It deals the with the concept of religion, Durkheim's view of religion, major religion in the world, sociological perspectives on religion, and types of religion.

1. Religion

2. Durkheim’sView of Religion

3. Durkheim’s view
Unified system of beliefs and practices relative
to sacred things
Religion as collective act
Includes many forms of behavior in which
people interact with others

4. Sacred
elements beyond everyday life that inspire awe,
respect, and even fear
Sacred and Profane
Profane
includes the ordinary and commonplace

5. What do these represent
amongCatholics?

6. World Religion

7. Diversity inWorld Religions
85% of world’s population adheres to some
religion
World Religions

8. Buddhism, 463
Christianity,
2,281
Hinduism, 935
Islam, 1,553
Judaism, 15
World Religions (2011)

9. Role of Religion

10. Manifest functions
religion defines the spiritual world and gives
meaning to the divine
Functional Perspective
Latent functions
might include providing a meeting ground for unmarried
members

11. Offers people meaning
and purpose
Gives people ultimate
values and ends to hold
in common
Religion and Social
Support
Emphasis on divine
and supernatural
allows us to do
something about
calamities we face
The Integrative Function of Religion

12. Followers of Protestant Reformation
emphasized a disciplined work ethic, this-
worldly concerns, and a rational orientation
for life
TheWeberianThesis

13. LiberationTheology
Church should be used in political efforts to
eliminate poverty, discrimination, and other
forms of injustice
Conflict Perspective

14. Feminist
Religion as an instrument of women’s
subordination, except for their role in religious
socialization
Conflict Perspective

15. Marx argued religion impeded social change
Religion drugged masses into submission by
offering a consolation for their harsh live on
earth
AConflictView

16. Focus on the religious behavior
Belief Ritual Experience
Interactionist Perspective

17. Belief
•statements to
which members of
a particular religion
adhere
Religious Behavior

18. Ritual
•practices required
or expected of
members of a faith
Religious Behavior

19. Experience
• feeling or perception of
being in direct contact with
ultimate reality or of being
overcome with religious
emotion
Religious Behavior

20. ReligiousOrganizations

21. Ecclesiae
Religious organization claiming to include most or all
of the members of a society
Recognized as the national or official religion
Denominations
Large, organized religion not officially linked with the
state or government
ReligiousOrganization

22. ReligiousOrganization
Sects
Relatively small religious group that broke away
from some other religious organization to renew
the original vision of the faith
Sects are fundamentally at odds with society and
do not seek to become established national
religions.

23. ReligiousOrganization
New Religious Movements or Cults
New religious movement (NRM): small secretive
religious groups that represent either a new religion or
a major innovation of an existing faith
Similar to sects
Tend to be small
Viewed as less respectable than more established faiths

24. ReligiousOrganization
Comparing Forms of Religious Organization
Ecclesiae, denominations, sects, and new
religious movements have different
relationships to society
Electronic communication led to the electronic
church

25. ReligiousOrganization
Figure 15-3. Largest Religious Groups in the United
States by County, 2000
Source: D. Jones et al. 2002:592

26. ReligiousOrganization
Table 15-3. Characteristics of Ecclesiae,
Denominations, Sects, and New Religious
Movements
Adapted from Vernon 1962; see also Chalfant et al. 1994

27. Social Policy and Religion
Religion in the Schools
The Issue
Should public schools be allowed to sponsor
organized prayers or other expressions of religion in
the classroom?
Some want strict separation of church and state
Who has the right to decide these issues?

28. Religion in the Schools
The Setting
First Amendment’s provisions on religious freedom
In 1987, Supreme Court ruled states could not compel
the teaching of creationism in public schools
Many school districts now require teachers entertain
alternative theories to evolution and to the creation of
the universe
Social Policy and Religion

29. Social Policy and Religion
Religion in the Schools
Sociological Insights
Supporters of school prayer and of creationism feel use
of nondenominational prayer cannot lead to the
establishment of an ecclesia in U.S.
Opponents of school prayer and creationism argue
religious majority in a community might impose religious
viewpoints at the expense of religious minorities

30. Religion in the Schools
Policy Initiatives
Activism of religious fundamentalists in the
public school system raises a question:Whose
ideas and values deserve a hearing in
classrooms?
Social Policy and Religion

31. End