sociology

• Topic 1
• Definitions

  Substantive-religion focues on the woship of the supernatural eg islam

  Functional-aim of religion is to give people a pupose and meaning

  Constructive-religions are subject to interpretation
• Functionalist view of religion

  Durkheim

  -sacred(strong feeling in people that binds them to their community)

  -profane (ordinary and mundane)

  -collective conscious (everyone thinks the same)

  -rituals reinforce collective conscious as when you are worshipping god you are worshipping society encouraging social order
• Cognitive functions of religion

  Durkheim

  -it is a source of our ability to reason and think conceptually

  -it is the origin of shared categories -space time allows us to think and share new ideas
• Totemism


  the belief that people are related to particular animals, plants, or natural objects by virtue of descent from common ancestral spirits

  -totem represents the power of society individuals rely on
• Criticisms of Durkheim

  -discriminates different religions implies it is oppressive

  -diversity only focuses on one religion

  -secularisation
• Values and meanings

  Parsons

  -creates and legitimises values

  -primary source of meaning for life

  -tells people how to live their lives
• Psychological functions

  Malinowski -promotes social solidarity as it helps people to cope with emotional stress

  - fishing in the ocean (less chance of survival increase in control decreases anxiety)

  -fishing in the lagoon(safe no rituals)
• Civil religion

  Bellah

  -having faith in an organisation therefore attaching sacred qualities

  -helps bind Americans together as people believe in the same thing
• Criticisms of functionalism

  -focuses on positive functions,ignores oppression

  -postmodernism it ignores religion as a source of division

  -Marxism it is used to oppress the working class

  -feminists it creates patriarchy
• Marxist view on religion

  Marx

  -overthrow of capitalism as working class would become conscious of their exploitation. In a classless society religion wouldn't exist
• Religion as an ideology

  -religion used an ideological weapon as it legitimises the suffering of the poor as it is gods will

  Lenin

  -spiritual gin an intoxicant given out to masses to confuse them and keep them in their place

  False class consciousness

  Alienation - losing control over what someone has produced

  Marx

  Religion is a product of alienation (opium of the people)

  Capitalism creates dehumanising conditions which results in exploited turn to religion.

  Religion makes the pain of exploitation and not the root offered an illusionary happiness(afterlife as a distraction)
• Criticisms of Marxism

  -Marx ignores positives

  -secularisation

  -Althusser alienation is unscientific

  -Neo-Marxist dual character religion is good and bad liberation theology

  -functionalists promotes collective conscience
• Feminist view on religion

  Religion reflects the inequality and reinforces it
• Evidence of patriarchy in religion

  religious organisations are male dominated e.g catholic women not allowed to be priests

  place of worship-often separates the sexes to marginalise women e.g seating them behind screens and men in the central more sacred space

  sacred texts-largely feature the doings of male gods

  religious laws and customs-may give women fewer rights than men e.g access to divorce, dress code

  unequal treatment such as genital mutilation

  bans abortion
• Religious forms of feminism

  Woodhead

  -wearing a hijab is a way to gain freedom from religion

  Piety movements

  -conservative forms of religion that support traditional teachings about women's roles middle class women use religion to gain a status and to respect their role

  Liberal Protestant

  -quakers are committed to gender equality 1/3 rests in Protestant churches are female
• Criticism of feminist view on religion

  Armstrong (position of women within religion has changed)

  -early religions often places omen at the centre eg fertility

  
  

  -men interpreted religious beliefs that favoured patriarchy
• Topic 2
• Religion as a conservative force

  Can be seen as a conservative force in 2 ways:

  1. In the sense of traditional.

  2. As it functions to conserve or preserve things as they are.

  Traditional conservative beliefs

  -prevents social change in the interests of the powerful

  -ideology that legitimises patriarchal power

  Functionalism

  -religion doesn't change society this is a good thing as religion is crucial in society to function

  Marxism

  -religion doesn't change society this is a bad thing as religion justifies exploitation

  Feminism

  -religion doesn't change society this is a bad thing as religion is used to reinforce patriarchy
• Religion as a force for change

  Weber

  Calvinism brought about a work ethics that gave rise to capitalism

  Modern capitalism

  -unique as it is based on the systematic efficient rational pursuit of profit for its own sake rather than consumption
• Calvinist beliefs Weber

  - Predestination (god decides the elect and damned before birth)

  - Divine transcendence (no one understands gods will this creates salvation panic)

  - Asceticism (living a life free from pleasure)

  - The idea of a vocation or calling(working hard and being self disciplined
• consequences of calvinists lifestyle

  -they began to see their increasing wealth as a sign they were the elect they ere blessed by god

  -they used the money generated from hard work to reinvest in businesses leading to industrialisation=modern day capitalism
• Hinduism and Confucianism

