RELIGION

Definition

• An institution consisting of beliefs, pratices, and values pertaining to the distinction between the empirical and the super-empirical.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS

• World Construction and Maintenance

• Theodicy—dealing with suffering and evil

• Instrumental—health, wealth, happiness, etc.

THEORIES OF RELIGION

• Functional Analysis– Durkheim: The Sacred and the Profane– People celebrate the power of their society – Religion performs three major functions

• Social Cohesion• Social Control• Meaning and Purpose

– Criticism

• Symbolic Interaction (Peter Berger) – Religion provides a cosmic frame of

reference, a “Sacred Canopy.” – Criticism

• Conflict Theory (Marx) – Alliance between religion and political-

economic power– “The opium of the people”– Religion and Patriarchy– Colonialism, Slavery, Segregation– Criticism

CHRISTIANITY

• 1.9 billion followers. c. 1/3 of humanity. • Most in Europe or Americas. • Began as cult, incorporating much from

Judaism. • Trinity, Jesus as Son of God,

Resurrection• 312, became official religion of Holy

Roman Empire

ISLAM

• 1.1 billion (c. 19% of humanity) Muslims• 6 million in U.S. (disputed)• Muhammad (born c. 570), Mecca,

Medina. Qur’an, • Hijra—Flight to Medina. 622 B.C.E.

A.H.1• Sunni, Shi’a (c. 10%)

• Five Pillars of Faith– The Profession: One God, Allah,

Muhammad his Prophet– Prayer– Alms– Fasting during Ramadan– Hajj—pilgrimage to Mecca at least once

• Dualism: Heaven and Hell

JUDAISM• 14 million world wide, most in U.S. and Israel• Moses, Exodus, 13th cty. B.C.E. (Passover)• Monotheism• Denominations:

– Orthodox– Reform– Conservative

• Sects: e.g. Chabad/Lubavitcher

HINDUSIM• Oldest (At least 4,500 years ago)• 775 million—14% of humanity. 1.3

million in U.S. • India (also Pakistan, Southern Africa,

Indonesia)• No single person is key. Sacred

writings, but not seen in same light as Bible and Qur’an

• Deities: Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu—Brahman-Atman. (Others)

• Karma/Samsara (Reincarnation)

• Moral order in every element of nature

• Rituals

BUDDHISM

• 330 million (6%). Mostly Asia. Myanmar (Burma) Thailand, Cambodia, Japan, India, PRC, Vietnam

• Origin in India. Siddartha Gautama.• Asoka (3rd cty B.C.E.). • Life involves suffering, pleasures transitory.

Goal of spiritual transformation. • Acts have consequences. Reincarnation.

CONFUCIANISM

• From c. 200 B.C.E. till 1900, the official religion of China.

• Suppressed after 1949 revolution. Still influential. Mostly in China, but also in North America.

• Confucius c. 551-479 B.C.E. • Strict code of moral conduct. • No clear sense of sacred, supernatural.

SECULARIZATION

• KEY TERMS– Secularism– Secularization

• The Secularization Hypothesis

• Evidence?

Survey Data on Religion

www.thearda.com

Believe in God?

Church Membership• Record-keeping varies among

denominations• Long Range: 6% in 1800; 35% in 1900;

77% in 1936.• Decline started in 1960s. Mostly among

liberal churches. Slide stabilized in 1978.

• About 60% claim membership (86% claim a preference (NORC 1999)

Personal Salience

• Religiosity: “very important” or “important”

• Bible study, book sales,

• New Age Spirituality. 35 million at laest somewhat interested

20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Ireland

U.S.A.

Mexico

Great Britain

Sweden

83

79

77

45

27

Percent Saying "Yes"

RELIGIOSITY IN GLOBAL TERMSby Percent Responding "Yes," in Various Countries

World Values Survey, 1994

SECULARIZATION (?)

• Perceived Influence of Religion

• Evidence for Secularity– Moral relativism– Bias against religion in media, education– Lack of regard for religious factors in

diplomatic circles.

Conclusions

• Data do not support general secularization

• Problems of measuring religiosity

• Problems of time frame

• Evidence tricky

• Secularization is segmental. Occurs simultaneously with revival.

Religion and the Election2004

Catholics

23% eligible voters

(27% actual voters)

Mainline Protestant

c. 22%

White Evangelicals

25% eligible

(22% actual)

Remainder c. 30%Black = 8%

Jews = 2%

Non-Jud-Xn = 4%

Secular = 10

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Why Evangelicals Love Bush

• They feel persecuted, marginalized. He makes them feel better.

• Bush was transformed, born again.

• He was “called” to his role.

• Moral Clarity

CAUSES OF SECULARIZATION

• RATIONALIZATION (Weber)• STRUCTURAL DIFFERENTIATION

– Division of Labor– Education– Secular State– Religious foundations of morality give way to legal

technicalities– Critics of differentiation, specialization

Causes (cont.)

• Spread of Capitalism—the great solvent

• Growth of Science

• Disenchantment, demystification

• Pluralism—no world view holds a monopoly. Post-modernism

• Privatization, Individualism

Stark and Bainbridge Theory

• Secularization is Self-Limiting– Stimulates revival and innovation– Sources of religion vary; amount remains

about the same. – Sects arise where religion strong; cults

where it is weak.

• Critique– Losses not obviously offset by gains. E.g.,

Great Britain. – Secularization continues as a major trend,

following rationalization. Affects segments of society differentially.

– Groups differ in openness to religious appeals.

• CONCLUSIONS