SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION

Introduction to Religion, Religion Groups, Religion and Society, Religious movements and Religion and social change

Introduction 

The definition of religion:General and sociological (substantive, functional and symbolic definitions), Nature and Scope, Sociological Perspective of Religion, Sociological methods of Studying Religion, Functions of Religion, Distinction between Religion and Magic, Importance of the Study.

Introduction

Religion is one the major social institution. Religion plays a very vital role in personal as well as social life. It has close with other social institution. There are some unique functions of the religion as social institution. They are like-

• Religion gives meaning of death
• Religion answers the meaning of life
• Religion gives answers for the unknown forces in the world
• Solve many social, psychological and injustice of the society 
• Religion is the medium of all joys and sorrow with the certain things

World Religion

They are number of world Religion 

1. Christianity (Christians)
2. Judaism (Jews)
3. Islam (Muslim)
4. Hinduism (Hindus)
5. Buddhism (Buddhists)
6. Jainism (Jain)
7. Confucianism (Confucians)
8. Taoism (Taoists)
9. Shinto (Shintoists)
10. Sikhism (Sikhs)
11. Zoroastrianism (Zoroastrians) 

Definitions of Religion

a) General Definition

     Religion is a belief in one or many gods, or in supernatural beings. The best definition is "the religion is man's attempt to achieve the highest possible good by adjusting his life to the strongest and best power in the universe." This power is usually called God.

b) Sociological Definition

1. Substantive: By Edward B. Tylor, "Belief is spiritual beings". And by Emile Durkheim "A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden. Beliefs and practices which unite into a single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them".
2. Functional: By Milton Yinger who defines "Religion can be  a system of beliefs and practices, by means of which a group of people suggests the ultimate problems of human life.
3. Symbolic: By Cliford Geertz who defines "religion is a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive and long lasting moods and motivations in people." By formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing factual that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic."

Nature and Scope of Sociology of Religion

a) Nature

  Sociology of Religion is a science- The sociology of Religion will be called science when it is adapt the exact definition, characteristics and methods which the pure sciences uses in daily life. As we see in the science which is a systematic body of knowledge dealing with cause and effect relationship of natural phenomena and sociology deals with the social phenomena. And the science uses several characteristics which too sociology has like quantifiable, universal, predictable, verifiable, empirical, ethically neutral. However, the science too have some methods which also found in sociology in the study like problem formulation, identifying variables, framing hypothesis/hypotheses, data collection, analysis and interpretation and report writing.

b) Scope

  The Sociology of Religion has both Micro and Macro level scope which is very much relevant in the understanding of Religion in study of sociology. The Micro is an wide scope which provide many information about religion. It is to understand thoroughly and have in depth knowledge on religion as a social institution and the Macro is an interconnected web which has deep relationship with other social institutions. It is the study of sociology of religion which provide wide and has its relationship with other social institutions.

Sociological Perspective of Religion

It is nothing but the scientific perspective which focuses on the social dimension of religion and on those aspects  of religion affecting social behaviour. The sociological perspective is characterized by two fundamental principles.

• Reliance on the empirical data
• Objectivity 

Religion as Moods

Religion as a system create different moods

• Powerful moods and motivation
• Pervasive which reaches out to life
• Long lasting moods

Sociological methods of Studying Religion

1. Historical analysis
2. Cross cultural comparative analysis
3. Controlled experimentation 
4. Observational studies
5. Sample Survey
6. Content Analysis

Function of Religion

They are two function in religion

• individual function
• societal function
• meaning function
• identity function
• basic for collective identity
• enhances social stability by sacralizing the norms and values of the society
• influences the social values and morality
• acts as an agent of social change

Religion and Magic

Magic is a set of meaningless rites, based on the manipulation of the impersonal transcendent power, which occur only at critical times in order to exploit the situation, where a magician acts like a leader and whose behaviour considered to be unethical in nature and doesn't allow others to understand him and aims only for personal benefits.

