Transcript Religion
(Hallelujah!) RELIGION RELIGION & SOCIOLOGY First off, when speaking of ‘religion,’ we are concerned with sacred things Rather than judging the validity of religions, we are more interested in looking at how those aspects of religion can be measured and observed in society Durkheim really pioneered this study with his work focused on the Australian aborigines Religion – a unified system of beliefs and practices concerned with sacred things Sacred – holy; set apart and given a special meaning that goes beyond immediate existence Profane – nonsacred aspects of life This does NOT mean that profane is not holy, rather it means commonplace and does not involve the supernatural…think secular RELIGION & SOCIOLOGY Particular things considered sacred vary from society to society I.E. Bolivian miners attach sacred meaning to figures of the devil and bulls. Since Americans don’t share these religious beliefs, those cultural items are part of their profane world Some nonreligious aspects of culture can assume a sacred character “When Babe Ruth was a living idol to baseball fans, the bat he used to slug his home runs was definitely a profane object. It was Ruth’s personal instrument and had little social value in itself. Today; however, one of Ruth’s bats is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It is not longer used by anyone. It stands, rather, as an object which in itself represents the values, sentiments, power, and beliefs of all members of the baseball community. What was formerly a profane object is now in the process of gaining some of the qualities of a sacred object.” Babe Ruth’s bat illustrates that a profane object can become sacred (and vice versa) and that Sociologists can deal with religion without becoming involved in theological issues RELIGION & SOCIOLOGY So then how do Sociologists study religion? Sociologists study religion by examining a set of meaning attached to a world beyond human observation The non-physical world cannot be directly observed…so Sociologists have to ask themselves tough questions: How can we find evidence for something that can’t be seen? How can we remain objective about such a value-laden subject, especially when we have our own beliefs? Is science really the proper tool to evaluate religion? Obviously, you can’t study something that is unobservable; consequently, they avoid the strictly spiritual side of religion and focus on social aspects of religion that can be measured and observed Not in the business of determining which religion(s) people should follow Sociologists keep their own faith personal while investigating the social dimensions of religion THEORETICAL PERSPECITVES FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION Religion has several functions: Legitimates the structure of society Promotes social unity Promotes a sense of meaning and belonging Religion has existed in some form in virtually all societies Earliest evidence of religion and religious customs and taboos have been traced as far back as 50,000 B.C. Ancient Rome Humans had already begun to bury their dead…a practice based on the belief in the existence of life after death Specific gods for objects and events Tribes of New Guinea Considered pigs holy creatures worthy of ancestral sacrifice FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION Durkheim wondered why was it that ALL societies have some form of religion In one of his books, Durkheim offered an explanation that is rooted in the function religion performs in society Off of Durkheim’s work, Sociologists have identified 4 major functions of religion: FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION Religion gives formal approval to existing social arrangements Religion justifies of gives authority to social norms and customs A society’s religion explains why the society is, and should be, the way it is Tells us why some people have power and others don’t; why some are rich and some are not Many social customs and rituals are based on religion FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION Religion encourages a sense of unity According to Durkheim, religion is the glue that holds society together…without religion, society would be chaotic In some cases, religion causes societies to fragment, even to the point of civil war Ireland divided by Catholics & Protestants FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION Religion provides a sense of understanding Provides individuals meaning beyond day-to-day life We mark important life events with religious ceremonies and explain such events in religious terms Birth, death, marriage, etc. Religion give believers a sense of their place in the cosmos and gives eternal significance to a short and uncertainly earthly existence FUNCTIONALISM & RELIGION Religion promotes a sense of belonging Provides opportunities for people to share important ideas, ways of life, and ethnic and racial backgrounds People usually join religious organizations freely and feel a degree of influence within these organizations Membership provides a sense of community and helps to counteract depersonalization, powerlessness and rootlessness Holi – marks the beginning of the spring season CONFLICT THEORY & RELIGION Conflict theory looks at how religion works to either inhibit or encourage social change Karl Marx and Max Weber looked at religion through this lens… MARX & RELIGION Marx believed that once people have created a unified system of sacred beliefs and practices, they act as if it were something beyond their control…eventually become “alienated” by the system they