...New Age Religion: The Body, Mind, Spirit Holistic Health and Modern Medicine Just like the world has evolved through time in almost every aspect, religions have not stayed the same either, new religions have been created with their roots in old traditions. Different religions have been formed and established with this day and age. Some are science-related; some are traditional; other religion deviates from the norm; and some consist of combinations of traditional and new ideas. Example of this is the New Age movement. However, it is not a new religion it is considered old but became popular only in 1970s. It is a compilation of different practices, beliefs, teachings and religions that are being practiced by different ancient societies around the world. This religion treats the body, mind and soul as one entity and considered them interconnected. It promotes traditional medicine from different cultures, religions and beliefs found everywhere in the world. It can also be viewed as holistic healing of illnesses and diseases (Puttick 129). Russell Chandler described it as “A hybrid mix of spiritual, social, and political forces, and it encompasses sociology, theology, the physical sciences, medicine, anthropology, history, the Human Potential movement, sports and science fiction” (17). Although New Age main point is to be something relatively new, making it the third larges religious group, its roots are as old as the eastern religions of Hinduism and...
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...Evaluate the view that new cults and sects are replacing traditional religion as the means for experiencing and expressing religious belief in the world today In this essay, I will be evaluating the view that cults and sects are replacing traditional religion as for expressing religious belief in the world today. To do this I will be referring to a number of sociologists view on the idea of sects and cults. New religious movements such as sects and cults have become more common over the years. Many people are becoming influenced by these religious groups which tell citizens in society if they join them they will lead a better life. Many sociologists have argued that NRMs are increasing in size and popularity due to unjust events people are seeing in modern society. To begin with, many sociologists have argued that NRMs are no big influence on society and are just really to some extent a way of showing societies change, which is sure to happen over the years anyway. Wallis identified three main kinds of new religious movements. These are world affirming, world accommodating and world rejecting groups. Sociologists have argued the one that is short lived than the rest is the world rejecting. This group is usually classed as a sect or cult in which they are always highly critical of the outside world and demand significant commitment from their members. An Example of one of these is the Unification church (the Moonies) founded in Korea. They reject the mundane the secular...
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...Assess the view that, for minority ethnic groups, the practice of religion and membership of religious groups in mainly a form of cultural defence. (33 marks) A question on religion is very hard to answer as religion and how religious ethnic groups are is difficult to measure. For example, when investigating as to whether someone is religious or not we may use a questionnaire that involves questions like, "How often does someone visit a sacred place?” This question can be criticised because a child may go to church every week but only because their parents make them, this doesn't mean that they are religious. Equally a person may not be able to attend for practical reasons but they would still consider themselves religious. Religiosity is not like height, where we have set measurements. It is subjective and not easily operationalised. Ethnicity describes ancestry, heritage, religion, nationality and language. Ethnic groups are sub groups that share cultural characteristics and individuals can decide as to whether they like those characteristics and want to join their group or not. An ethnic minority groups is one which is different from the majority population and whose cultural identity and beliefs differ from the main set of religious practices. Cultural defence is where religion serves to unite communities against external threats. In these situations religion is significant, the reason for this is that religion symbolises groups of collective identity defending communities...
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...anomie; civil religions * Marxism: religion as ideology, legitimating social inequality, disguising exploitation etc * Weber: religion as a force for social change: theodicies, the Protestant ethic * Neo-Marxism: religion used by those opposing the ruling class, liberation theology * Feminism: religious beliefs supporting patriarchy * Fundamentalist beliefs: rejecting change by reverting to supposed traditional values and practices. Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements, and their relationship to religious and spiritual belief and practice * Typologies of religious organisations: churches, denominations, sects and cults, with examples of each New Religious Movements and typologies of NRMs eg world rejecting/accommodating/affirming; millenarian beliefs, with examples of each * New Age movements and spirituality, with examples * The relationship of these organisations to religious and spiritual belief and practice. The relationship between different social groups and religious/spiritual organisations and movements, beliefs and practices * Reasons why people join NRMs, NAMs and other organisations * Gender and religion: women: women’s greater participation, women in religious organisations including NRMs; men’s participation and organisational roles in religions; sexuality and religion; images of gender in religions * Ethnicity and religion: religion and ethnic...
