All flashcards
Flashcard 1: What is the sociological definition of religion as a social institution?
Answer: A system of beliefs and practices about the sacred that unites a community. Durkheim emphasized religion's role in creating collective consciousness.
Flashcard 2: What is secularization in the study of religion and social change?
Answer: Declining social significance of religion in institutions and daily life. Process where religious authority decreases in public spheres.
Flashcard 3: What is the key distinction between the sacred and the profane in sociology?
Answer: Sacred is set apart and revered; profane is ordinary and everyday. Durkheim's fundamental distinction between religious and non-religious realms.
Flashcard 4: Which term describes religious influence shifting from institutions to private life?
Answer: Privatization of religion. Religion moves from public institutions to personal belief systems.
Flashcard 5: What is religious pluralism?
Answer: Coexistence of multiple religions within the same society. Increases religious diversity and competition among faiths.
Flashcard 6: What is a civil religion in sociological terms?
Answer: Shared national beliefs and rituals treated as sacred in public life. Bellah's concept of quasi-religious patriotic practices.
Flashcard 7: What is religious fundamentalism as a response to social change?
Answer: Strict, literal adherence to doctrine, often resisting modernity. Reaction against secularization and modernization trends.
Flashcard 8: Identify the theory: religion is used by elites to justify stratification and limit dissent.
Answer: Conflict theory (Marx). Views religion as tool of oppression by ruling class.
Flashcard 9: Identify the theory: religion primarily functions to maintain social order and solidarity.
Answer: Functionalism (Durkheim). Views religion as promoting social stability.
Flashcard 10: What is liberation theology?
Answer: Religious framework emphasizing social justice and liberation of the oppressed. Originated in Latin America, linking faith to political action.
Flashcard 11: Identify the concept: a state uses religious symbolism in patriotic rituals to unify citizens.
Answer: Civil religion. Sacred symbols legitimize political authority.
Flashcard 12: Identify the concept: a society becomes more diverse in beliefs, and no single faith dominates.
Answer: Religious pluralism. Multiple faiths compete without state preference.
Flashcard 13: Which concept describes religion providing meaning during rapid social disruption?
Answer: Religion as a source of social integration and meaning-making. Religion provides stability during anomie and transition.
Flashcard 14: What is a New Religious Movement (NRM)?
Answer: A relatively new religious group outside established religious traditions. Often labeled cults; emerge during social upheaval.
Flashcard 15: What is a religious sect (as contrasted with a church) in sociology?
Answer: A smaller, stricter group that often forms in protest of a larger religion. High commitment groups with exclusive membership criteria.
Flashcard 16: What is the definition of a theodicy in sociology of religion?
Answer: A religious explanation for why suffering and evil exist. Addresses the problem of evil in religious worldviews.
Flashcard 17: What is the Protestant work ethic in Weber’s analysis?
Answer: Norm valuing hard work, discipline, and frugality as moral virtues. Calvinist beliefs linking worldly success to salvation.
Flashcard 18: What is Weber’s key idea about religion and social change in capitalism?
Answer: Religious values can motivate economic behavior and institutional change. Protestant ethics facilitated capitalism's development.
Flashcard 19: What is the core claim of Durkheim’s functionalist theory of religion?
Answer: Religion promotes social cohesion by reinforcing shared norms and solidarity. Sacred rituals create collective effervescence and unity.
Flashcard 20: What is the core claim of Marx’s conflict theory of religion?
Answer: Religion legitimizes inequality and reduces class conflict ("opiate" effect). Religion distracts workers from revolutionary consciousness.
Flashcard 21: What is religious syncretism?
Answer: Blending of elements from different religions into a new practice. Creates hybrid traditions through cultural contact and exchange.
Flashcard 22: What is Weber’s “Protestant ethic” thesis about capitalism?
Answer: Protestant values helped legitimize disciplined work and capital accumulation. Calvinist beliefs fostered economic rationality and wealth as divine favor.
Flashcard 23: What is Marx’s conflict theory view of religion’s social function?
Answer: Religion can legitimize inequality and reduce impetus for revolution. "Opium of the people" - dulls awareness of exploitation.
Flashcard 24: What is Durkheim’s functionalist view of religion’s role in society?
Answer: Religion promotes social cohesion through shared beliefs and rituals. Sacred symbols represent collective conscience, binding society together.
Flashcard 25: What is the term for religion reinforcing group solidarity via collective rituals?
Answer: Collective effervescence. Durkheim's term for intense shared emotion during religious gatherings.
Flashcard 26: What is secularization in sociology of religion?
Answer: Declining social significance of religion in institutions and daily life. Process where religion loses influence over public institutions and personal behavior.
Flashcard 27: What is the sociological definition of religiosity?
Answer: Degree of religious belief, practice, and involvement. Measures individual commitment through beliefs, rituals, and community participation.
Flashcard 28: What is a religious sect (as distinct from a denomination)?
Answer: Smaller breakaway group in tension with mainstream society. Often formed through schism, maintaining stricter beliefs than parent organization.
Flashcard 29: What is liberation theology in the context of religion and social change?
Answer: Religious framework emphasizing justice and liberation of the oppressed. Emerged in Latin America, linking faith to political action against poverty.
Flashcard 30: Identify the concept: religion motivates political action to change laws and norms.
Answer: Religion as a catalyst for social movements. Religious values inspire reform movements challenging unjust systems.