"All Religion is True"
(social scientists dictum)
Why Study Religion Using Sociology?
Religion enters into a dynamic interplay with different sociological variables in different times, places and circumstances (Christiano, et al, 2008, pg. 4). For example Catholicism of today is different from Catholicism of 1450; Baptists of a small town are different from Baptists in a large town, etc.
Attempts at Definitions of Religion
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 one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them" (cited, Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 5)
Durkheim compared those things that are "sacred things" from those that he termed "profane". Durkheim's definition recognized the ontological (intellectual) distinction between the existence of "God" and that of the role religion plays, you can study religion without addressing the "God" issue, religious practice is essentially social in practice. His studies contrasts sharply with Freud because Durkheim viewed religious practice as healthy whereas Freud viewed religion as a sign of presonal weekness or psychological defect. Durkheim: "Religion is a patterning of social relationships around a belief in supernatural powers, creating ethical considerations." (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 5)
Weber: defined religion as having six components (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 5-6):
a belief in one or several of a wide-ranging variety of supernatural powers, that are
evidenced in a variety of charismatic manifestations
articulated through symbolic expressions
responded to in a variety of forms
under the guidance of various types of leaders
in a variety of patterned behaviour of the lay people of the community
Weber's ethical dimension of religion comprised two additional components: a) soteriology (how to "get saved") and b) theodicy (explaining evil, why bad things happen to good people)
Neo-Weberian: this is based on Weber's Verstehende soziologie [use non-english words so you look smart] which stresses the role fo the participant actor in definition construction. Religion is what the participant says it is. "The task of the sociologist of religion is to bring his or her professional training as an interpreter of human action to bear on this particular form of action: knowing what a subject means by what he or she says and does, and interpreting that meaning through a shared discourse of scientific endeavour. This approach is similiar to the "action theory of religion" of Wallis and Bruce and Bellahs' concept of "Symbolic realism" and Geertz's interpretive perspectives on religious institutions (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 7)
Geertz: Religious symbols provide a representation of the way things are [models] and serve as guides that direct human activity [models for]. Religion is a cluster of symbols that compose an ordered whole and provide programming [software] for the ideas, values, and lifestyles of a society [culture] (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 7) Geertz's approach is two fold: a) analyzing the system of meaning within the symbols [thick description]; b) relates these systems to social structures and psychological processes (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 9) more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theories_of_religion#Clifford_Geertz
Swenson (endorsed by Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 19): Religion, approached sociologically, can be considered "the individual and social experience of the sacred that is manifested in mythologies, rituals, and ethos, and integrated into a collective such as a community or an organization."
The Situational Approach has three key ingredients:
Action Orientations-- how we think we should act [prayer is the most universal religious action (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 9)]
Systems of Discourse-- that is, religions create formal, structured ways of talking about and describing the world. Religious vocabularies which are integral to studies about the group. Thou shalt not "Label" in social scientific discourse by using loaded terms: "cult", "fundamentalist"
Subjective Experience, occurs among devotees and non-devotees, we each bring our baggage into the discourse. A sub-understanding of this part is the use of the terms of extensive and intensive. Extensive religious experience is co-lateral with culture, non-differentiation of religion from society usually encountered in less stratified societies (hunter/gathere). Intensive religion is institutionally distinctive, and occurs in more stratified societies.
The situational, neo-Weberian approaches to religion are now in favor in the academy over that of Durkheim.
Supernatural Powers-- religious people think that there is a Power beyond themselves that cannot be controlled through means directly accessible to human beings. (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 12)
Miracle-- miracle is a miracle because the control of the outcome is outside of human hands.
Charisma-- what makes a charismatic leader a leader rather then a crazy person is that people believe in his or her gifts, which are thus taken as evidence that he or she has a direct relationship to the supernatural powers. He or she manifests divine grace in ways that the rest of us do not. (Christiano et al, 2008, pg. 13)
Symbolic expression-- from verbal to non-verbal communication of the divine. Much religious conflict is a conflict over symbols.
Western Religious Organization: the Semetic traditions (Judeo-Christian, Islamic and Baha'i) formalize religion in terms of congregations of people.
Eastern Religous Organization: revolves around pilgrimage sites where religious virtuosos dwell. Pilgrimage to religious center, this is also found in mystical dimensions of Semetic belief systems.
Leadership: Weber makes a distinction between prophets and priests.
prophets:
ethical type: follow ethical teachings of religion
examplary: do as i do
priests:
christian: exemplary leader
jewish, islamic: merely teachers and sometimes judges (this is the typology of Dr. Jensen)
Lay People: no leader without followers, and followers play a large role in defining the congregation
Change is inherent in religious belief as long as people are practicing a religion.