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The Sociology of Religion1 - Introduction

+Concepts: religion, religiosity and faith

+ Diversity in World Religions

85 percent of the world’s population adheres to some religion Christianity is the largest faith

34 percent of the population Roman Catholic Church, numerous Protestant denominations, and Eastern Orthodox Church with over 1.9 billion faithful

The second largest is Islam with about 19 percent the fastest growing of the major religions.

Both religions are monotheistic and impose moral code

Differences among religions exceeded by variations within faiths

+Major World Religions

+World religions

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#religions

+World religions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

+ Religiosity

How religious a society is

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Religion_in_the_world.PNG

+What is religion?

+ Faith

Belief in something without evidence

+ Exercise

What do religions have in common? Try to produce a “typology” of religions.

+ Religious Behavior11

Religious beliefs: statements to which members of a particular religion adhereFundamentalism: rigid adherence to fundamental

religious doctrinesFundamentalism found worldwide among most

major religious groups

+Which Practices are Religions/Religious and Which Are Not? Atheism Attending a funeral service Baptism Being a born-again Christian Being a teetotaller Believing in evolution Believing in ghosts Believing in telepathy Believing in UFOs Bonfire night Buddhism Capitalism Communism Confucianism Cremation Daoism Decorating a Christmas tree Dowsing Eating only kosher/halal meat Fasting during Lent/Ramadan Giving Christmas presents Karate Making pancakes at Easter Marriage Meditation Mummification

Naming children John, Peter, David, Mary, Sarah, … Naming children Muhammad, Fatima, Ibrahim, … Paganism Palmistry Playing Ouija Positivism Praying Reading tea leaves Sacrificing goats Saying “My God” Science Scientology Shintoism Socialism Supporting a football club T’ai Chi Taking Communion Texting “OMG” Transcendental meditation Veganism Vegetarianism Visiting mediums Voodoo Wearing a hijab Witchcraft “Worshipping” Elvis; having surgery to look like him Yoga

+ Inclusive and Exclusive Definitions of Religion Inclusive definitions of religion are broad

e.g., no reference to supernatural

Example: Geertz (1966) defined religion as1. a system of symbols that2. establishes moods and motivations3. by formulating conceptions about existence and4. giving them an aura of truth5. so they seem real

What activities could Geertz’s definition of religion include?

+ Exclusive definitions of religion

More prescriptive – specify what it is, not just its function i.e. they are “substantive” Typically refer to particular beliefs, practices and

institutions e.g., the supernatural

Example:“beliefs, actions and institutions that assume the existence of supernatural entities with powers of action, or processes possessed of moral purpose”

Prof. Steve BruceUniversity of Aberdeen (2002)

+ Inclusive vs Exclusive:Pros and Cons  Inclusive Exclusive

Strengths Less eurocentric/ethnocentric.

Encourages analysis of religion’s purpose within a culture

Closer to conventional Western understanding of religion.

Favoured by sociologists in practice.

Weakness Potentially includes everyone and everything!

Only applies to some religions in some social contexts. 

+Religious belief and commitment

+ UK trends

59% of respondents to 2011 UK census identify as Christian Down from 72% in 2001 Debate about whether this signals a decline (Bruce 2002)

or just a retreat (Davie 1994) “believing without belonging”

(privatisation of religion)

Watch the video:http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/detailed-characteristics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/video-summary-religion.html

+ Religious Commitment

Commitment ≠ Belief In Census, many Christians say they are unsure God exists! So what does it mean to be “religious”?

Abby Day (Goldsmiths/University of Kent) investigated this question (2007) She did qualitative research with semistructured interviews Classified respondents according to “level” of belief

Aspirational Christians (just trying to be good/respectable) Ethnic Christians (religion as membership of

“English” ethnic group) Natal Christians (born/baptised Christian) Adherent Christians (attend church)

+ Children & Religious Belief

Researchers interviewed school children of different religions and ethnic backgrounds, focusing on Religious identity Social practice Belief and spirituality

Found that the children aware of group identities around religion Highly observant/observant/

occasionally participating/implicit individual faith/not religious

So some children were excluded

Children used religion and ethnicity interchangeably

See Children’s perspectives on believing and belonging, Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2005http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/0375.pdf

+ Problems with Statistics

Statistics are a social construction So the process of compilation needs to be taken into account

Reliability Historical data gathering differs to today’s methods

Validity Different religions use different criteria to record membership

(need to know who compiled the statistics and why?)

Interpretation What does the number mean?

e.g., people may attend church for community/friendships rather than because they are believers

+ Religious CommitmentExercise1. How do individuals show their religious commitment?

2. Give 3 examples of religious commitment illustrated through dress

3. Give 3 examples of religious commitment shown through following a religious code of conduct