Transcript Religion

Religion
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Basic Concepts
• Emile Durkheim
– Religion involves things that surpass the limits
of our knowledge.
• Profane–Ordinary elements of everyday
life
• Sacred–Set apart as extraordinary,
inspiring awe and reverence
• Religion–The social institution involving
beliefs and practices based on
recognizing the sacred
• Ritual–Formal, ceremonial behavior
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religion and Sociology
• Faith–Belief based conviction rather than
scientific evidence
• Sociology asks why religions take a
particular form in one society or another.
– Asks how religious activity affects society as a
whole
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Structural-functional Analysis
• Durkheim: Religion has 3 major functions.
– Social cohesion
• Totem–An object in the natural world
collectively defined as sacred
– Social control
– Provides meaning and purpose
• Critical Evaluation
– Downplays religion’s dysfunctions such as
generating social conflict and violence
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Symbolic-interaction Analysis
• Religion is socially constructed.
• Berger: “Cosmic frame of reference” gives us
the appearance of “ultimate security and
permanence.”
• Critical Evaluation
– Downplays religion’s link to social inequality
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Social-conflict Analysis
• Religion serves the elites by legitimizing the
status quo and diverting attention from social
inequities.
– Disrupts cultures with attempts to “convert
heathens”
– Marx: “Opium of the people”
• Critical Evaluation
– Downplays religion’s efforts to promote social
equality
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Applying Theory
Religion
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religion and Social Change
• Max Weber: Protestantism and capitalism
– Rise of industrial capitalism was encouraged
by Calvinism, a movement within the
Protestant reformation.
• Liberation theology–The combining of
Christian principles with political
activism, often Marxist in character
– Social oppression runs counter to Christian
morality.
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religious Organizations
• Church–A type of religious
organization that is well-integrated
into the larger society
• State church–Church formally allied
with the state
• Denomination–A church,
independent of the state, that
recognizes religious pluralism
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religious Organizations
• Sect–A type of religious organization that
stands apart from the larger society
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperie
nce/films/amish/player/
– Charisma–Extraordinary personal qualities that
can turn people into followers
• Cult–A religious organization that is largely
outside a society’s cultural traditions
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z9FUW
Gl3O0&feature=related
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religion in History
• In pre-industrial societies
– Animism–Elements of the natural world
are conscious life forms that affect
humanity
– Belief in a single divine power
responsible for creating the world
began with pastoral and horticultural
societies.
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religion in History
• In industrial societies
– The Industrial Revolution introduced a
growing emphasis on science.
– Science: How does the world work?
– Religion: Why are we here?
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Christianity
• Most Christians live in Europe or the
Americas.
• Built on the personal charisma of a
leader, Jesus of Nazareth
• Began as a cult, drawing elements from
Judaism
• Monotheism–Belief in a single divine
power
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Global Map 19.1
Christianity in Global Perspective
Christianity is the dominant religion of Western Europe and became the dominant religion of the Americas. Can you explain this pattern?
Source: Association of Religion Data Archives (2009).
h
Sociology, 13 Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Islam
• Islam is the word of God as revealed to
Muhammad, a prophet, not a divine being.
• Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
• A majority of people in the Middle East are
Muslims, but most of the world’s Muslims live
elsewhere.
• Muslim population is large and diverse.
• In Arabic, the word “islam” means both
“submission” and “peace.”
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Global Map 19.2
Islam in Global Perspective
Islam is the dominant religion of the Middle East, but most of the world’s Muslims live in North Africa and Southeast Asia.
Source: Association of Religion Data Archives (2009).
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Judaism
• Jews comprise a majority of the
population only in Israel.
• Judaism has special importance to the US
because the largest concentration is
found in North America.
• Judaism has deep historical roots that
extends to Mesopotamia.
• A distinctive concept of Judaism is the
covenant.
• Judaism has three main denominations:
Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hinduism
• The oldest religion, originating in the Indus
River valley
• Mostly practiced in India and Pakistan
• Hinduism isn’t linked to the life of any single
person.
• God is a universal moral force rather than a
specific entity.
• Recognizes no ultimate judgment at the
hands of a supreme god.
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Global Map 19.3
Hinduism in Global Perspective
Hinduism is closely linked to the culture of India.
Source: Association of Religion Data Archives (2009).
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Buddhism
• Almost all Buddhists live in Asia.
• Recognizes no god of judgment; sees daily
actions as having spiritual consequences,
and emphasizes reincarnation
• Originates in the life of Siddhartha Gautama
• Much of life in this world involves suffering.
• Worldly things hold back spiritual
development.
• Emphasizes meditation
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Global Map 19.4
Buddhism in Global Perspective
Buddhists represent a large part of the populations of most Asian nations.
Source: Association of Religion Data Archives (2009).
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Confucianism
• From about 200 B.C.E. until the beginning of the
20th century, Confucianism was China’s official
religion.
• After 1949, the communist government repressed
all religious expression.
• China is still home to Confucian thought.
• Confucius instructed followers to engage the
world according to a code of moral conduct
• A central idea is “jen,” meaning “humaneness.”
Sociology, 13 Edition by John Macionis
h
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Figure 19.1
Religiosity in Global
Perspective
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Table 19.1
Religious Identification in the United States, 2006
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religion in the US
• Religious affiliation
–
–
–
–
New England, Southwest: Mostly Catholic
South: Mostly Baptist
Northern plains: Mostly Lutheran
Utah: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• Religiosity–The importance of religion in a
person’s life
• Religious affiliation is related to social class,
ethnicity, and race.
• http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/view/
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
National Map 19.1
Religious Membership across the United States
In general, people in the U.S. are more religious than people in other high-income nations. Yet membership in a religious organization is more
common in some parts of the country than in others. What pattern do you see in the map? Can you explain the pattern?
Source: Glenmary Research Center (2002).
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
National Map 19.2
Religious Diversity across the United States
In most counties, at least 25 percent of people who report having an affiliation are members of the same religious organization. So although the
U.S. is religiously diverse at the national level, most people live in communities where one denomination predominates. What historical facts
might account for this pattern?
*When two or more churches have 25 to 49 percent of the membership in a county, the largest is shown. When no church has 25 percent of the
membership, that county is left blank.
Source: Glenmary Research Center (2002)
h
Sociology, 13 Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Figure 19.2
Religious Nonaffiliation among
First-Year College Students, 19702008
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religion in a Changing Society
• Secularization–Historical decline in
the importance of the supernatural
and the sacred
• Civil religion–A quasi-religious
loyalty binding people in a basically
secular society
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Religion in a Changing Society
• Religious revival
– New Age spirituality flourishes
– Interests increases in fundamentalism–
A conservative religious doctrine that
opposes intellectualism and worldly
accommodation in favor of restoring
traditional, otherworldly religion
• The Electronic Church
– “Prime-time preachers” on television
Sociology, 13h Edition by John Macionis
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.