Religion

What is Religion?

• According to Durkheim, religion is the beliefs and practices separating the profane from the sacred, uniting supporters into a moral community– Sacred- aspects of live having to do with the

supernatural that inspire awe, reference, deep respect, or deep fear

– Profane- the ordinary aspects of everyday life

Religion defined by 3 elements

• Beliefs that some things are sacred (forbidden, set off from profane)

• Practices (rituals) concerning things that are considered sacred

• A moral community (such as a church) resulting from a group’s beliefs and practices

Functionalist Perspective• Religion performs functions such as:– Answering questions about ultimate meaning

• The purpose of life, why people suffer)– Uniting believers into a community that shares values

and perspectives– Provides guidelines for life– Controlling behavior– Providing support for the government– Spearheading social change

• War and religious persecution are dysfunctions of religion

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

• Religions use symbols to provide identity and social solidarity for members– For members these aren’t ordinary symbols, but sacred

and a condensed way of communicating with others• Rituals are ceremonies or repetitive practices that

unite people into a moral community– Symbols and rituals develop from beliefs– Beliefs include values

• Religious experiences is a sudden awareness of the supernatural or a feeling of coming in contact with God

Conflict Perspective

• Conflict theorists are highly critical of religion• Karl Marx called religion the “opium of the

people” because he believed that the workers escape into religion– Argued that religion diverts the energies of the

oppressed from changing their circumstances• believers focus on the happiness they will have in the

coming world rather than on their suffering in this world

• Religious teachings and practices reflect society's inequalities

Types of Religious Groups

• A cult is a new religion with few followers, whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion– All religions began as cults– Cults emerge with the appearance of a

charismatic leader– Each cult meets with rejection of society• Message is seen as a threat to the dominant culture

Types of Religious Groups

• Sect- larger than a cult but still feels substantial hostility from and towards society– If it grows, its members tend to become

respectable in society and it changes into a church

• Church- large, highly organized religious group with formal services– Highly bureaucratized– New members come from within the church

Types of Religious Groups

• Ecclesia- religious group that is so integrated into the dominant culture that it is difficult to tell where one begins and the other leaves off

Religion in the US• Membership– Highest in the South and Midwest– Each religious group draws members from all social

classes• Most top –heavy: Episcopalian and Jews• Most bottom-heavy: Baptist and Evangelicals

– All major religions draw from various racial and ethnic groups• Hispanic or Irish are likely to be Roman Catholic• Greek are likely to be Greek Orthodox• African Americans likely to be Protestant

– Membership rate increases with age

Characteristics of religious groups in US

• No state church, no ecclesia, no single denomination dominates

• Religions compete with one another for membership

• Fundamentalist revival today bc mainstream churches fail to meet basic religious needs of people

• Electronic Churches- televangelists, online services