U1A7 Religion and Cultural Determinants     1.       How does Durkheim define religion? A.      Emily Durkheim – Religion consists of two aspects 1.       Beliefs and practices relative to sacred things a.       beliefs and symbols inspired by faith in a supernatural authority b.      Is distinguished from societal beliefs which are only inspired by human thought c.       Often religious belief and societal beliefs are so intricately interwoven that it is impossible to separate them - This is why religion is considered the core mentifact 2.  Unites people into a single moral community         a.  No other aspect of culture is as important as religion in shaping human values         b.  In America religion is more important than age, gender, race, education, economic       status, and politics   2.       Why is it difficult to separate religion from other societal beliefs? A.      Often religious belief and societal beliefs are so intricately interwoven that it is impossible to separate them 1.       This is why religion is considered the core mentifact B.      Unites people into a single moral community 1.       No other aspect of culture is as important as religion in shaping human values   3.    In American’s attitudes and actions, religion is more influential than what and why? A.    In America religion is more important than age, gender, race, education, economic  status, and politics   4.    What criterion is used to classify individuals into religious groups, and what help would those classifications be to society? Further, how practical are those classifications systems? Explain!         A.    It is difficult to know and describe all religious beliefs of 6.2 billion people                 1.    Preliminary task is to classify beliefs into manageable groups. B.    1st Criterion for Classification = Degree of Commitment 1.    This is another explanatory factor for human behavior and may help to interpret and predict behavior a.    Example = Muslim extremists or in economics such as donations or in social issues like Leant and Friday fish. 2.    Also useful in assessing the variable importance of religion in society a.    Example = rise of single issue politics such as prayer in public schools or abortion b.    Value is undeniable but this is not practical because of the lack of data about religious belief and corresponding behavior C.    Broad grouping of Religious Affiliation 1.    This is the most common classification system a.    can be applied at various levels b.    Most major religions can be divided into denominations, sects and branches c.     Can also be divided into Universalizing, Ethnic, and Tribal   5.    What are the largest religions in the world, which classification of religion do they belong to, and outline the basic tenants of these faiths?! A.    Universalizing 1.    Admission is an easy process a. Examples = Christianity – Baptism;      Islam – Recital of Doctrine;          Buddhism – Adherence to spiritual practices 2.    Active Missionary Campaign B.    Ethnic 1.    Restricted to a particular ethnic group or state 2.    Strongly tied to a specific place 3.    Admission is difficult and complex via the adoption of an entire system of cultural values 4.    Marriage is usually restricted to others of the faith 5.    Examples a.    Hinduism – India b.    Shinto – Japan c.     Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism – China d.    Judaism – Israel – A special case resemble certain aspects of a universalizing religion i.e. Survival after the destruction of its most holy site. C.    Tribal 1.    Distinctiveness lies in their ties to nature 2.    Central focus of their belief and worship is animism (worship of the gods of nature) a.    Objects possess sacred powers that must be respected and appeased   6.    How does religious expression in the United States demonstrate the dynamic nature of religion and briefly outline the major denominational affiliations that exist here? A.    America isn’t a typical example or illustration B.    Complexity is due partially to the wide variety of places immigrants came from 1.    Early Immigration = Northwestern Europe – White Anglo-Saxxon, Indo-European language group, Protestant (Also African from the slave trade) 2.    2nd Wave – Ireland and South Eastern Europe – Catholic, Brown Skinned, Slavic Language group customs and traditions 3.    3rd Wave – Near/Middle East, SE Asia, Asia Africa, So. America – Darker skinned, Multiple language groups (Semitic, Asian, Spanish, etc…) Multiple cultural heritages – Religious affiliation = Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Shinto, Taoist, Jewish, Catholic C.    American Emphasis on individualism and recognition of a pluralistic society 1.    In most traditional societies religion is a part of the cultural heritage 2.    The heritage in the US is about individual conversion/choice 3.    In the US all of the major religions are present and many other religious affiliations are present - Most counts place the number of different religions over 1275 4.    The most common Christian denominations are - Baptist (are a majority in 1164 counties across the US) - Catholic – 963 counties - Methodist – 374 counties - Lutheran – 227 counties - Mormon – 74 counties - The rest of the counties have high diversity with no clear dominant affiliation 5.    Area of homogeneity - Baptist – Southern States - Catholic – Northeast and Southwest - Methodist – Scattered (Also ranked 2nd in many areas) - Lutheran – North Central - Mormon – Utah   7.    What are the three basic territorial structures that religions take and which affiliations are good examples of each? A.    3 levels of organization 1.    Informal – Most modern nondenominational churches 2.    