Beliefs topic summaries
Definition and Organisation of Religion
Definitions:
Substantive (Weber)- belief in supernatural powers to protect or explain events, exclusivist
Evaluation- exclusivist, too restrictive, western bias but is clear and reflects majority of society’s view
Functional (Durkheim)- unified set of beliefs and practices, may have sacred objects and a set function for society
e.g social integration, answering existential questions, inclusivist.
Evaluation- includes small scale groups, inclusivist, too broad, devalues ‘real’ religion as making it not special
Constructionist- how members of society define religion, no universal definition, and all definitions of religion can
be contested and influenced by those in power (Christianity a religion but Satanism not recognised as one)
Evaluation- shows everything is socially constructed, inclusivist, too broad and we need categories for social order
Typologies:
Church (Troeltsch)- membership open to all, universal, large, formal hierarchy, traditions and fixed rituals, fixed
order of service and prayer, claim monopoly on the truth, accepts society’s norms and values, have close links to
the state and low levels of commitment. Examples- catholic or C of E church
Sect (Troeltsch)- opposite to church, highly exclusive membership, converts, charismatic leader, few rituals, claim
monopoly of truth, look forward to 2nd event e.g. Jesus coming back, critical of wider society and oppose norms
and values, discourage contact with wider society, high levels of commitment, punished/expelled if not.
Examples- Peoples temple and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Denominations (Niebhur)- membership open, less complex hierarchies, lay people important role, relatively
formal worship, don’t claim monopoly on truth, tolerant of others, minor restrictions e.g no drinking, separate
from state but don’t reject society. Examples- Pentecostalists
Cult (Bruce)- open to all, more like customers than members, don’t claim monopoly on truth, could belong to
many, part-time activity so low levels of commitment and no formal hierarchy. Example- transcendental
meditation.
Evaluation: postmodernists can’t classify beliefs as too complex, some fit into multiple categories, cult is too
broad, meanings of members differ from meanings of non-members, typifications outdated as society changed so
did religion, Bruce says church may no longer claim monopoly on truth, stigma of being associated with a sect.
Stark & Bainbridge- cult definition is too broad,he says there are 3 types of cults- audience (people participate
through media/ loosely organised), client (therapy) and cultic movements (organised/high commitment)
Barker- small and new religious groups should be classified according to the religion they come from.
Stark & Bainbridge- classify on degree of conflict between religious groups and wider society.
New Religious Movements
Wallis argues from 1960 there has been a growth of NRMs.
Wallis argues we should categorise religions based on their attitude to the outside world.
There are 3 types of NRMS- world rejecting, world affirming and world accommodating.
World Rejecting NRMs: a defined religious organisation with God, critical of the outside world so have limited
contact and want to change it, expect members to break from conventional life, radical, communal living,
millenarian, like a sect. examples: people’s temple.
World Accommodating NRMs: don’t accept or reject world just live within in, beliefs there to help them cope in
society, offshoot of major religions, like denominations. Examples: Baptists/ pentecostalists.
World Affirming NRMs: uncritical of other religions, adopt techniques to improve life, seek wide membership,
members free to continue normal lives, claim access to spiritual powers, little social control on members, like
cults. Examples: transcendental meditation and New Age movements.
Evaluation:
Strengths- more contemporary as focus on new religions not traditional ones everyone already understands, no
stigma like that attached to cult or sects.
Limitations: still imperfect as some religions overlap categories, had to create a middle ground category for
religious beliefs which had aspects of all 3 categories.
, Beliefs topic summaries
New Age
Range of beliefs and activities since 1980s, Social change is the main reason for the growth of New Age
They are loose organisations such as astrology/tarot cards/crystals.
Focus is on self-spirituality (you’re your own therapist) due to detraditionalisation (reject traditional spiritual
authority such as priests)
Bruce says the new age has 5 features: emphasis on self, everything is connected (mind/body/spirit), self is the
final authority, global cafeteria (pick and choose belief globally) and therapy.
