TYPES OF RELIGIOUS ORGANISATION
CHURCH AND SECTErnst Treitschke (1912)- distinguished between Church and sect.
Church:- Large organisations run by a bureaucratic hierarchy of professional Priests-
Claim a monopoly of truth
- Universalistic aim to include the whole of society
- Tend to be attracted to higher classes because they are ideologically
conservative and often close linked to the state
British Sovereign is head of both the State and Church of England.
Sects
- Small, exclusive groups
- Hostile to wider society and they expect a high level of commitment
- Draw members from poor and oppressed
- Led by a charismatic leader
- Believe too they have a monopoly of truth.
DOMINATION AND CULTRichard Niebuhr (1929)
Dominations such as Methodism as lying between Churches and sects. Membership is less exclusive than a sect, doesn’t appeal as much as Church to society. Impose some minor restrictions on members but are not as demanding as sects. Unlike Church and sects they do not claim a monopoly of truth.
Cult:
- Loose- knit and usually small grouping around same shared themes and interests
- Usually without a sharply defined and exclusive belief system
- Usually led by ‘practitioners’ or ‘therapists’ who claim special knowledge
- Tolerant of other organisations and beliefs
- Do not demand strong commitment from followers more like customs/trainees
- May have little further involvement with cult once they have acquired beliefs and techniques it offers
- Most are world affirming, claiming to improve life of this world
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCESRoy Wallis (1974)
Similarities and differences between religious organisations
2 characteristics-
- How they see themselvesChurches and sects claim that their interpretation of faith is only legitimate or correct one
- How they are seen by wider society Churches and denominations seen as respectable and legitimate - sects and cults are seen as deviant
FROM CATHEDRALS TO CULTSReligious organisations some believe don’t fit today’s reality.
Bruce (1996)- Troeltch’s idea of a Church as having a religious monopoly only applies to the Catholic Church before 16th century.
(Protestant Reformation)
It had religious monopoly over society, symbolised by massive, imposing Cathedrals
- since then sects and cults have flourished and religious diversity have become the
norm
- Churches are no longer truly Churches in Troeltsch’s sense because they have lost their monopoly and been reduced to the status of denominations competing with all the rest.
NEW RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTSSince 1960s there has been an explosion in number of new religions and organisations this has led to new attempts to classify them.
Roy Wallis (1984)- categories these New Religious Movements (NRMs)
3 groups based on relationship to outside world
-reject, accommodate or affirm
World rejectingSimilar to Troeltsch’s sects such as ‘People’s Temple’
- Religious organisations with a clear notion of God
- They are highly critical of the outside world and they expect or seek radical change
- Achieve salvation, members must make a sharp break with their formal life
- Members life community, restricted conflict with the outside world, movements controls all aspects of their lives and is often accused of brain washing them
- Often have conservative moral codes
World accommodating NRMs- Often breakaways from existing mainstream Churches or denominations such as neo- Pentecoastalists who split from Catholicism
- Neither accept nor reject
- Focus on religious matters rather than worldly seeking to restore spiritual purity of religion
- Members tend to lead conventional lives (white middle class are educated)
WORLD AFFIRMING NRMsThis differs from all other religious groups-
May lack conventional features of religion such as collective worship. Not highly organised.
Some offer their followers access to spiritual or supernatural powers. E.g. scientology, mainly cults and therapy groups.
Accept the world as it is.
They are optimistic and promise followers success in terms of mainstream goals and values such as careers and personal relationships.
- Non ~exclusive and tolerant of other relationships, claim to offer additional special knowledge or techniques to unlock their spiritual powers and achieve success to overcome problems. Been described as psychologising religion offering this worldly religion.
- Most are cults, followers are often customers rather than members, entry is through training. Movement places few demands on them and carry on normal lives.
World affirming NRMs most successful of movements. Wallis studies scientologists have 165000 members in UK compared to 12000 Moonies.
EVALUATION+ Wallis offers a useful way of classifying new religious movements that have developed in recent decades.
- Not clear whether he is categorising them according to movement’s teachings or individual member’s beliefs
- Ignores diversion of beliefs that exist within an NRM
+ Wallis- real NRMs will rarely fir into his typology such as The Healthy Happy organisation and may feature all 3 types
Stark and Bsinbridge- reject idea of constructing such typologies together. Argue that we should distinguish between religious organisation as just as using one criterion. Degree of conflict or tension between the religious group and wider society.