  Fails to encourage capitalism

  Hinduism

  -India remained pre-industrial. It encouraged the pursuit of spirituality in preparation for reincarnation. Weren't encouraged to pursue a vocation

  Confucianism

  -didn't encourage asceticism.people didn't live a simple life . Remained pre industrial
• Criticism of Weber

  Kautsky

  -capitalist ideas emerged before Calvinism became popular

  Tawney

  -technology played a bigger role in developing capitalism than religion

  -the emerging bourgeoisie were attracted to Calvinism as its teachings justified their social position
• The American civil rights movement

  Bruce

  -black clergy was important for the movement as being a a member of the church had positive impacts on the black community

  -clergy gave support shamed the white peers support of segregation by drawing attention to their shared Christian values
• 4 ways in high religious organisations can support and contribute to social change

  -taking the moral high ground (believing your better than others )

  -channeling dissent (church allowed people to to vent voice political opposition)

  -acting as an honest broker(church acted as a mediator between white and coloured people church respected by both sides)

  -mobilising public opinion(getting the church to spread a message)
• The new Christian right

  -don't like women's rights/same sex

  -banned sex education -contraception

  Bruce

  -unsuccessful as right wing Christian's are uncooperative and have been challenged by more successful campaigns who are pro-liberalisation
• Marxism, religion and change

  Religion can have a dual character, sometimes being a force for change as well as stability

  Relative autonomy -state plays a role in controlling people and religion usually helps to encourage this but sometimes religious practices are not restricted by the ruling class
• The principle of hope

  Bloch

  -encourages people to dream about things such as heaven helps them have a vision of the better world which can help people change the physical world
• Liberation theology

  Aim-to help the poor

  Factors that led to liberation theology

  -increased poverty

  -human rights abused by military dictators

  -catholic priests wanted to help the poor

  Challenged by pope John Paul II as it was seen as too Marxists and political
• Liberation theology showing that religion can be a revolutionary force

  Maduro

  -it was a priests duty to help the poor rather than to allow religion to simply explain their disadvantage it could help people overcome their disadvantages
• Difference between liberation theology and Pentecostalism

  Pentecostalism

  -individuals need to overcome their problems by themselves more capitalist approach

  Liberation theology

  -led by priests and nuns for a social change
• Millenarian movements

  Worsley

  -movements expect the desire to change life in the here and now rather than the afterlife

  -Second coming of Christ

  -world will be transformed by a supernatural power

  Appeal to the poor due to a chance of a better life

  Cargo cults

  -cargo arrived for the colonists believed it was them but it had been redirected

  Political significance of movement

  -movements combined its Christian views with the desire to overcome oppression of colonists this grew into political movement
• Religion and hegemony

  Gramsci is interested in how the ruling class maintain their control over society through the use of ideas rather than force. Uses the term hegemony (leadership) to refer to the way that the ruling class are able to use ideas such as religion to maintain control.

  Counter hegemony

  -hegemony can't be guaranteed it is for working class to develop an alternative vision of society

  Ways in which religion can challenge hegemony.

  -Leadership : miners had leadership of organic intellectuals (clergy members acting as leaders)textile workers lacked this
• Topic 3
• 4 changes in religion since 1981

  - decline in the numbers holding traditional Christian beliefs

  -increase in the average age of church goers

  -fewer baptisms and church weddings

  -decline in proportion people going to church
• Evidence for a more secular society

  Church attendance today

  =-2018-20% of weddings in church

  -Very small proportion of children attend Sunday school

  Religious affiliation

  - adults with no religion 1/3 to over 1/2

  -identifying as Christian fell by 40%

  -catholic/islam and non-Christian's increased

  Religious belief today

  -falls as well as attendance

  Religious institutions

  -state has taken over functions of the church

  -decline and ageing of clergy

  -there are still faith schools
• Explanations of secularisation.

  Modernisation-more rational and scientific view

  Industrialisation-broke up smaller communities which held common beliefs
• Rationalisation

  Weber's view that in modern society, rational planning and calculation are steadily replacing tradition, emotion, mystery and magic.

  Protestant different from Catholicism as god transcendent and existing above and beyond or outside this world but instead left it to run to its own principles and its creator played no further part

  Disenchantment -religious ways are squeezed out by rationality

  Protestant reformation led to disenchantment as believed in rationality and laws of nature so religion was not as prominent for explanations

  Bruce-technology and science have undermined religion by replacing religious or supernatural explanations
• Structural differences

  Parsons

  The process of specialisation that occurs with the development of industrial society

  Disengagement

  -functions of religion transferred to other institutions such as the state

  -church loses influence over education social welfare and laws

  Bruce -religion becoming more privatised religion has separated from wider society