created Marx argues that religion is used by the ruling class to justify its economic, political and social advantages over the oppressed So, they justify things like poverty, degradation and misery as ‘God’s will’ To eliminated these inequalities and injustices is to tamper with God’s plan WEBER& RELIGION Weber suggests that religion encourages social change Weber wondered why capitalism arose in nonwestern Europe and America and not in other parts of the world Spirit of capitalism – the obligation to reinvest money in business rather than to spend it Work is no w amoral obligation, rather than just a necessity Protestant ethic – set of values, norms, beliefs, and attitudes stressing hard work, thrift, and self discipline Most major religions did not define hard work as an obligation or demand the reinvestment of capital…but certain Protestant sects did CALVIN& PROTESTANTISM Protestant ethic comes under John Calvin (1509-1564) According to Calvin, God identifies his chosen by rewarding them in this world – the more successful people were in this life, the more sure they were of being a part of the “elect” or select few that were predestined Consumption beyond necessity was considered sinful – those who engaged in self-pleasure were agents of the devil There was an underlying purpose of life and that is the glorification of God on earth through your occupational calling Since everyone's material rewards were actually God, and the purpose is to glorify him, profits should be multiplied rather than used in the pursuit of personal pleasures (reinvest in your occupation) SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM & RELIGION Sociologist Peter Berger explored the idea that humans create from their religious traditions a canopy, or a cover, of symbolic meanings to “lay” over the secular world These otherworldly symbolic meanings are used to guide everyday social interaction Religious beliefs, rituals, and ideas tell people the difference between the sacred and the profane and provide stability and security in an ever-changing world i.e. there are no atheists in foxholes Insecurity/uncertainty are at their peaks in the life-and-death situation of war and the desire to restore that is a natural human response Religious meanings, especially about the afterlife, can provide some relief i.e. bad marriage – people may find ways to strengthen their bad marriage by their commitment to uphold their wedding vows ORGANIZATIONS & RELIGIOSITY TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS In western society, religion is practiced through some sort of organizational structure and have determined 4 basic types: 1. 2. 3. 4. Church – a life-encompassing religious organization to which all members of a society belong Denomination – one of several religious organizations that most members of a society accept as legitimate Sect – a religious organization that arises out of a desire to reform an existing religious organization Cult – a religious organization whose characteristics are not drawn from existing religious traditions within a society 1. CHURCH To Sociologists, a church exists when religion and the state are closely intertwined Elizabethan England Archbishop Richard Hooker: “there is not any man of the Church of England but the same man is also a member of the commonwealth: nor any man a member of the commonwealth which is not also of the Church of England” When Americans think of church, they are actually referring to denominations 2. DENOMINATION Denominations are not tied to the state, membership in them is voluntary and competition among them for members is socially acceptable Denominations generally accepts the values and norms of the secular society and the state, although it may at times oppose them In American churches we are talking about Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptists, Roman Catholics, etc. 3. SECT Generally, sect members believe that some valuable beliefs or traditions have been lost by the parent organization and they form their own group to save these features They don’t see themselves as establishing a new religion, but rather redeeming an existing one The withdrawal fro the group is usually psychological, but sometimes they go further and form communal groups apart from the larger society i.e. The Pilgrims (Separatists), Mennonite, Seventh-Day Adventists, Amish, Quakers, etc. 4. CULT Whether imported from outside the society or created within the society, cults bring something new to the larger religious environment Often times we think of “cults” as engaging in extreme behavior, but cults do not usually appear in such extreme and bizarre form i.e. the Unification Church (the Moonies,) the Divine Light Mission, Hare Krishna's, Scientology, etc. RELIGIOSITY Sociologists Charles Glock and Rodney Stark focused on religiosity – Glock and Stark identified five dimensions ways in which people express their religious interests and convictions; they types of religious attitudes and behaviors people display in their everyday lives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Belief refers to what a person considers to be true; i.e. people may say that they believe that Jesus is the son of God or that there is no God but Allah Ritual is a religious practice that members of a religion are expected to perform; can be private (personal prayer,) or public (attending mass) Intellectual dimension may involve knowledge of holy or sacred scriptures OR an interest in religious aspects relating to the human existence (i.e. death, evil, suffering, etc.) Religious people are expected to be