Sociology, Tenth Edition
Religion
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Profane and SacredDifferentiating Between Ordinary &
Extraordinary
• Emile Durkheim– Religion focuses on things that surpass the limits of our
own knowledge
• Profane – “outside the temple”- Ordinary elements of everyday life
• Sacred – That which is extraordinary, inspiring a sense of awe, reverence, and even fear
• Religion – The social institution involving beliefs and practices based upon a conception of the sacred
• Ritual – formal, ceremonial behavior
Sociology, Tenth Edition
• Faith– Belief anchored in conviction
rather than scientific evidence
• If not science, what?– Scientific sociology is interested
in the consequences of religious belief rather than a direct critique of the belief systems
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Structural Functional Analysis of Religion
• According to Durkheim religion has 3 major functions– Social cohesion – Unites people through shared symbols,
values, and norms• Totem – an object in the natural world collectively
defined as sacred– Social control – The use of religious symbols and language
to control human behavior has always been with us– Provides meaning and purpose – Personal spirituality
allows humans to pass through tough times without total collapse
• Critical Evaluation– Downplays religion’s dysfunctions such as generating social
conflict and violence
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Symbolic-interaction Analysis of Religion
• Religion is socially constructed (although perhaps with divine inspiration). Through rituals like prayers, fasts, observances we sharpen the distinction between sacred and profane– According to Peter Burger placing our brief lives
in some cosmic frame of reference gives us the semblance of security and permanence
• Critical Evaluation– Socially constructed religion only works if we
ignore that it is a social construct– Downplays religion’s link to social inequality
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Social-conflict Analysis of Religion
• Religion serves the ruling elites by legitimizing the status quo and diverting people’s attention from social inequities– Disrupts cultures with attempts to “convert heathens– Focuses on the “better world to come” Marx called it
the “opium of the people”• Critical Evaluation
– Downplays religion’s efforts to promote social equality as in the abolition of slavery and the civil rights movement
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Religious Organizations
• Church – organization that is well integrated into society
• State church – formally allied with the state• Denomination – independent of the state and
pluralistic• Sect – a type of religious organization that stands
apart from the larger society– Leaders sometimes have charisma – extraordinaire
personal qualities that can turn an audience into followers
• Cult – religious organizations that are substantially outside a society’s cultural traditions
Sociology, Tenth Edition
History of religion• IN PREINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES
– RITUALS PRACTICED 40,000 YEARS AGO– EMBRACED “ANIMISM”
• ELEMENTS OF THE NATURAL WORLD ARE CONSCIOUS LIFE FORMS THAT AFFECT HUMANITY
– NO FULL-TIME RELIGIOUS LEADERS
• IN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES– SCIENCE HAS OFTEN REPLACED RELIGION AS A SOURCE
OF COMFORT AND CERTAINTY– SCIENCE IS SILENT WHEN IT COMES TO ANSWERING
“WHY” WE AND THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE EXISTS– OFTEN THESE TWO BELIEF SYSTEM ARE AT ODDS WITH
ONE ANOTHER
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Christianity
• 2.0 BILLION FOLLOWERS• 85% OF AMERICANS AND CANADIANS• CHRISTIANITY BEGAN AS A CULT• IT IS MONOTHEISTIC (ONE GOD)• JESUS CHRIST IS CENTRAL FIGURE AS
BOTH MAN ON EARTH AND SON OF GOD
• PREACHES PERSONAL SALVATION• MANY SPLITS FROM ORIGINAL FORM
OF ROMAN CATHOLICISM
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Islam• 1.2 BILLION FOLLOWERS• NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE ARABS• THE MIDDLE-EAST, ASIA, AND PARTS OF AFRICA
ARE ISLAMIC-CENTERED• ISLAM IS THE WORD OF GOD AS REVEALED TO THE
PROPHET MUHAMMAD, BORN IN MECCA AROUND 570
• THE QUR’AN URGES SUBMISSION TO GOD (ALLAH) AS THE PATH TO INNER PEACE
• FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM– RECOGNIZE ALLAH AS THE TRUE GOD– RITUAL PRAYER– GIVING OF ALMS TO THE POOR– FASTING DURING RAMADAN– MAKING THE ONCE IN A LIFETIME PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Global Map 19-1 Christianity in Global Perspective
