Different Types of Religious Organisations
Topic 3

Introduction

This categorisation or typology (generalisation used to classify things into groups based on characteristics)

  • Typologies = Ideal types


  • 4 organisation categories:


    • Churches
    • Denomination
    • Sect
    • Cult

Wallis - suggests 3 types of religious groups

World-Rejecting - Groups are in opposition to the world / rejects ordinary norms and values

World-Accommodating - General acceptance of dominant norms in society

World-Affirming - Group accept society and offers opportunity for self improvement

Churches and Denominations

  • Minor differences
  • Bureaucratic structure (hierarchy and differences in authority)

Churches could be seen as obsolete

  • Bruce = churches are now obsolete in most Christian counties and should only be applied where a single religious organisation dominates society such as Islam in Iran
  • Many Westernised countries experience Religious Pluralism (monopoly of truth)
  • There is a lower commitment across religions due to the diversity in minor religions because of growing sacralisation
    e.g. Church of England has little support from population and now only has the status of one denomination

Sects and Cults

Barker - Stigmatised and pejorative meaning and are often associated with groups that are 'evil' and 'extremists'

Sects

Cults

Wilson - Tension / conflict - rejecting society and values

  • Stern discipline - sanctions deviators
  • Demands ongoing and complete commitment
  • E.G - Peoples Temple - Tight knit

Wallis & Bruce - Loosely knit groupings, open to all & highly individualistic
Giddens - Focus on individual expression and experience

  • Doesn't claim to be a monopoly of group truth
    Aldridge - Cults see themselves to offer just 1 route to self realisation / salvation
  • Cults are more appropriately regarded as client or customers rather than members
  • Purchase of service sold to individuals
    Embrace a wide range of beliefs not always accepted - Alternative medicines
    Stark & Bainbridge
    • Audience Cult - Little information services of some individuals and little involvement with followers - Individually (horoscopes)
    • Client Cult - Organisations, services / courses sold to followers
    • Cult Movements - Organised, activities and personal commitment

NRM'S & NAG'S

From Audience Cult to Cult Movement - Scientology

  • Scientology originated in 1950 as an audience cult
  • Founder Rob Hubbard's book on mental health
  • Developed into a client cult (formed a network of counsellors and therapeutic services)
  • Late 1950's there was a cult movement development - Grew into a highly organised and wealthy global church of scientology

New Religious Movements (NRMS)

NRM's arose at the end of WW2
Barker = NRM's have some of the following (spectrum):
1) Temporary Membership
2) Charismatic Leader
3) Society see them as deviant
4) Short lived


Sects
The Peoples Temple

  • World Rejecting
  • Jim Jones - USA
  • Belief = Translation
  • Mass suicide to move to another land 'full of bliss'
  • Following a shooting in 1978 by a Temple Guard, killing 5 people - group suicide was initiated (638 adults, 276 children)

The Unification Church

  • World Rejecting
  • Korea - Reverend Sun Myung Moon = Moonies
  • 1-3 million (150 countries)
  • Asked by God to complete the works of Christ - Uniting the Christian body

Cults
Transcendental Mediation

  • World Affirming
  • Yogi - India 1950's
  • Merges from Hinduism with science
  • Develop human potential and intelligence leading to better health and career success
  • Individuals eventually develop paranormal powers (levitating)
    over 100 million have taken basic TM courses

Church of Scientology

  • World Affirming
  • Science fiction writer Rob Hubbard
  • 8 million worldwide - now more accepted
  • Believes individuals can improve life through application of ' Philosophy of Dianetics'
  • Removal of 'engrams' (causes of mental health) and problems through 'auditing' by a member of the clergy using a 'E-Meter'

New Age Groups (NAG)

  • Used to refer to wide diverse belief of mind, body, spirit and therapy which became prominent in 1980's
  • Many idea's have little to do with the supernatural dimensions which define traditional religion
  • Hellas Suggests NAG's have 2 features:
    Self Spirituality & Detraditionalization

Self Spirituality

  • They have turned away from traditional external religions and instead look inside themselves
    Everyone becomes their own spiritual specialist and can believe and practice whatever they fancy

Detradionalisation

  • The rejection of the traditional established religions being replaced by spirituality achieved by searching within oneself through personal experience
  • New Age idea's reject spiritual authority such as priests and texts
  • Personal experience is valued instead and we can then discover the truth within our self

What's a New Age Religion?

