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The Sociology of Religion1 – Key concepts and religious movements

+1b Different types of religious institutions and movements

+ Early Typologies

A typology classifies according to ideal types Religions and religious organisations can be classified

into typologies according to various factors Membership Organisational structure Scale The relationship to the wider society Demand on members Attitude to others

+ Churches, Ecclesia, Denominations, Sects and Cults Church: a formal religious organisation;

bureaucratic Ecclesia: essentially, a church that has

less affiliation among members of the society and is not the sole religious body.

Denomination: a named subgroup of a religion with its own tradition and identity

Sect: a subgroup of a religious group that breaks away to follow its own rules and principles

Cult: a group with deviant and novel beliefs and practices Distinct from other religions - completely

new

+ Characteristics of Ecclesiae, Denominations, Sects, and New Religious Movements

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+ The Church-Sect Continuum

More bureaucratic;more integrated

into society

Less bureaucratic; more distinct from society

+ Example

+ Churches and Ecclesia

Religious organisations claiming to include most or all of the members of a society and recognized as the national or official religion

Ecclesiae are conservative, in general, and do not challenge the leaders of a secular government

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+ Denominations

A denomination is a large, organised religion not officially linked with the state or government, and usually with an explicit set of beliefs, a defined system of authority, and a generally respected position in society

Example: in USA, 87% identify themselves as Christian Largest Christian denominations = Roman Catholic Church (57

million members) About 80 million people, or 60% of the religious population are

Protestant, but they are divided into hundreds of denominations The Southern Baptist Convention, with about 15 million

members, is currently the largest Protestant denomination

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+ Sects

A sect can be defined as a relatively small religious group that has broken away from some other religious organization to renew what it considers the original vision of the faith

Sect formation is very common in the U.S. Sects usually exhibit a higher degree of fervour and

loyalty than more established religious groups do To sustain their membership, sects rely on active

recruitment, of new members

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+ Criticisms of the church/ecclesia/denomination/sect/cult typology Religions evolve, and it is often difficult to make distinctions

e.g., when did Methodism become a denomination? Unclear how well Church of England is now integrated with society. etc.

It is based on Christian examples (ethnocentric) e.g., Eastern religions (Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism) do not fit the

typology

It is hard to apply it to new religious movements

+ New religious movements New Age movementsReligious fundamentalism

+ New Religious Movements (NRMs) Religious, ethical or spiritual groupings Not yet mainstream Examples:

Unification Church (Moonies) Scientology Krishna Consciousness The Family International

+Wallis (1984) Classification for NRMs World-rejecting

e.g. Krishna Consciousness; Moonies Critical of outside world

World-affirming e.g. Transcendental Meditation; Scientology Accept world as is and offer help to succeed

World-accommodating e.g. Neo-Pentecostalism Offer stronger direct experience of God

+ New Age Movements

The New Age “counterculture” has developed since 1980s Rejects scientific methodology, professional expertise,

organised religion in favour of Belief in self-spirituality Commitment to ecology Affirmation of feminine imagery

Shift from “life-as” fulfilling objective roles, duties,

obligations

towards “subjective-life” living according to inner experience, emotions

+Advantages & Disadvantages of Being a Religion Advantages:

Tax concessions Social acceptance

Disadvantages: Laws may prevent certain activities Risk of being seen as a cult Associations with authority and

narrow-mindedness

+ Religious Fundamentalism

Reassertion of traditional religious values and practices Particularly when threatened by change

Term coined in 1920s in relationto US protestants

But also describes Moral Majority (USA) - reaction against

perceived moral decline from 1970s Islamic fundamentalism – reaction

against Western influence/encroachment etc.

+ Exercise

1. What is the Alpha organisation? Who is it aimed at? What does it offer? How many people attend the course in the UK?

2. Find 3 facts about new religious movements.