People who join:
Middle class- money and time
Women- passivity, expressive role, healing, 80% women in the kendall study
Middle age people- identity
Postmodernity- internet gives us access to new beliefs
Secularisation- less attracted to traditional religion, want something less demanding
Young people- reject traditional religion, choice, liberal attitudes
Postmodernity (Dane)- loss of faith in metanarratives, pick and mix identity
Late-modern (Heelas)- gives identity, consumption-spiritual shopping, dealing with uncertainty and decline of
traditional religion
Why are NRM’s growing and who joins them
Church:
Middle class as society’s values, socialised into it, older people who want certainty
Sects/World rejecting NRMs:
Marginality and theodicy of disprivelidge (weber), oppressed groups e.g racism like peoples temple, status
frustration, unattached young people as like surrogate family (Bruce), certainty in an uncertain world with
monopoly of truth (post modernism)
Cult/World Affirming NRMs:
Secularisation as don’t want traditional religion, vacuum of meaning (postmod), young people as reject
metanarratives (postmod), m/c people who feel a spiritual void- relatively deprived.
Denominations/ world accommodating NRMs:
Socialised into it, spiritual void, relative deprivation, w/c as dissatisfied with existing religion aimed at m/c values.
New Age:
Young people rejecting tradition, women, reject metanarratives, identity, spiritual void- (look at above notes)
Lifecycle of church/sects
Church lifecycle: Lasts centuries, people born into it
Sects: (either disappear or become denominations by compromising beliefs)
Niebhur- sects do not survive beyond 1 generation. Because high commitment is not attainable, kids lack fervour
of parents as usually based on voluntary adult commitment or the charismatic leader dies or protestant ethic
effort means they’re no longer marginalised.
Become a denomination if a leader dies, bureaucratic leadership established.
Sectarian cycle (Stark and Bainbridge): continuous cycle of sects, denominations, church
1. Schism (sect forms by breaking away from church as unhappy with the church)
2. Initial fervour (people happy so sect thrives)
3. Denominationalism (sect grows successful becoming a denomination)
4. Establishment (becomes main religion then people unhappy so back to step one)
Wilson- not all sects follow the sectarian cycle
Definition and Organisation of Religion
Definitions:
Substantive (Weber)- belief in supernatural powers to protect or explain events, exclusivist
Evaluation- exclusivist, too restrictive, western bias but is clear and reflects majority of society’s view
Functional (Durkheim)- unified set of beliefs and practices, may have sacred objects and a set function for society
e.g social integration, answering existential questions, inclusivist.
Evaluation- includes small scale groups, inclusivist, too broad, devalues ‘real’ religion as making it not special
Constructionist- how members of society define religion, no universal definition, and all definitions of religion can
be contested and influenced by those in power (Christianity a religion but Satanism not recognised as one)
Evaluation- shows everything is socially constructed, inclusivist, too broad and we need categories for social order
Typologies:
Church (Troeltsch)- membership open to all, universal, large, formal hierarchy, traditions and fixed rituals, fixed
order of service and prayer, claim monopoly on the truth, accepts society’s norms and values, have close links to
the state and low levels of commitment. Examples- catholic or C of E church
Sect (Troeltsch)- opposite to church, highly exclusive membership, converts, charismatic leader, few rituals, claim
monopoly of truth, look forward to 2nd event e.g. Jesus coming back, critical of wider society and oppose norms
and values, discourage contact with wider society, high levels of commitment, punished/expelled if not.
Examples- Peoples temple and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Denominations (Niebhur)- membership open, less complex hierarchies, lay people important role, relatively
formal worship, don’t claim monopoly on truth, tolerant of others, minor restrictions e.g no drinking, separate
from state but don’t reject society. Examples- Pentecostalists
Cult (Bruce)- open to all, more like customers than members, don’t claim monopoly on truth, could belong to
many, part-time activity so low levels of commitment and no formal hierarchy. Example- transcendental
meditation.
Evaluation: postmodernists can’t classify beliefs as too complex, some fit into multiple categories, cult is too
broad, meanings of members differ from meanings of non-members, typifications outdated as society changed so
did religion, Bruce says church may no longer claim monopoly on truth, stigma of being associated with a sect.