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Global Map 19-2 Islam in Global Perspective
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Judaism
• 15 MILLION ADHERENTS WORLDWIDE• NATIONAL MAJORITY ONLY IN ISRAEL• JEWS BELIEVE THAT A COVENANT EXISTS BETWEEN
GOD AND GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE• THE TORAH EMPHASIZES MORAL BEHAVIOR IN THE
WORLD• DENOMINATIONS:
– ORTHODOX JEWS ARE VERY TRADITIONAL– REFORM JUDAISM IS MORE CHURCH-LIKE– CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM ACTS TO BRIDGE THE FIRST TWO
BELIEF SYSTEMS
• ANTI-SEMITISM– PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION AGAINST JEWISH
PEOPLE
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Hinduism
• THE OLDEST OF ALL WORLD RELIGIONS• MORE THAN 800 MILLION BELIEVERS• FOUND MOSTLY IN INDIA AND AFRICA• NO SACRED WRITINGS LIKE THE BIBLE• PRINCIPLES:
– DHARMA REFERS TO CORRECT LIVING– KARMA REFERS TO BELIEF IN SPIRITUAL
PROGRESS THROUGH REINCARNATION
• NIRVANA REPRESENTS SPIRITUAL PERFECTION AND A RELEASE FROM THE CYCLE OF REBIRTH
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Buddhism
– 350 MILLION PERSONS • ALMOST ALL ASIANS
– RESEMBLES HINDUISM IN DOCTRINE AND CHRISTIANITY DUE TO ITS TIES TO THE LIFE OF ONE INDIVIDUAL
• SIDDHARTHA GAUTAMA– ACHIEVED “BODHI” OR ENLIGHTENMENT– BECAME “BUDDHA”
– NO “GOD OF JUDGMENT,” BUT DAILY ACTION HAS ITS CONSEQUENCES
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Global Map 19-3 Hinduism in Global Perspective
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Global Map 19-4 Buddhism in Global Perspective
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Confucianism
– 100,000 PERSONS IN NORTH AMERICA– PRIOR TO THE 1949 REVOLUTION, IT
WAS AN ECCLESIA: THE OFFICIAL RELIGION OF CHINA
– PERHAPS IT IS MORE A WAY OF DISCIPLINED LIVING THAN A RELIGION
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Figure 19-1 Religiosity in Global
Perspective
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Religion in the U.S.• AFFILIATION
– 56.2% PROTESTANTS (20.6% BAPTIST)– 25.1% CATHOLICS– 14.7% NO PREFERENCE– 2.3% JEWISH– 1.7% OTHER OR NO ANSWER
• RELIGIOSITY– REFERS TO IMPORTANCE OF RELIGION IN A PERSON’S
LIFE– TYPES:
• EXPERIENTIAL: EMOTIONAL TIES• RITUALISTIC: FREQUENCY OF ACTIVITIES• IDEOLOGICAL: DEGREE OF BELIEF IN DOCTRINE• CONSEQUENTIAL: TIE INTO DAILY ACTIVITIES• INTELLECTUAL: KNOWLEDGE OF RELIGION
Sociology, Tenth Edition
National Map 19-1 Religious Membership across the United States
Sociology, Tenth Edition
National Map 19-2 Religious Diversity across the United States
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Religious Practices Are Found to Be Tied to Various Other Social
Patterns• Social class
– High achievement: Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and United Church of Christ congregations
– Moderate achievement: Methodists and Catholics
– Lower achievement: Baptists, Lutherans, and members of sects
– Jewish people tend to be represented among the higher achievers due to stress on education and achievement
• Race and ethnicity– Many religions are tied to specific regions and
societies in America• Irish Catholics, Anglo-Saxon protestants,
Greek orthodox, Russian Jews, etc
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Religion’s Changing FaceReligion’s Changing Face• Secularization – historical decline in the importance
of the supernatural and the sacred– Religion isn’t going away, but rather some features are in
decline
• Civil religion – A quasi-religious loyalty binding people in a basically secular society– American way of life has its core rooted in a moral belief
system
• Religious revival– New age spirituality flourishes– Membership in mainstream churches dwindles
– Interests increases in Fundamentalism – a conservative religious dogma that opposes intellectualism and worldly
accommodation in favor of traditional otherworldly religion
Sociology, Tenth Edition
Fundamentalism
• Interpret sacred texts literally• Rejects religious pluralism• Pursues the personal experience of
God’s presence• Opposes “secular humanism”• Endorse conservative political
goals
Sociology, Tenth Edition
High-tech• Some organizations especially fundamentalist
are becoming electronic churches• Prime-time preachers include: Oral Roberts
Pat Robertson Robert Schuler• 10 million regular watchers; 40 million watch
some every week• The internet is one of the most recent
modalities to spread religion to people• Pope John Paul II called it the “new evangelism”