knowledgeable about their faith Experience encompasses certain felling attached to religious expression; hardest to measure – a religious believer may feel “close” to a deity when praying Consequences the decisions and commitments people make as a result of religious beliefs, rituals, knowledge or experiences 1. May be person (i.e. supporting capital punishment) or personal (i.e. practice sexual abstinence until marriage) RELIGION IN THE U.S. RELIGIOSITY & SECULARIZATION Religion has always been of great importance in American life, but historically, it has played a more active part in some periods than others There have been several “Awakenings” in U.S. History when religious principles have guided the development of culture and society Rise in those against slavery, consumption of alcohol, etc. of moral/religious grounds Just as there have been periods of religiosity in the U.S. so too have there been periods of secularization – process through which the sacred loses influence over society Formal education originally was a function of religion Most early teachers, and professors were clerics and church-going church members; overtime we have seen this function being taken over by the state, even though there are still a lot of church sponsored schools RELIGIOSITY & SECULARIZATION Is secularization destroying religion in the U.S.? On the one hand, some findings indicate a decline in the importance of religion The percentage of Americans claiming that religion is very important in their lives fell from 75% in 1952 to 57% in 2001 In 1957, 14% of the public indicated that they believed religion was losing influence on American life…compare that to 2001, where 55% of the public believed religion was losing influence on American life On the other hand, research has found Americans today to still be highly committed to religion Sociologist Theodore Caplow observed a trend toward greater involvement through things like growth in number of churches per capita, the proportion of regular churchgoers, or financial support of the churches Compare the U.S. to other industrialized nations, America still appears to be religions Americans tend to support traditional religious beliefs 65% believe in life after death, 90% believe in Heaven, 73% believe in Hell FUNDAMENTALISM There are over 300 denominations and sects in the U.S. with a significant amount belonging to different Protestant denominations We have also seen a rise in fundamentalism – the resistance of secularization and the rigid adherence to traditional religious beliefs, rituals, and doctrines It is found in all religions including Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, etc. We tend to find that fundamentalists are politically conservative and we saw that rise because of 2 main events: Fundamentalists were concerned about the spread of secularism – Science was challenging the Bible, Darwinism challenged Creationism, etc. Fundamentalists rejected the movement away from emphasis on the traditional message of Christianity toward an emphasis on social service FUNDAMENTALISM What is nature of fundamentalism today? Fundamentalists believe in the literal truth of the Scriptures (i.e. God created in the world in 7, 24-hour days) and Protestant fundamentalism involved being “born again” through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son God who was sent to redeem mankind Are all fundamentalists the same? Religious organizations that share in much of the fundamentalist theology have some unique beliefs and practices of their own Neo-Pentacostalism or the charismatic movement – often speak of baptism of the Holy Ghost, but most notably “speaking in tongues” WHY IS FUNDAMENTALISM SO STRONG TODAY? Many Americans feel that their world is out of control Vietnam, Civil Rights, Watergate, increase in substance abuse, abortion, increase in divorce rates have been seen as signs of moral decline Fundamentalist churches provide solace to people who are witnessing and experiencing the weakening of family and community ties Fundamentalist churches offer what they consider a more purely sacred environment, where mainline denominations are seen to be accommodating to secular society The electronic church and televangelism has been an important contributing factor in the growth of fundamentalism RELIGION, CLASS & POLITICS There are marked differences in social class among the various religions in the U.S. Generally speaking, Jews, Presbyterians, Episcopalians are at the top of the structure Religiosity exist between the upper and lower classes – upper class display through church membership, church attendance, etc.; lower class – pray privately, and have emotional religious experiences Protestants (Episcopalians and Presbyterians) generally support the Republican Party (upper class) whereas Jews, Catholics and Protestants generally support the Democratic Party There are some differences or course, i.e. Presbyterians end to be less conservative than Baptists, particularly in the South…but also support the Democratic Party for economic reasons RELIGION, SCIENCE & SOCIETY Depending of the values and norms of the culture, society may favor religious or scientific explanations Strict fundamentalists do not believe that scientific theories such as evolution and the big bang theory of creation should be taught in public schools Today, many people are wondering whether “pure science” can remain independent of cultural or social norms One thing we know for sure is that interface between science and religion is going to increase and they’ll need to learn how to deal with each other