Difference between Religion and Magic

1. Presence of group consciousness
2. Moral ethos or ethics
3. Nature of the rites
4. Frequency of the rites
5. Targeted functions
6. Level of participation
7. Reason or purpose to worship

Importance of sociology of religion

• It undertakes scientific studies of the religious behaviour of the people.
• It distinguishes the religious from the cultural phenomenon
• Critically analyses the existing beliefs and practices
• Gives new knowledge about the religious behaviour
• It gives better understandings of various religious and their actual role in the society
• It gives clarity of religion
• Gives better understanding of religions as a social institution.
• Helps in social control among the various religious groups
• Helps to differentiate between the sacred and the profane
• Helps in policy decisions
• Clarifies the mind and purifies the soul
• Solves many social problems

Conclusion 

Sociology of religion is the understanding of the sociological perspective of religions is vital to every sociology student. It becomes clear to know the social functions of various religious. One gets a critical outlook on the functions and problems of religions. In a secular society like India which we understand the relationship of religion with other social institutions.

RELIGIOUS GROUPS

Meaning of Religious Groups, Characteristics, Social Process in the evolution of religious (charismatic) groups, Elements of religious groups, Relevance and importance of religious groups

Introduction

No religion is born as religion rather as religious groups. Religion is born as sect one's upon a time and it slowly moved to become sect usually it doesn't remain as statics its always changes and become larger and larger and it reaches to denomination. And the denomination slowly go on increasing and become or reaches the final stage which we all called as 'Religion'.

Meaning of Religious Groups

Sect- A sect is a voluntary society, composed of strict and definite believers bound to each other by the fact that all have experiences the new birth.

Denomination- A denomination is a type of religious group which represents a midpoint in the continuous between sects and religion.

Religion/church- A church is an institution which has been endowed with grace and salvation as the result of the work of redemption. Religion is able to receive the masses and to adjust itself to the world.

Although Troeltsch had suggested a process of movement from sect to church or religion, it was Niebubr who elaborated the point and described the forces causing the change. He developed the sociological use of the term 'denomination'. According to Niebubr, the process takes the following

sect  ....... denomination.......church or religion

Cult

The sociologists use the term 'cult' in three distinct ways. They are 

1. A cult is a small religious group which has a highly committed membership, lacks a bureaucratic structure, is led by a charismatic leader, and holds some esoteric and occult ideas.
2. A cult is seen as an urban, non exclusive, loosely associated group of people who hold some esoteric beliefs. They are kindred spirits who have some common views relative to one particular aspect of reality, but such person may also belong to other more conventional, church groups. The presence of a charismatic leader is common.
3. A cult is a beginning phase of an entirely new religion. The group may be loosely structured or it may demand tremendous commitment, but it must provide a radical break from existing religious traditions.

Characteristics/ differences between sects and church or religion

1. Membership: In sects the membership is volitional (voluntary) and the membership is emphasis on adult convention are commitment. Where as religion is largely on the basis of birth which emphasis on religious education of children.
2. Policy: In sect the member become exclusive to one particular groups, in which individual doesn't belong to any other groups. Whereas in religion the member are inclusive may coincide within national citizenship or geographic boundaries.
3. Attitude towards others: In sect the attitude is particularism  where judgement passed towards those who don't accept the one true path, self image that of the faithful remnant or the select. But the religion is universal which accepted by diversity of people and emphasis on the brotherhood and sisterhood of all humanity.
4. Nature of Group: In sect the member are seen as very small faithful group. Whereas religion is large, bureaucratic organisations.
5. Salvation: In sect the salvation achieved through moral purity including ethical austerity or asceticism.Whereas in religion salvation granted by the sacraments where God as administered by church. Here sacraments and church seen as hierarchical.
6. Priesthood: In sect, priesthood of all believers, clergy emphasized or non existent and lay participation seen very high. Whereas in religion leadership is control by highly trained professional clergy,
7. Attitude towards secular society: In sect, hostile or indifferent to secular society and to the state.Whereas religion tendency to adjust to compromise with, and support exiting social values and social structures.
8. Theology: In sect the member follow fundamentalistic theology only the original revelation is an authentic expression of the faith. Where as in religion, they follow Bither Orthodox or modernist theology formulations and interpretation of the faith in later periods of history are legitimate in their own rights.
9. Types of followers: In sect, predominantly a group of lower class persons or those otherwise socially disenfranchised (worldly prestige is eschewed and spiritual or charismatic qualities been the basis of internal stratification. Where as religion membership comprise of upper and middle class people, but with professional classes controlling most leadership positions (stratification of the society is reflected within the church)
10. Worship: In sect, the worship is informal and spontaneous where as in religion the worship is formal and orderly followed.
11. Social ethics: In sect the social ethics is radical emphasizing the quality of all persons and the necessity of economic equality where as in religion the social ethics is conservative justifying the current socio-economic relationships.  

