Sociologist define religion as three things: Substantive – they focus on the substance of religion e.g. a belief in God, there is a very clear line made between what is classed as a religion and what isn’t. They conform to the widespread (western) views of religion...
Religion as a conservative force: It defends traditionalist customs (many traditional religions uphold conservative beliefs about moral, upholds family ‘values’ and favours a patriarchal headed family).Holds beliefs and functions that conserve or preserve things in...
Secularisation in Britain In modern Britain there are some major changes concerning religion compared to 5 years ago: there’s been a decline in church going/belonging, fewer baptisms and church weddings, an increase in the age of average churchgoers, a decline in...
New forms of religion some sociologists argue that society isn’t completely secular, while traditional religions may be declining, other newer religions are emerging often as a result of changes in wider society such as greater individualism, choice and consumerism....
Religious fundamentalism The view of fundamentalism reflects on the past ‘golden age’ of society and seek a return to the basics of faith. Religious fundamentalism arises when traditional beliefs are threatened by modern society. Characteristics of Fundamentalism An...
Types of religious organisations Church and sect (Troeltsch) Churches are large organisations, often with millions of members, run by a bureaucratic hierarchy of professional priests, who also claim monopoly of truth. They’re universalistic, aiming to include the...
Science as a belief system The impact of science Science has had an enormous impact on society in the last few centuriesFaith and religion has been dimmed by the recent discoveries, while science may have helped us in protection against diseases and natural disasters...