Loose organization w/ much local autonomy a.    Most protestant and congregational – Baptist, Methodist, etc. b.    Judaism – Universal acceptance of the old testament and high contact kepps the faith uniform c.     Sunni Islam d.    Hinduism B.    Elaborate 1.    Mormon 2.    Catholic (Most extensive) a.    Pope, Arch Bishops, Bishops (diocese), Priests (parish)   Additional Notes   8.    Centrifugal and Centripetal forces A.    All religions face drift, change, and diversity which tend to push religions apart 1.    Faith and belief are hard to codify B.    All religions also have strong forces that hold religions together 1.    Codification or canonization of core beliefs 2.    Elaborate religions with strong hierarchical structure have more centripetal strength C.    Several divisions in Christianity (Schisms) 1.    11th century between Eastern and Western Catholicism 2.    16th century Protestant Splinter 3.    17th century split in Protestantism (Puritans)   9.    How Religion relates to environment A.    1st view point = Nature is a manifestation of the divine 1.    Humans revere nature and treat it with the respect due the divine 2.    Subordinates humans to divine nature 3.    Often seen in tribal religions i.e. hunting is seen as a holy occupation B.    2nd view point = Transcendent God reigns over man 1.    Humans and Nature are equal 2.    Both abide by the laws of their deity 3.    Humans must cooperate with nature 4.    Ownership = stewardship (preserve not disrupt) 5.    Taoism in Chinese culture – Benedictine in Christianity C.    3rd view point = Judeo Christian Ethic – God is above humans, humans are above nature and free to use nature to the maximum benefit 1.    Holy obligation to subdue untamed nature – We finish creation by bringing order a.    Wilderness is the abode of the devil i.e. temptation of Jesus – but it is also seen as a place to escape worldly corruption and gain religious insight 2.    America and Western Culture still holds these conflicting views   10.  The impact environment has on religion A.    The are reason several major religions developed in 3 geographic regions – They are cross roads of human migration and expansion 1.    Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Zoroastrianism = Middle East 2.    Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism = So Asia 3.    Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto = Sino-Japanese B.    Though its is difficult to attribute religious origins to a specific environment 1.    Religious practices do often develop out of specific needs (i.e. the natural environment has an effect on symbols and practices) thus outsiders may conclude that certain religious characteristics exist because of functional relationships. To a believer, however, these are sacred ideas.  a.   Exp. = Pork and its role in different cultures from forbidden to a food storage system and base of the economy. b.    distain of pork by pastoral nomads (pig was unsuitable for herding and lator this pragmatic reasons for avoiding pork took on religious significant) but favored by agriculturalists. 2.    Rituals usually have economic and geographical impacts beyond the points of their occurrence a.    goods and service required for ritual practices create markets met by suppliers which produces an economic impact b.    Religious activities may also alter the amt. and timing of economic transactions (i.e. loss of production time and services that cause fluctuations in trade flows c.     Donations also affect cash flow C.    The present distribution of religion to the natural environment is the result of historical distribution, human migration, and spacial interaction.   11.  Religion and territorial conflict A.    Religious beliefs frequently reinforce political feelings especially about possession of an area 1.    Reason = religion is often the key to ethnic survival a.    Religion functions as both a spiritual and social cohesive force b.    During times of great upheaval people often cling to their religions as a mooring point c.     Churches are often considered guardians of culture and ethnic identity 2.    Justification of territorial control a.    Societies where ideology is emphasized religious doctrine used as justification for area control and territorial disputes become especially bitter (i.e. promoting the true religion) b.    Example = Manifest Destiny   12.  Religion and Governments A.    Religious influence in a society depends on the policies and actions of government and religion often influences the political organization of a society 1.    Varies across the spectrum from hostility to full support  In most countries where the government is hostile to neutral, or actively supports a religion tension between the two institutions often exists 2.    In most countries where the government is hostile to neutral, or actively supports a religion tension between the two institutions often exists a.    Communist Party = hostile to religion and often followed Lenin’s theory that modernization is hampered by religion – China went so far as to destroy historic religious structures 3.    Pluralistic societies often attempt to maintain a neutral position relative to the religious beliefs of its citizens a.       religious differences cut across class and ethnic lines which allows freedom of choice within the framework of responsible toleration of differences B.    The roles of church and state can become acute when religious communities seek to rule themselves according to doctrines that differ from those of the dominant secular society of when a state imposes a doctrine that a significant minority opposes C.    Tribal societies seldom face religious and political conflict