Elements of Religious Groups/Nature of Religious Groups/Elements in the analysis of Religious Groups

Theology

The comprehensive point of view theology means study of God, which means God in every aspect. Theology is a system consists of various aspect of God. Theology are different from one religion to another, there are three types of theology.

1. Reversionism
2. Orthodoxy
3. Modernism 

Reversionism: Reversionism is doctrine which stresses on the purity of the original tradition and attempts to preserve the tradition. This may also involve a literal interpretation of scripture (fundamentalism). It involves a concerted effort  to avoid contemporary modification of the world view and to revert to the original formation of the faith.

Orthodoxy: Orthodoxy is an approach which assess the truth of any contemporary doctrine in terms of its conformity to earlier doctrine, but not limited to the original formulation.

Modernism: Revelations from an earlier era are treated as important but the emphasis is on what God is saying to contemporary culture. Since earlier revelations were received in an age when many of the laws of science were not yet discovered, the world-view of that earlier groups is thought to contain less than the whole truth.This theological approach is referred to as liberalism or modernism.

Ritual

Belief and practices go hand in hand. They are two types of ritual.

1. Simple/High church
2. Dionysian/Apollonian

Simple church is characterised by a simple liturgy, a causal, unpretentious atmosphere and a lack of elaborate artwork, architecture or musical productions. High church is characterized by the ritual as the primary appeal.

Apollonian orientation stresses logical understanding. The deity is believed to communicate with persons through their minds, humans are conceived largely as rational beings. Apollonian worship tends to be cerebral, reserved and sober. Dionysian liturgy, on the other hand is based on the promise that the deity speaks to humanity primarily through emotions.

Organization

Arrangement of institution or people as a religion group or sect.

1. Ecclesiastical
2. Sectarian

Ecclesiastical has complexity of structure which is highly institutionalized, Clergy are formally trained and membership policy to ecclesiastical is restrictive.

Sectarian has complexity of structure which is small in member/group, Clergy who doesn't have anything of their which they can recite by themselves of ritual and membership policy of sectarian is open to all.

Relation with Secular society

1. Withdrawal - when people have the attitude of indifferent, for their selfish sake, can withdraw.
2. Transformation - it is the stole of modifying or transforming or changing.
3. Acceptance - it is the attitude of adjusting oneself or accepting oneself.

Realm

1. This worldly: It is the belief of heaven and earth on this world everything is available. We don't have to search anywhere which sectorian believe in.
2. Other worldly: It is the religion who believe in other worldly realm.

Piety

Piety is a element which express attachment to God or goddess. There are two types of Piety.

1. Being Piety (Passive): They always being piety by individual and themselves without doing good work to the humanity rather for their own self like meditation, prayer and mass. It also called mystic piety, pays much less attention to human effort and much more to human experience and to an individuals character.
2. Doing Piety (Active): In the name of God doing piety work to the humanity through which people benefit like serving in the hospital to the sick people. It implies that individuals are to participate in creating their own salvation and establishing the kingdom of God.

Scope of the World View

Anthropologist Clifford Geertz has suggested that religion may be studies in terms of the 'scope' of its impact on adherents  for some persons, religion is one of many concerns in life, blocked off into a separate sphere having little to do with economic behavior, political opinions, religion is a private affair which may be of profound importance to the life of an individual. However, the individual insists that it is one's responsibility as a citizen to 'render to Caesar that which is Caesar's. Clergy are not expected to mingle with politics and religion is believed to have little or nothing to do with business transaction. Such a person views reality through 'multiple , narrow range vectors'. Life is seen as many separate and distinct realms.

