Social class and Belief

• It can be difficult to make assersions about religion and social class and religions gain members from many social classes
• Upper and Upper-middle classes, particularily women are likely to be overepresented in Churches
• The CoE is middle-class dominated
• Ashworth and Farthing found churchgoing is largely a middle class pursuit
• The working class have the lowest proportion of Churchgoers as they do not attend church for reasons like sickness, unelployment and old age
• Many denominations appeal to lower middle class and upper working class members
• Sects get their strongest support from the working class as it is a way to cope with their disadvantages
• ”Opium of the people” and Weber’s idea of ”theodicy of disprivilege” support the working class using religion to cope with disadvantage
• New religious movements seem to appeal most to the young middle class
• Bruce suggets New Age client cults and world-affirming NRMs have the greatest appeal to fairly affluent members of the middle class
• Bruce says NRMs and New Age client cults treat followers like customers
• Heelas claims New Age ideas and spirituality appeal mainly to middle-class women who have the means to support it
• Weber coined the term Theodicy of Disprivilege
• Theodicy of Disprivilege is a justifier for disprivilege to avoid Working Class people facing the realities of a harsh life in favour of a good afterlife