The Sociology of Religion

1. The Sociology of Religion 1 - Introduction

2. Concepts: religion, religiosity and faith

3. Diversity in World Religions • 85 percent of the world’s population adheres to some religion • Christianity is the largest faith • 34 percent of the population • Roman Catholic Church, • numerous Protestant denominations, and • Eastern Orthodox Church with over 1.9 billion faithful • The second largest is Islam with about 19 percent • the fastest growing of the major religions. • Both religions • are monotheistic and • impose moral code • Differences among religions exceeded by variations within faiths

4. Major World Religions

5. World religions http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#religions

6. World religions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

7. Religiosity • How religious a society is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Religion_in_the_world.PNG

8. What is religion?

9. Faith • Belief in something without evidence

10. Exercise • What do religions have in common? • Try to produce a “typology” of religions.

11. Religious Behavior • Religiousbeliefs: statements to which members of a particular religion adhere • Fundamentalism: rigid adherence to fundamental religious doctrines • Fundamentalism found worldwide among most major religious groups

12. Which Practices are Religions/Religious and Which Are Not? • Atheism • Attending a funeral service • Baptism • Being a born-again Christian • Being a teetotaller • Believing in evolution • Believing in ghosts • Believing in telepathy • Believing in UFOs • Bonfire night • Buddhism • Capitalism • Communism • Confucianism • Cremation • Daoism • Decorating a Christmas tree • Dowsing • Eating only kosher/halal meat • Fasting during Lent/Ramadan • Giving Christmas presents • Karate • Making pancakes at Easter • Marriage • Meditation • Mummification • Naming children John, Peter, David, Mary, Sarah, … • Naming children Muhammad, Fatima, Ibrahim, … • Paganism • Palmistry • Playing Ouija • Positivism • Praying • Reading tea leaves • Sacrificing goats • Saying “My God” • Science • Scientology • Shintoism • Socialism • Supporting a football club • T’ai Chi • Taking Communion • Texting “OMG” • Transcendental meditation • Veganism • Vegetarianism • Visiting mediums • Voodoo • Wearing a hijab • Witchcraft • “Worshipping” Elvis; having surgery to look like him • Yoga

13. Inclusive and Exclusive Definitions of Religion • Inclusive definitions of religion are broad • e.g., no reference to supernatural • Example: Geertz (1966) defined religion as • a system of symbols that • establishes moods and motivations • by formulating conceptions about existence and • giving them an aura of truth • so they seem real • What activities could Geertz’s definition of religion include?

14. Exclusive definitions of religion • More prescriptive – specify what it is, not just its function • i.e. they are “substantive” • Typically refer to particular beliefs, practices and institutions • e.g., the supernatural • Example: “beliefs, actions and institutions that assume the existence of supernatural entities with powers of action, or processes possessed of moral purpose” Prof. Steve BruceUniversity of Aberdeen (2002)

15. Inclusive vs Exclusive:Pros and Cons

16. Religious belief and commitment

17. UK trends • 59% of respondents to 2011 UK census identify as Christian • Down from 72% in 2001 • Debate about whether this signals a decline(Bruce 2002)or just a retreat (Davie 1994) • “believing without belonging” (privatisation of religion) Watch the video:http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/detailed-characteristics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/video-summary-religion.html

18. Religious Commitment • Commitment ≠ Belief • In Census, many Christians say they are unsure God exists! • So what does it mean to be “religious”? • Abby Day (Goldsmiths/University of Kent) investigated this question (2007) • She did qualitative research with semistructured interviews • Classified respondents according to “level” of belief • Aspirational Christians (just trying to be good/respectable) • Ethnic Christians (religion as membership of “English” ethnic group) • Natal Christians (born/baptised Christian) • Adherent Christians (attend church)

19. Children & Religious Belief • Researchers interviewed school children of different religions and ethnic backgrounds, focusing on • Religious identity • Social practice • Belief and spirituality • Found that the children aware of group identities around religion • Highly observant/observant/occasionally participating/implicit individual faith/not religious • So some children were excluded • Children used religion and ethnicity interchangeably See Children’s perspectives on believing and belonging, Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2005 http://www.jrf.org.uk/sites/files/jrf/0375.pdf

20. Problems with Statistics • Statistics are a social construction • So the process of compilation needs to be taken into account • Reliability • Historical data gathering differs to today’s methods • Validity • Different religions use different criteria to record membership (need to know who compiled the statistics and why?) • Interpretation • What does the number mean?e.g., people may attend church for community/friendships rather than because they are believers

21. Religious CommitmentExercise • How do individuals show their religious commitment? • Give 3 examples of religious commitment illustrated through dress • Give 3 examples of religious commitment shown through following a religious code of conduct