Stark & Bainbridge- cult definition is too broad,he says there are 3 types of cults- audience (people participate
through media/ loosely organised), client (therapy) and cultic movements (organised/high commitment)
Barker- small and new religious groups should be classified according to the religion they come from.
Stark & Bainbridge- classify on degree of conflict between religious groups and wider society.
New Religious Movements
Wallis argues from 1960 there has been a growth of NRMs.
Wallis argues we should categorise religions based on their attitude to the outside world.
There are 3 types of NRMS- world rejecting, world affirming and world accommodating.
World Rejecting NRMs: a defined religious organisation with God, critical of the outside world so have limited
contact and want to change it, expect members to break from conventional life, radical, communal living,
millenarian, like a sect. examples: people’s temple.
World Accommodating NRMs: don’t accept or reject world just live within in, beliefs there to help them cope in
society, offshoot of major religions, like denominations. Examples: Baptists/ pentecostalists.
World Affirming NRMs: uncritical of other religions, adopt techniques to improve life, seek wide membership,
members free to continue normal lives, claim access to spiritual powers, little social control on members, like
cults. Examples: transcendental meditation and New Age movements.
Evaluation:
Strengths- more contemporary as focus on new religions not traditional ones everyone already understands, no
stigma like that attached to cult or sects.
Limitations: still imperfect as some religions overlap categories, had to create a middle ground category for
religious beliefs which had aspects of all 3 categories.
, Beliefs topic summaries
New Age
Range of beliefs and activities since 1980s, Social change is the main reason for the growth of New Age
They are loose organisations such as astrology/tarot cards/crystals.
Focus is on self-spirituality (you’re your own therapist) due to detraditionalisation (reject traditional spiritual
authority such as priests)
Bruce says the new age has 5 features: emphasis on self, everything is connected (mind/body/spirit), self is the
final authority, global cafeteria (pick and choose belief globally) and therapy.
People who join:
Middle class- money and time
Women- passivity, expressive role, healing, 80% women in the kendall study
Middle age people- identity
Postmodernity- internet gives us access to new beliefs
Secularisation- less attracted to traditional religion, want something less demanding
Young people- reject traditional religion, choice, liberal attitudes
Postmodernity (Dane)- loss of faith in metanarratives, pick and mix identity
Late-modern (Heelas)- gives identity, consumption-spiritual shopping, dealing with uncertainty and decline of
traditional religion
Why are NRM’s growing and who joins them
Church:
Middle class as society’s values, socialised into it, older people who want certainty
Sects/World rejecting NRMs:
Marginality and theodicy of disprivelidge (weber), oppressed groups e.g racism like peoples temple, status
frustration, unattached young people as like surrogate family (Bruce), certainty in an uncertain world with
monopoly of truth (post modernism)
Cult/World Affirming NRMs:
Secularisation as don’t want traditional religion, vacuum of meaning (postmod), young people as reject
metanarratives (postmod), m/c people who feel a spiritual void- relatively deprived.
Denominations/ world accommodating NRMs:
Socialised into it, spiritual void, relative deprivation, w/c as dissatisfied with existing religion aimed at m/c values.
New Age:
Young people rejecting tradition, women, reject metanarratives, identity, spiritual void- (look at above notes)
Lifecycle of church/sects
Church lifecycle: Lasts centuries, people born into it
Sects: (either disappear or become denominations by compromising beliefs)
Niebhur- sects do not survive beyond 1 generation. Because high commitment is not attainable, kids lack fervour
of parents as usually based on voluntary adult commitment or the charismatic leader dies or protestant ethic
effort means they’re no longer marginalised.
Become a denomination if a leader dies, bureaucratic leadership established.
Sectarian cycle (Stark and Bainbridge): continuous cycle of sects, denominations, church
1. Schism (sect forms by breaking away from church as unhappy with the church)
2. Initial fervour (people happy so sect thrives)
3. Denominationalism (sect grows successful becoming a denomination)
4. Establishment (becomes main religion then people unhappy so back to step one)
Wilson- not all sects follow the sectarian cycle