  • Bruce - 5 main features:
    1) Emphasis on the self (feeling from within)
    2) Everything is connected (holistic approach)
    3) Self is the final authority (No one about you)
    4) The global cafeteria (vast range of beliefs)
    5) Therapy
    Examples : Astrology, Mediation, Herbalism, and Massages

Is there a New Age Movement?

  • Sutcliffe - NA is a diverse range of idea's, lacking features like premises and leaders to such an extent that it can't be regarded as being a movement
  • Means more for individuals to peruse own self development - exploring inner spirituality
  • Spread through the media / shops (rocks and crystals)
  • Requires little commitment
  • Fit's somewhat into being a cult

Dynamics of Sects

  • How / why they change over time
  • Niebuhr - Sects tend to be short lived (eventually)
    Examples:
    1) Quakers = world rejecting sect now world affirming
    2) Jehovah's Witnesses' = retain world - world-rejecting over a long period of time
    3) Peoples Temple = Disappeared Completely

Why are Sects though to be only short lived

1) Problems with maintaining commitment and fervour

  • Barker - World-Rejecting NRM's - people find it difficult to cope with the strict discipline and rules meaning it is hard to maintain and they therefore leave
  • Niebuhr - Enthusiastic fervour is hard to maintain after 1 generation
  • Sect gradually withers away becoming more tolerant / allows people to live normal lives = more settled and means there's a better change of retaining members
    • Becker = process of sects = 'domination is a sect that has cooled down'

2) Loss of Charismatic Leader

  • Inspirational personal magnetism / leadership that is attractive to people - eventually will loose support and sect will disappear after death (Jim Jones)

3) Changing Circumstances of Members and Appeal of Sects

  • Personal reasons / social circumstances = disappear, making the sect membership redundant
  • Barker - NRM's younger people growing older = reasons that drove them into the sect diminish - disappears, becomes a denomination

4) Religious Diversity in Postmodern Society

  • Characterised by a fragmentation of belief and a wide diversity of religions
  • Personal matter - they can experiment without long term commitment - shopping about
  • Greater tolerance of all beliefs today
  • Religious sects = short lived = consumer taste changes

Are they all short lived?

  • Aldridge = suggestion that sects must over time either disappear or turn into denomination is false
  • Many sects have existed a long time while still retaining features as sects
  • Not all sects depend on charismatic leadership
  • Many sects have been successful in socialising their children into acceptance of the sects beliefs and practices
  • Sects can maintain strict standards of conduct, expelling those who fail to conform to standards over time
    Sects that demonstrate this :

Wilson - rejected view that the disappearance of sects - suggests will affect whether a sect can retain it's status and will turn into a denomination to be saved

Amish

  • Introversions sect found in USA
  • Not interested in converting people
  • Live on own and reject any modern life processes (cars, TV)
  • Live inline with their own principles - life is a spiritual experience
    Overview - When working with soil they are their closest to God (Garden of Eden)
  • Anabaptists where you are baptised as an adult voluntarily committing to church - this used to be a capital offence meaning these people were once hunted and so became hidden and isolated which they remain today
  • They see themselves to be in our world but not part of it

Jehovah's Witnesses

  • Worldwide world-rejecting Christian Adventist millennia sect
  • Religious fervour despite not completely isolating members from contact with wider society
  • Protect members from evil without celebrating Christmas or Birthdays / Only friends with other witnesses / Attend peoples doors in pairs

Conversions / Introversions

Introversionist and Adventist / Revolutionary Sects

  • Wilson 2 types of sect
    1) Introversionist sects - Amish where the only way to salvation is complete withdrawal from society avoiding corrupt influence
  • Only succeed by keeping apart from the world
  • The persuade people to join they preach corruption to the world - These sects will not last as part of a denomination
    2) Adventist / Revolutionary Sects - Jehovah's Witnesses - Hold millenarian beliefs suggesting there's going to be some kind of imminent change in the world caused by the second coming of Christ, which will destroy anything ungodly - in turn the members of the sect will be saved
  • They spread beliefs - no question of compromise with wider society - they would be counted as sinners

Conversionist Sect

  • Wilson - more likely to develop into denomination
  • Best way to save the world is to not be hostile and isolate but to be engaged converting individuals by spreading the word and 'saving souls'
  • Salvation Army = Small fervour conversions sect that has turned into a conversions denomination