Chapter 13 outline
Religion- A system of common beliefs and rituals centered on sacred things that unites
believers and provides a sense of meaning and purpose.
Rituals- Routinized acts typically performed in collective ceremonies and holding shared
meaning.
Profane- A sphere of routine, everyday life.
Sacred- That which is set apart from the ordinary; the sphere endowed with spiritual
meaning.
Totems- Within the sacred sphere, ordinary objects believed to have acquired
transcendent or magical qualities connecting humans with the divine.
Secularization- The rise in worldly thinking, particularly as seen in the rise of science,
technology, and rational thought, and a simultaneous decline in the influence of
religion.
Durkheim, Marx, and Weber believed that the strength of religion, in general,
weakens when challenged by competing religious or secular viewpoints, a very different
theory of religion emerged in the late 20th century in the United States.
Religious economy- An approach to the sociology of religion that suggests that religions
can be understood as organizations in competition with one another for followers.
Gender and sexuality are contested areas in religions, and groups provide both
solace and discrimination to women and LGBTQ+ and racial and ethnic minoritized
populations.
Megachurch- A church with over 2,000 weekly attendees.
Church- A well-established religious organization that exists in a harmonious r
relationship with the larger society
Ecclesia- A church that is formally allied with the state and is the official religion of the
society
Denomination- A church that is not formally allied with the state.
Sect- A religious organization that has splintered off from an established church to
restore perceived true beliefs and practices believed to have been lost by the established
religious organization.
Cult- A religious organization that is thoroughly unconventional with regard to the
larger society.
New religious movements- New spiritual groups or communities that occupy a
peripheral place in a country’s dominant religious landscape.
Monotheism- Belief in a single all-knowing, all-powerful God
2.3 billion followers—nearly a third of the world’s population—Christianity
encompasses a broad spectrum of denominations, sects, and even new religious
movements
Zionism- A movement calling for the return of Jews to Palestine and the creation of a
Jewish state.
Polytheism- The belief that there are different gods representing various categories of
natural forces.
Religion- A system of common beliefs and rituals centered on sacred things that unites
believers and provides a sense of meaning and purpose.
Rituals- Routinized acts typically performed in collective ceremonies and holding shared
meaning.
Profane- A sphere of routine, everyday life.
Sacred- That which is set apart from the ordinary; the sphere endowed with spiritual
meaning.
Totems- Within the sacred sphere, ordinary objects believed to have acquired
transcendent or magical qualities connecting humans with the divine.
Secularization- The rise in worldly thinking, particularly as seen in the rise of science,
technology, and rational thought, and a simultaneous decline in the influence of
religion.
Durkheim, Marx, and Weber believed that the strength of religion, in general,
weakens when challenged by competing religious or secular viewpoints, a very different
theory of religion emerged in the late 20th century in the United States.
Religious economy- An approach to the sociology of religion that suggests that religions
can be understood as organizations in competition with one another for followers.
Gender and sexuality are contested areas in religions, and groups provide both
solace and discrimination to women and LGBTQ+ and racial and ethnic minoritized
populations.
Megachurch- A church with over 2,000 weekly attendees.
Church- A well-established religious organization that exists in a harmonious r
relationship with the larger society
Ecclesia- A church that is formally allied with the state and is the official religion of the
society
Denomination- A church that is not formally allied with the state.
Sect- A religious organization that has splintered off from an established church to
restore perceived true beliefs and practices believed to have been lost by the established
religious organization.
Cult- A religious organization that is thoroughly unconventional with regard to the
larger society.
New religious movements- New spiritual groups or communities that occupy a
peripheral place in a country’s dominant religious landscape.
Monotheism- Belief in a single all-knowing, all-powerful God
2.3 billion followers—nearly a third of the world’s population—Christianity
encompasses a broad spectrum of denominations, sects, and even new religious
movements
Zionism- A movement calling for the return of Jews to Palestine and the creation of a
Jewish state.
Polytheism- The belief that there are different gods representing various categories of
natural forces.