SECTS AND CULTS
Stark and Bainbridge (S+B) - two organisations are in conflict with wider society.Sects-
Cults-
S+B-
Cults tend to offer this-worldly benefits (e.g. good health) to more prosperous individuals who are suffering psychic deprivation (normalness) and organismic deprivation (health problems).
- AUDIENCE CULTSLeast organised. No formal or much commitment and limited interaction between members. Participation maybe through media (UFO cults)
- CLIENT CULTSBased on relationship between consultant and a client. Provides services to their followers. Before was medical miracles now shifted to ‘therapies’ promising personal fulfilment and self discovery e.g. spiritualism.
- CULTIC MOVEMENTS Most organised and demand a higher level of commitment. Aims to meet all member’s religious needs and rarely allowed to belong to other religious groups at the same time.
e.g. Moonies same client cults became cult movements for their most enthusiastic followers, scientology which developed out of client cults Dianetics. Cults that predict the end of the world and practice of mass suicide may be seen as cultic movements.
+ S n’ B make some useful distinctions between organisations. Their idea of using the degree of conflict with wider society to distinguish between them is similar to Troeltsch’s distinction between Church (which accepts society) and sect (rejects society).
- Some of the examples they use do not fit nearly into any one of their categories
EXPLAINING GROWTH OF
RELIGIOUS MOVEMENTS
Since 1960s there has been a rapid growth in the number of sects and cults. Sociologists explain these trends in marginality, relative deprivation and social change. Max Weber (1922)-
Sects offers theodicy of disprivilige - religious explanation and justification for their suffering and disadvantage.
Milinerian movements and sects have recruited in history from the marginalised poor. In 20th century the Nation of Islam (Black Muslim) recruited successfully among disadvantaged Blacks in USA.
Since 1960s sect like rejecting Moonies have recruited more from well- educated white middle class peeps.
Wallis- these peeps were still classed as marginal, as they were hippies, drop outs etc.
RELATIVE DEPRIVATIONRefers to subjective sense of being deprived, could be privileged like middle class who are well off but may feel spiritually deprived- lack in moral value, emotional warmth or authenticity. Wallis- so they turn to sects for a sense of communities.
S+B- Relatively deprived join sects and break away from Church members break to safeguard original message when middle class try to compromise belief in order to fit into society.
- World rejecting sects offer to the deprived compensators that they need for the rewards that they are denied in this world.
- Privileged are attracted to world accepting Churched that express that statistics and bring them further success in achieving earthly rewards.
SOCIAL CHANGE Wilson (1960- periods of rapid change disrupt and undermine established norms and values producing anomie or normalness.
Those most disrupted turn to sects for solution in the insecurity.
In 18th century industrialisation- Methodism arose and offered a sense of community warmth and fellowship, clear norms and values and promise of salvation.
Succeeded in recruiting large numbers of industrial working classs.
Bruce (1995:6)- In a secularised societies- traditional Churches are too strict and require too much commitment compared to sects which require less sacrifices.
THE GROWTH OF NRMs
World rejecting NRMsWallis- changes from 1960s impacting young peeps in counter culture in extended education time and freedom from adult responsibilities.
Radical political movements offered alternative ideas about the future.
World rejecting NRMs ajuy6w7eejeurfyffuyffrf7ru7rpiuedbczq10t/u/////7 88ttracted young peeps as they offered an idealistic way of life.
Bruce (1995)- Failure of counter culture to change the world turned disillusionalised youth turning to religion instead.
WORLD AFFIRMING NRMsBruce- growth is a response to a modernity.
Work no longer provides meaning or a source of identity- unlike Protestant ethic gave work religious meaning for some people. Today we are expected to achieve with out much opportunities to succeed.
World affirming NRMs provide a sense of identity and techniques to promise a sense of identity and techniques to promise success in this world.
Wallis- movements of the middle ground such as Jesus Freaks has grown since 1970s. Attracted disullionalised former members of world rejecting NRMs because they provide a halfway house to more conventional style.
THE DYNAMICS OF SECTS AND NRMsSociologists interested in understanding dynamics of sect development as in history they are short lived. Interest in how the NRMs will face in longer term.
Denomination or death Niebuhr (1929)- schism (splitting from an established Church because of a disagreement over religious doctrine. That is how world rejecting NRMs come about.
Niebuhr argues sects are short lived or die or compromise with the world, abandon their extreme ideas and become a denomination.