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...Investigate a Social Issue Jacquelyn Wintersteen Don Anderson Introduction to Sociology December 9, 2012 Religion plays a large role in society across the globe, whether it’s being recognized by believers or non-believers. The main religions that have been viewed around the world for most of our developments are Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. There have been new religions forming, such as Mormonism, which have been aiding in the reshaping of our societies and tolerance. For a good part of human existence, religion has been a factor of life, shaping the mind of the Homo sapiens. Hinduism is viewed as the world’s oldest religion, dating back to 2nd century BCE. Hinduism had gone through great change over the centuries, beginning with the change of the Aryan Gods, originally including Indra, Soma, and Agni, with Vishnu and Shiva as minor deities that become the main deities by 300BCE. Mahatma Gandhi has become the ‘face’ of Hinduism since the 1950’s, when he attempted to abolish the caste system within the religion. Hinduism has segregated its followers into ‘castes’, which include the Brahmins, the ritual priests, Kshatriyas, the warriors, Vaishyas, the merchants, and lastly the Shudras, the manual laborers (Kinnard, 2012). The caste system is separated much like the class system of earlier eras where Church was at the top, followed by Nobles, merchants, and the lower class of laborers. Buddhism was created out of dissatisfaction for Hinduism in 5th...
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...AND USE RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS TO WHAT EXTENT DO SOCIOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS AND EVIDENCE SUPPORT THIS VIEW? There are many different social groups within society and many different reasons why one would join a religion and follow a certain belief. Religiosity is related to age, gender, and social acts. Religion take help many people solve underlying problems where people are experiencing anomie. Religion can be defined in many different ways such as Weber defining it as a belief in a superior or supernatural power that cannot be explained through science. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the extent to which sociological arguments and evidence support the view that different groups have different social and spiritual needs and use religion and religious organisations in very different ways. Religiosity varies by age, this can be due to many different reasons such as the amount of time one has to participate and commit to a set belief. People younger than 15 and over 65 are more likely to be involved in a religious activity; however participation by those under the age of 15 takes part in the form of Sunday school and religious playgroups. Therefore, this portrays that they may have been brought up by their primary caregiver mother to attend Sunday school since they were young so attending is part of their weekly routine. As well, the elderly (over 65) are most likely to be retired so have more time to practice their religion by going...
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...Secularisation is where religious belief, practiced and institutions loose social significance. There has been evidence to suggest that church attendance and the number of baptisms and church weddings are declining. However some sociologists reject secularisation theory and argue that religion is simply changing, rather than declining. They believe it is changing as a result of changes in wider society, such as, greater individualism and consumerism, or a shift from modern to late modern or postmodern society. Davie is one of these sociologists; in her view religion is taking a different, more privatised form. She explains this by giving the example of that people no longer go to church because they feel they have to or because it is respectable to do so. She says that although churchgoing has declined it is simply because attendance is now a matter of personal choice rather than the obligation it used to be. As a result there is believing without belonging, where by people hold religious beliefs but don’t go to church. Therefore the decline of traditional religion is matched by the growth of the new form of religion. Davie also notes a trend towards vicarious religion, whereby people are experiencing religion second hand. This is a typical pattern in Britain and northern Europe. In these societies people still use the church for rites of passage, rituals that make a change of status such as baptisms, weddings and funerals. Similarly Bibby’s findings show that only 25% attended church...
