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religious organisations (NRM & NAR), church : Roman Catholic Church ,…
religious organisations
(NRM & NAR)
Troeltsch Typology
:
Troeltsch first to identify the features of different types of religious organisations
(church here refers to all major world religions not j the christian church) he splits religious organisations into churches and sects based on their characteristics
churches are
large organisations :
claim a monopoly of truth (correct views, morals etc.)
they normally have conservative values and arguably act as a conservative force
dont make many demands of their congregation
universalistic and aim to include all of society
connections to the state e.g bishops sit in the HoL, monarch as head of church and state
sects are :
claim a monopoly of truth and are hostile to other religious organisations and the mainstream believing theirs is the one true faith
small, exclusive groups
require a high level of commitment e.g. Jamestown expected members to drink 'poison' to prove their loyalty to the sect
often draw their members from the poor and oppressed
charismatic leader rather than a hierachy
Niebuhr
(1929) later added a third description : denominations
Neibuhr then contributed the section of denominations to the debate:
like a midway between churches and sects they are more inclusive but dont appeal to all society
bigger than sects but smaller than churches
they do broadly accept society's values and aren't linked to the state
minor restrictions on members e.g. no alcohol but not as demanding as sects
BUT unlike churches and sects they tolerate other religions and dont claim a monopoly of the truth
Wallis
:
argued that cults and sects were being confused arguing that cults : dont claim a monopoly of truth , don't condemn others, require low effort e.g. yoga , psychotherapy, astrology
he argues that most 'cults' fit into world-affirming new religious movements
Wilson
:
argued that many religious movements DO NOT fit netly into church/sect/denomination hence Wallis + Stark and Bainbridge new typologies
first
sociological
typology
of churches came from
Weber
- he identified churches as large organisations and sects as small ones
however
this
didn't really characterise
based off of characteristics and therefore most sociologists go by Troeltsch's typology
EVALUATIONS :
Bruce
argues that Troeltsch's typologies
don't reflect modern society
as its
harder for religions to claim a monopoly of truth
when there is sm religious pluralism
He also argues that
church is not always a conservative force
and can be a revolutionary one - campaigning for change and fighting aganst govt policy
Robertson
: the
church is no longer close to the state
they pass laws out of the churches interests e.g. same sex marriage laws
Growth of NRM's calls into question even further ways to split religions
New Religious Movements
(according to wallis x stark & bainbridge)
Wallis :
+ world affirming NRMs
seek to offer spiritual enrichment, not often a belief in a god and have few demands on members, offer personal fulfillment meditiation etc. and can overlap w bits of new age movements like Hinduism e.g. human potential movement and transcendental meditation
+ world accommodating NRMs
neither accept or reject the world but adapt to make sure their movement can exist alongside the world, often offshoots of existing churches e.g. born again christians
+ world rejecting NRMs
claims a monopoly of truth and sees the world as inherently evil and going against the will of God and therefore often break away into their own separate society e.g. Branch Davidians, Jehovah Witnesses
evaluations :
some 'new' religious movements are established and not new e.g. Jehovah Witnesses have been around since 1870s
ignores the diverse beliefs which may not fit these categories neatly and may have characteristics of all 3 e.g. scientology can be seen as world accommodating and rejecting
some audience/ client cults may want participants to partake in cultish activities
some religious organisations change over time , for instance it could be argued that scientology has switched from a world-affirming to a world-rejecting cult
Stark and Bainbridge look at religious/ spiritual movements like businesses with their participants as clients
audience cult
here the participant (client) is a passive consumer , they may attend lectures, read books etc. to hear a certain message however there is no ongoing relationship / expectation
client cult
service providers provide some organisation, there is moderate commitment but the relationship reflects a patient/therapist sort of relationship with the promise of personal fulfilment
cultish movements
most organised , demand high commitment and meet all worldly and spiritual demands so followers can be fully dependent e.g. living in communes e.g. jonestown, heavens gate, branch davidians
dynamics of sects of NRMs
Neibuhr argues that sects are world-rejecting organisations that come about because of schisms (formal splits between a small group from established churches e.g. Branch Davidians who are
short-lived
who die out when future generations abandon their views (may not have the same commitments as their parents) and join broader denominations or the loss of a leader (sects founded on a single charismatic can break down if this magnet to the sec dies)