On the other hand, religion people consider the lens through which all other institutions one to be understood. In this case, religious norms, attitudes and motivations are expected to affect all of life. Such a world view is described as "Unitary wide range vector".

Social Process of a Charismatic Group

It is a long process which starts from the any of the religious group by protests. And this protest is led by leader who has charisma and people follow the leader as his tells to do. In the process of leading the folk of people by the charismatic leader; he starts to gather people of his believer and create one kind of sects which latter becomes denomination and then religion, if the leader is of true kind.

Meaning of Charisma

It is a special and extraordinary quality in a person whose everyone listen and follow according to his words. For example Mother Theresa  had a charisma to mobilize people and serve the poor and downtrodden people as his own child or her people.

Definition of Charisma

Charisma can be define as certain quality of an individual personality by virtue of which he/she is set a part from ordinary people and treated as super being. He or she endowed with super natural grace and quality which said to be called as super human at least specifically with an exceptional quality. They are such who are not accessible to the ordinary people but regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary and on the basis of the inner quality, the individual consent treated as a leader.

Charismatic leader (Cult) /Characteristics of Cult or Charismatic leader

1. Power to mobilize the followers
2. Create a sense of mission in the followers
3. Acts as anti establishments
4. Having revolutionary tendency
5. He is different from ordinary people

Stages of Religious Group

1. Steady state
2. Period of increased stress
3. Period of cultural distortions
4. Period of revitalization: a)  reformulation of the world view b) communication of the world view c)  emergence of an organisation d)  adaptation and modification of the world view          e)  cultural transformation f) routinazation
5. New steady state

Religion and Society

Introduction

No religion is born as religion rather as a religious group in different period of time, then they institutionalized. The religion is born as a sect, then slowly it moved into larger group of people and become a denomination. And this small denomination increase more and more and at the end they form religion. When it become religion it is the prior duty of the reader to form some bundle of rules and regulation which make them united and they live in unity and freedom. The institution of religion is a long process. It starts from the beginning, the initial stage the leader cult/sect.

Meaning of Institution

An institution is any structure or mechanism of social order and cooperation governing the behaviour of  a sect of individuals within a given community. May it be human or a specific animal one. Institutions are identified with a social purpose, transcending individuals and intuitions by mediating the rules that govern co-operative living behavior.

The term 'institution' is commonly applied to customs and behavior patterns important to a society, as well as to particular formal organisation of government and public services. As structures and mechanisms of social order among certain species, institutions are one of the principal objects of study in the social sciences. Institutions are also a central concern for law, the formal mechanism for political rule making and enforcement.

Meaning of Institutionalization of Religion

It is a process in which the religion is an organised collection of beliefs, cultural systems and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. Many religion have narratives, symbols and sacred histories that are intended to explain the meaning of life and or explain the origin of life or the universe from their beliefs about the cosmos and human nature, people derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle.

Sect: A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political or philosophical beliefs system, usually an offshoot of a larger religious group. Although is past it was mostly used to refers to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refers to any organisation that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and principles. The term is occasionally used in malicious way to suggest the broken-off group follows a more negative path than the original.

Denomination: A religious denomination is a sub group within a religious that operates under a common name, tradition and identity. Example the term describes various christian denominations like- Eastern orthodox, Anglicanism, Protestantism, Judaism- orthodox, conservative, reform and reconstruction, Islam sunni and shia  and the Hinduism has the shaivism, shaktism, vaishnavism, smartism are the some denomination.

Religion: Religion is a belief in one or many gods or in supernatural beings, The best definitions in 'religion is man's attempt to achieve the highest possible good by adjusting his life to the strongest and best power in the universe. This power is usually called God.

Importance

The institutionalization a process in which the grass root cult begin to grow by a charismatic leader which takes form slowly and gradually denomination. And then the denomination again increases in size and followers begin to accept more and more and the denomination begin to regulate through different rules and regulation which make in written form as scripture. It is the long process in which the religious faith get institutionalization.

conclusion

Faith and beliefs are the prime factor in religious persons. It forms not in a day rather get institutionalize day by day. Followers folk towards the religious denomination and at the end the denomination become the complete religion.