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...Analyse a religious tradition(s) in New Zealand The New Zealand society has undergone many significant changes over the past 50 years, especially those involving the religious expression and teachings of the Catholic Church. Both educational and cultural changes have affected the positioning of religion in our society and as a consequence to this the amount of citizens who claim to be Christian does not match the amount of people who actually live in New Zealand. This is evolving New Zealand from being a country known as Christian to be known as a religiously diverse. This is evident through the census data. A census taken in 2006 shows that 55.6 percent of the people who answered the religious affiliation questions claimed to be within the Christian religion. This is compared to the 2001 Census which shows that 60.6 percent of people claimed to be Christian. From this census data it is becoming more obvious that religious expression in New Zealand is becoming more and more diverse. As the numbers of immigrants continue to rise the diversity of New Zealand continues to change dramatically. It is now common to find other religious groups such as Buddhists and Muslims in New Zealand and due to this the traditional religions, especially the Catholic Church, have seen fallen numbers. From this census data shown above, it states that the overall number of people who claim to be Catholic has dropped. Although the amount of people who claim to be Hindi, Muslim and Sikh have all...
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...Religion is a personal decision; people choose a faith that coincides with their beliefs, ideas, and faiths. Religion represents a commitment to a set of principles that are not moldable, adaptable, or flexible. The missionaries, which promotes Christianity, come into Umuofia to both of these actions: having strong beliefs and considering themselves like a family. This novel, Things Fall Apart by Achebe, demonstrates that Christianity destroys but also helps guide the Ibo culture in Umuofia. To put it another way, the advent of Christianity destroys families. Religion is not a personal belief in Umuofia, but it is their way of life. Although the missionaries come to Umuofia without any intention to cause conflict, that is exactly what they...
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...Science and Religion can coexist. PHI 103 July 15, 2013 Science and Religion can coexist. As far back as the history of humankind can assert, human beings have had a desire and an affinity to search for the truth. Human beings want to know about the truth behind the world and its existence. Human beings begin to seek and provide answers to questions asked through the distinctly different disciplines known as science and religion. However, science and religion are not as separate as one might be lead to believe. Both minister towards humankind's craving for the truth. While Science and religious beliefs are complete opposites they can complement each other allowing them to coexist with little conflict. Religion can provide an explanation when science is unable to do so and science provides an explanation where religion is unable to do so. If the assumption is that science and religion are incompatible, then it simply means that it is highly unreasonable to accept simultaneously the claims of modern science and the claims made by religious doctrine. The initial premise that one might think is that these two would more than often contradict each other, however, science exist to explain the natural world, that is, the world around us. Religion tends to explain the purpose and meaning behind the natural world. It is the difference between physical and spiritual realities that each represents and tries to explain. As science focuses on the physical truth, religion examines...
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...Australia is home to increase religious diversity and religious variety. Its current religious landscape is shaped through the dramatic effect of immigration, the movements to and from religions or denominations, the exploration of new religious movements and the acknowledgement of no religion. These many reasons have created an increase and decrease of many religious traditions, as well as ethnic and cultural diversity in Australia. Post war immigration is directly linked to the emergence of Australia’s new wave of migration. This helped greatly in reshaping Australia’s religious connections with many religions and denominations in terms of ethnic diversity. Many religions existed elsewhere in the world but only appeared in Australia as migration and refugee patterns changed. When Indigenous Australians were counted in Census forms in 1960, a vast majority were Christian whilst some still had a desire to integrate Aboriginal spirituality and customs into Christian expression. Migrants whom entered after World War 1 were simply those who chose to assimilate and not change the British-European culture. This was because the ‘White Australia Policy’ was in place and it was racially prejudice, religiously intolerant and only accepted whites. However, by World War 2 Australia had to ‘Populate or Perish’, thus they were desperate to increase population for national security reasons and economic growth. This ultimately led to a huge population increase, as Australia accepted over 3...