NEW AGE MOVEMENTS
- the 'new age' is used to refer to a collection of new(ish) / unconventional spiritual practices which became popular in the 80s influenced by practices from buddhism, paganism to obscure and unconventional practices generally aiming to help : personal growth/ self-discovery, harnessing inner potential and energy a.k.a 'me-religions'
e.g: tarots, astrology, UFO's & veganism
new age beliefs have 2 main features (HEELAS) :
self-spirituality
(seeking spirituality, picking and mixing into whatever beliefs they prefer and becoming one's own spiritual specialist)
detraditionalisation
(the rejection of traditional external religions and authorities valuing personal experiences over a spiritual deity
evaluations
:
very
difficult
to group them and hence
to quantify
the progress of New Age Religions as they generally don't hold any official records as these groups usually come up in the 'other' classification
Bruce (2002) argues
that
interest in NAR's is often superficial and fleeting
it could be argued that these NAR's are
simply reinventions of old traditions
e.g. yoga which has existed for thousands of years
Bruce (2002) says there are 5 features of NAM :
emphasis on the self
- focus on the self - improvement
everything is connected
- individuals to the supernatural , mind to the body and spirit - we are all bound by a deeper meaning
the self as the final authority
- accepting one's inner god on the path to perfection, rather than an external deity
the global cafeteria
- there's a vast range of beliefs, practices etc. which ppl can pick n mix as they please
therapy
- these NARsare made to be therapeutic
religious diversity
(alternative view that suggests the world isn't more secular just more diverse in religious practices
social atitudes survey (2018)
: found that while the no religion section is increasing so is the non-denominational Christian section as well as Islam - shows religious diversity rather than decline
Berger
argues that access to new religious beliefs has made ppl question traditional teachings leading to the uncovering of the 'sacred canopy' - a status afforded to the Catholic Church as at one point it was THE main belief making it appear is the one truth
diverse and contrasting opinions and religious diversity has weakened the view that one group can claim the one truth
Stark and Bainbridge : religious market theory
people are not less religious just have more choice and therefore treat religion like a product - naturally gravitating towards what best suits their needs
believing without belonging
: religion is becoming increasingly privatised , with many more people worshipping from their homes
EVALUATION :
these theories that there has been a clear decline in organised religion in the UK with a clear decline in church attendance and association with religion
also belonging is a part of believing so are they really religious?
another argument AGAINST secularisation is
Noris and Inglehart's global study of religiosity
where the found that secularisation is a post-industrial phenomenon - they argued that even in post industrial societies the least wealthy would still
turn to religion as a form of existential security
for those needing comfort
in
western societies
with high individual wealth and
less existential threats
(employment, healthcare, long life expectancy, education etc.) providing relative security for its members so
less need for religion
. in
less developed countries religion offered a reason for their suffering
so they would rely on it for comfort e.g. promise of heaven
another argument against secularism is the
growth of religious fundamentalism
- strict and almost militant approach to relgion - this has grown in direct opposition to secularisation
features:
sacred text which is strictly followed
true believers v the other
hierarchy / figureheads
often there is patriarchal control
Grace Davie
argues that fundamentalism
rises to combat the threat of modernity
offering security amidst the rapid social change
clash of cultures which is a reaction to globalisation
Giddens agrees w Davie that globalisation has led to insecurity
, arguing that
religion offers simple answers
to complex questions
through blind faith
offering purpose and beloning in uncertain times
WHY HAVE NRM's GROWN:
BAUDRILLARD
: argues that globalisation and the media have opened up access to new ideas and belief systems from around the world giving more publicity to NRM's helping them attract more members
STARK & BAINBRIDGE
argue that the ideas of self improvement may appeal to those who feel deprived - as this is a subjective feeling it opens up the clintele of NRMs
Postmodernists
would argue that in a postmodern era there has been a loss of faith and a departing from Berger's sacred canopy therefore more people have become open to NRM's e.g. Kendahl study (small town in Britain that saw some growth in NRM's however this was only 3%)
GLOCK & STARK
argue that NRM's have grown as a form of protest against traditionalisation (link 2 heelas) and may appeal to the marginalised who may be against the society around them
church : Roman Catholic Church , Islam
sect : branch davidians, mormons
denominations : pentecostal