Religion, and Religious Thought in Society

Bathing in Ganges River

Definition from sociological perspective

"Belief and ritual concerned with supernatural beings, forces and powers." - Anthony F.C. Wallace

"A unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is is to say, things set apart and forbidden - beliefs and practices which unite in a single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them." E. Eurkheim

Like ethnicity, national heritage, religion is a basis of

• personal identity,
• social organization, and
• common activity.

Religion always addresses the ineffable, the 'past-knowing', our sense of wonder is responded to by it.

'Re-ligare' (from Latin) - means to retie, to tie back together

When we speak of "Religions" we are usually speaking about organizations within a society that well, or poorly, manage and express society's common heritage regarding ineffable, the unknowable, the mysterious. The dominant religions in American society are deist - believe in God, Allah, Yahweh, the Lord. Many religions, especially of the East, are 'ethical' - they propose pathways to human perfection, without necessarily proposing the existence of God.

Religion and Governance

Religions are ideological formations primarily, have a structure, function as social maps and instruments of social control and direction. Often they are "official" - openly sanctioned and credentialled by state power, governments - sometimes unofficially sanctioned (as in United States, where a particular religion's ethos and ethics is institutionalized, but not dogma, belief, or ritual obligations.) In Germany, Lutheranism, is the state sanctioned religion, in England it is the Church of England, in Ireland it is Roman Catholicism, in Iran it is Islam.

Religious movements can be revolutionary and transformational of individuals, groups, large societies.

Functionalist thought: Religion is symbolic summation of relationships that make up a society.

Marx: Religion is means of obscuring social relationships - "opiate of the people", but also an important means of caring for the masses - "the sigh of the oppressed"

Geertz - Religion is set of meanings that are circular and mutually re-enforcing.

Religious Activity and the Activity of Religions

Religion are marked by special types of activities

Ceremony - an activity of the community that re-enacts and symbolizes important values of the community

Ritual - objects and performances, religious artifacts, sacramentals, relics

Blessings/Sacraments

Rites of Passage -at birth, death, often puberty, at times of significant transformation in society, or in life of individual, religions structure particular events which can manage the uncertainty, incoherence, instability of these transformational times.

Maasai ritual dance as boys become il murran, warriors.

Mohel doing the milah at Bris ceremony

Priesthoods - full-time specialists, religion professionals - minister, canons, monks, imam, clerics, rabbi, guru, presiders

Sort of religion

Secular religion - music, sports --- other means to approach truth, goodness, beauty. Modern sports serve as expressions of, as well as indoctrinations toward, common values.

(sociologically there is much similarity between above scene at Olympics opening ceremony and the Hajj scene from Mecca below.)

Organization and Institutions of Religion

• Churches, Sects, Cults
• Some religions organize globally, are institutions, somethings allied with nation states, sanctioned by governments (established churches), some are transnational.
• Some world religions are disciplined organizations, (Roman Cath, Lutheran, Church of England)
• Islam is organized but not centrally disciplined.
• Jew, Muslim, Christian are peoples of "The Book" - all refer to written work as authoritative and sacred (something available to human senses that is connected to and manifestation of a beyond-human power). What now happens as TV and Info-tech replace written word?
• other world-wide religions are more in the form of affinial groups: Buddhism, Hinduism.
• Often it is difficult to analyze or try to disembed religious expression from ethnic heritage and solidarity (Jewish/Judaism) - a peoples' religion is an organizing principle and symbolic expression of their 'peoplehood'
• Religious movements - Amish, Oneida, Amana, Shakers, Moonies,

Sacred and the Profane