Beliefs in society

• Types of Religion


  • Theistic Beliefs
  • New Age Movements
  • Animism
  • Totemism
• Religiosity


  The extent to which someone sees themselves as religious
• Fundamentalism


  Appeal to tradition - they seek return to the basics or fundamentals of their faith
• Secularisation


  The decrease in power that religion has in society
• Ideology


  A set of ideas, values and beliefs that provide a means of interpreting the world
• Theistic Beliefs


  A belief in a higher power that could be a single God (monotheistic) or many gods (polytheistic). This supernatural being is the source of the beliefs around which the religion revolves.
• New Age Movements


  Spiritual rather then religious belief system, focused on self development and fulfilment rather than a devotion to a higher power. Often based on Eastern Religions like Buddhism. An example would be Reiki or Yoga.
• Animism


  A belief in spirits and ghosts that can positively or negatively impact the human or natural world. Animistic religions tend to be more prevalent in pre-industrial and non-industrial societies, for example paganism and ancient religions such as the Aztecs.
• Totemism


  A form of animism in which a community creates a symbol that represents them as a group. The symbol gains sacred significance and is believed to protect the people it represents. For example Australian Aboriginals.
• Definitions of Religion


  • Substantive Definition
  • Functional Definitions
  • Constructionist Definition
• Features of Religion


  • Belief in sacred beings
  • Sacred and profane objects; places and times
  • Ritual acts based on sacred and profane objects, places and times
  • Moral code With supernatural origins
  • Prayer and other forms of communication with supernatural being
• Belief Systems


  The set of stories and realities about the world that a person believes to be true. It includes religious beliefs, morals and what one defines as right or wrong.
• Perspectives on Belief Systems

  • Religion as closed belief system
  • Science as an open belief system
  • Religion as an open belief system
  • Science as a closed belief system
• Polanyi's Self Sustaining Beliefs


  • Denial of legitimacy
  • Subsidiary Explanations
  • Circularity
• Perspectives on Ideology


  • Marxism
  • Postmodernism / Pluralism
  • Feminism
  • Mannheim
• The Azande tribe's belief system reflects the characteristics of a closed system. Their belief in witch craft causing misfortune and the proof coming from a 'Benge' potion given to chickens seems irrational to outsiders but is indoctrinated into the tribe and no one questions it.
• The growth of science has not necessarily led to a decline in Religion, as millions of people still identify themselves with one of the major religions in the world. All manner of religious and supernatural beliefs and superstitions still continue to have a huge impact on human behaviour.
• Merton's CUDOS Norms of Science


  • Communism
  • Universalism
  • Disinterestedness
  • Organised Scepticism
• Core Principles of Science

  • Science is the pursuit of facts
  • It is objective
  • Studies the impact of cause and effect based on reliable data
• Aldridge's Transitions from Religious to Scientific Explanations

  • Theological Stage
  • Metaphysical Stage
  • Scientific Stage
• Paradigms shape the how the discipline is defined and understood by those who work within it and sets out how research should be conducted.
• Falsification


  For something to be scientific it must be possible that it could be proven false. If a theory stands up to falsification (tested repeated but is not proven wrong) it is a good theory.
• Perspectives on the Sociology of Scientific Knowledge

  • Interpretivism
  • Woolgar's 'Little Green Men'
  • Marxism
  • Feminism
  • Postmodernism
• Functionalist Views of Religion


  • Durkheim's views on the Sacred & the Profane, Totemism, and Collective Conscience
  • Parsons' views on Values and Meanings
  • Bellah's views on Civil Religion
  • Malinowski's views on Psychological Functions
• Civil religion


  The belief system that attaches sacred qualities to society itself
• Civil religion


  • The "American way of life"
• American civil religion


  • Involves loyalty to the nation state and a belief in god
  • Expressed through symbols and rituals such as the pledge of allegiance, the national anthem, phrases like "one nation under God"
• Psychological functions of religion

  Helps people cope with emotional stress which could undermine social solidarity
• Situations where religion performs psychological functions


  • Where the outcome is important but uncontrollable and uncertain
  • At times of life crisis - major life events such as birth, death, marriage, puberty
• Marxist view of religion


  The main function of religion is to help maintain the ruling classes' power
• Engles argues that socialism and Christianity have similar features, but the key difference is that Christianity offers salvation in an afterlife whereas socialism offers it in this life
• Religion as an ideology


  • Legitimates inequality
  • Legitimates power of the ruling class
• Religion as the opium of the masses


  Religion is doled out to the masses by the rich and powerful in order to keep them confused and in their place
• Alienation


  The lack of power, control and fulfilment experienced by workers in capitalist societies where the means of producing goods are privately owned and controlled
• 3 ways that religion is like opium

  • Dulls the pain of exploitation rather than dealing with the cause
  • Offers a distorted world view and promises of an afterlife instead of solutions
  • The temporary high from rituals mimics the high from taking opium
• Neo-Marxist view of religion

  • Religion has both a positive and negative influence on society
  • It can act as a conservative force maintaining social inequality, but also as a force for social change offering the "Principle of Hope"
• Religion as a force for social change


  • Church members can develop their own ideas that inspire social change, overriding the ruling class ideology
  • In dictatorships, the church can provide a safe outlet for frustration and religious leaders can act as charismatic inspirations for revolution
  • Liberation theology in South America encouraged people to use violence to overthrow oppressive dictators
• Pope John Paul II rejected the Liberation theology and told priests to focus on their religious responsibilities
• Feminist view of religion


  The main function of religion is to maintain patriarchy and oppress women
• Examples of how religion maintains patriarchy

  • Portraying God as a man
  • Restricting access for women to top levels of the church
  • Depicting women in religious texts as bad influences or impure