Due to:
- The second generation
Born into a sect, lack commitment and fervour of their parents who had joined and rejected the world voluntarily
- The ‘Protestant ethic effect’
Sects that practice asceticism (hardwork and saving) tend to become
Prosperous and upwardly mobile, as with case with methodist (19th century).
Members tempted to compromise with the world, so they will leave it or abandon world- rejecting beliefs.
- Death of a leader
Sects with a charismatic leader either collapse when they’re dead and former
Bueratic leadership takes over transforming into a domination.
SECTARIAN STYLES+B (1985)- Religious organisation making through a cycle~
1st stage- Schism: tension between needs of deprived and privileged member of Church
- Deprived members break and join a fond world-rejecting sect
2nd stage- Initial fervour: with charismatic leader with great difference in sect’s belief and those of wider society
3rd stage- Denominationalism: the ‘protestant ethic’ effect and coolness of 2nd generation mean fervour disappears
4th stage- Further schism: more zealous or less privileged members break away to find a new sect true to original message
ESTABLISHED SECTSWilson (1966)- not all sects follow the patterns. Depends how sects answer the question ‘what shall we do we to be saved?’
Conversionist
Adventist-
Wilson- Some sects have survived after many generations, such as Amish and Adventists as they have become denominations established sects. Many of them have succeeded in socialising their kids with high level of commitment, largely by keeping them apart from wider society.
Wilson argues globalisation will make it narrow to keep themselves. Globalisation will make it easier to recruit from Third World, where large numbers of deprived people for whom the message sects are attracted, such as Pentecostalism.
GROWTH OF THE NEW AGE Covers a range of beliefs and activities that have been widespread since 1980s.
Heelas- 146,000 practitioners in UK and 2000 activities approx.
Very loosely organised audience and client cults.
Extremely diverse and eclectic (unconnected ideas in new combinations) such as beliefs in UFOs and meditation.
Two common themes characterised New Age:
- Self spirituality
Look inside themselves to find it instead of traditional external Churches
- Detradionalisation
Reject spiritual authority of traditional sources such as Priests and sacred texts
Values personal experience and believe we can only discover truth got ourselves within ourselves
Have world-affirming aspects that help in after world as well as world rejecting elements to achieve enlightenment in inner world.
Heelas- most New age beliefs and organisations after birth.
POSTMODERNITY AND THE NEW AGE John Drane (99)- appeal is a part of a shift towards postmodern society is a loss of faith in meta narratives or claim to have the truth. Science promised a better world but instead gave us war, genocide, environment destruction and global warming.
Peeps lost faith in item and disullionalised with Church’s failure to meet spiritual needs, turning to New Age idea that we can find the truth for ourselves by looking within.
NEW AGE AND MODERNITY Bruce (1995)- growth of the New Age is a feature of the latest phase of modern society and not postmodernity.
Modern society values individualism- key principle in New age beliefs. Those among in the ‘expressive professions’ concerned with human potential such as social workers or artists- New age appeals most.
New age beliefs- softer versions of more demanding strict Eastern religion such as Buddhism have been ‘watered down’ to make them palatable to self centred Westerned society.
Few demands on their followers. New Age eclectismn to Bruce ‘pick and mix spiritual shopping’ as typical of religion in late modern society, reflecting consumerist ethos of capitalist society.
Heelas (1966)- New Age and modernity linked in four ways:
- A source of identity~ in modern society, individual has different roles recruiting in fragmented identity. New age beliefs after a source of ‘authentic identity’
-Consumer culture~ creates dissatisfaction because it does not fulfil perfection that it promises. New age offers an alternative way to achieve perfection
-Rapid social change~ modern society disrupts established norms and values resisting in anomie. New age provides a sense of certainty and truth
-Decline of organised religion~ modernity leads to secularisation, thereby removing traditional alternatives to New age beliefs. In USA, new age in strongest where Church going is at is lowest in California. Like Seventh Day Adventist~ Jehova’s witnesses await 2nd coming of Christ, to be saved must hold themselves separate from the corrupt world around them. This separationism prevents them from compromising and becoming a denomination. - sects like evangelicals aim to convert large numbers likely to grow rapidly into larger, more formal denomination Sects tend to arise in groups who are marginal to society. Groups tend to feel they are disprivileged- as in not receiving their just economic rewards or social change. As in not receiving their just economic rewards or social change. New religions .I.e. scientology new to a particular society that has been imported. result from schisms. Splits in existing organisations that break away from Churches because of disagreements in doctrines. - Highly individualistic and less organised:
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