3.4 Religious organisations and the new age key terms

• Typology

  A classification of different types of something (eg. religious organisations) that identifies the distinct characteristics of each type.
• Church


  The dominant religious organisation in a society, which usually claims a monopoly of the religious truth.
• Universal


  Applying to everyone/everywhere
• Denomination

  A religious organisation that has broken away from the main religious organisation in a society and that accepts the legitimacy of other religious organisations.
• Sect

  A relatively small religious organisation which is in conflict with other belief systems in a society. To Stark and Bainbridge, they are also offshoots of an existing religion.
• Charismatic leader


  Someone who others follow because of their personal characteristics.
• New religious movements

  Religious/spiritual organisations and movements which developed from the 1960s onwards
• Cult

  There are different definitions of cult. To Wallis, it is a relatively small organisation with non-rational beliefs that are considered deviant by most people but it coexists with other belief systems in society. To Stark and Bainbridge, a cult is organisation that introduces new religious/supernatural beliefs to a society.
• World-rejecting new religious movements

  Religious movements that developed after the 1960s and that are hostile to the social world outside the movement.
• World-accommodating new religious movements


  Religious movements that developed after the 1960s and that hold strong religious beliefs but reject mainstream religious doctrine. They nevertheless allow members to have conventional lives outside of their religious practice.
• World-affirming new religious movements

  Religious movements that developed after the 1960s and that are positive about mainstream society and in which the religious practices tend to encourage or facilitate social and economic success
• The middle ground


  New religious movements which developed after the 1960s and which have a mixture of characteristics that are typical of different types of new religious movement.
• Audience cults


  Cults that involve little commitment by followers and little face-to-face interaction by them
• Client cults


  Cults that offer services (courses or rituals) to their followers but that require little commitment
• Cult movements

  Cults that involve followers/believers fully and act as full religious organisations.
• Marginality


  Being outside the mainstream of social life
• Theodicy of disprivilege


  A set of religious views that provide hope and/or explanations for the position of those who are disadvantaged.
• Relative deprivation


  Feeling disadvantaged in comparison with other groups in society
• Rationalisation


  The process by which decisions are increasingly based upon calculation of the best way to achieve goals rather than being based upon emotion, tradition or religious belief.
• Conversionist sect


  A sect that tries to convert as many people as possible to its beliefs
• Adventist sect


  A sect that emphasises that the end of the world is approaching and that there are a limited number of places in heaven for true believers.
• Routinisation of charisma


  The process in which the leadership of a charismatic leader is gradually replaced by leadership through bureaucratic organisation.
• New Age


  A term for a wide range of broadly spiritual beliefs and practices involving non-scientific beliefs that emphasise the discovery of spirituality within individuals more than in external reality.
• Holistic milieu


  The networks of one-to-one encounters, small-group activities and commercial activities in which New Age practices take place.
• Congregational domain


  The site of conventional religious organisations where people meet together to pray in a consecrated place of religious worship.
• Self-spirituality


  The practice of searching for spirituality inside yourself
• De-traditionalisation


  The rejection of traditional sources of claims about the truth, for example scientists and church leaders.
• Spiritual revolution


  A move away from traditional religions which are practiced through attendance at churches or denominations towards spiritual beliefs in the holistic milieu of New Age small-group encounters, commercial products and services and one-to-one therapies
• Subjective turn/subjective life


  Concerned with an increased emphasis on discovering your inner feelings and your 'true' self rather than meeting social obligations by performing social roles.