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...Unit 3 Sociology; Beliefs in Society Different theories of Ideology, Science and Religion An Ideology is a closed set of beliefs that reject other views. A Belief is a framework of ideas through which an individual makes sense of the world. They are generally connected to a religion and based on faith with no evidence needed. Science is based on evidence, factual, objective and regarded as the truth. Religion is based on faith, not truth. It is a fixed view of how the world is and claims to be the truth. Theories of ideology Marxists believe that the ideas that people hold are formed by their position in society, and ideology is seen as the ideas of particular social groups reflecting their interests. The Marxist view is associated with the view that there is a Dominant Ideology (the set of ideas and beliefs of the most powerful groups in society – ruling class). Althusser suggested the dominant ideology was spread through a series of Ideological State Apparatuses (agencies [media, religion, education etc] that spread the dominant ideology and justify the power of the dominant social class). Gramsci developed the concept Hegemony (dominance in society of the ruling class’s set of ideas over others, and acceptance of and consent to them by the rest of society). Pluralism is a view that sees power in society spread among a wide variety of interest groups and individuals, with no single one having a monopoly on power. A Pluralist Ideology is the set of ideas reflecting...
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...Religion is a set of beliefs brought forth by the existence of a superhuman controlling power (e.g, a God, or gods.). These beliefs can influence the morals and actions of people faithful to a specific belief and bring them together, thus creating a community of like-minded individuals. As such, Religious Intolerance, as opposed to Religious Tolerance, is defined as the expression of fear or unjust prejudice and treatment towards people of a specific religious faith or of different beliefs and values. It is a type of discrimination and is a complex issue that results in many conflicts. I have decided to focus on major inter-faith religious conflicts that have brought about violence. Due to the similar teachings of just moral behavior and values in the different religions, the existence of religion in this world can also be described as a moral restraint against negative actions such as violence, seriously deceptive lying and theft etc. I find it sadly ironic that religion would conversely be one of the contributing factors to conflict and violence in this world. Religious intolerance can be brought about by certain reasons. One reason of inter-faith conflict would be the difference in views and beliefs of different religions. Instead of allowing everyone to follow their own chosen spiritual/religious path (or lack thereof) and having an open mind to accept the differences, certain people try to force their own religious beliefs and actions upon others. An example of one...
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...33m Asses the view that religion is a major source of instability and conflict in society today | IntroductionExplain religion, conflict and instability Show differing view of society today, modern, postmodern, late modern | Study | Arguments FOR | Reference | Huntington Casanova | Religion is a major source of conflict Huntington * Clash of civilisations * 7 civilisation he identifies clash due to traditionalist values * All civilisations linked to core religions * Religion can create social cohesion within civilisations but not across * Religious identity linked to civilisation, attack on identity cause conflict * Religion creates us and them relationshipsCasanova * Religion conflict can occur within civilisations | Middle East * Conflict occurring on boundaries, war in 1990s between western, Slavic-orthodox, * Religious differences harder than political ones to resolve because they are deeply rooted in culture and historyNorthern Nigeria * Increase in conflict * Christianity against Islam * Us and them relationship * Religious conflict occurred due to Islamic law in the state * Christians felt at threat and marginalised * Stayed true to their identity, causing them to be under threat * Bombing of Christian churches, metal detectors installed | Maduro and Gramsci | Religion is a major source of conflict * Working class have a dual consciousness, mixture of ruling class ideology and their own experience of exploitation *...
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...traditional society, a person is born into a religion, they will learn about that religion from a young age and it will shape their personality and lives. However, in modern society, people have become disillusioned with the stories, or metanarratives, of the major religions, with the increase in rational thinking and scientific discoveries and advancements, in science and technology, leading to traditional religion experiencing secularisation and losing influence over society and its people, with church attendance at an all-time low. At the same time, postmodernists argue that new religious movements (NRMs) are now growing, as people want to fulfil something spiritual in their lives, as they have become tired of the materialistic, money driven society we live in today, alluding to the argument that religion may not be disappearing, but just changing to fit a postmodern society. Hervieu-Leger suggests that religion has declined due to 'cultural amnesia'. In the past, religion was handed down to children by the family, the school and Sunday school. But this tradition has now broken down, meaning that children today are less likely to get a religious identity from their family, so they know much less about traditional religion. Postmodernists argue that the emphasis in postmodern society is for the individual to make choices in their lives about their own personal identity. This has had a number of effects on the nature of religion. Firstly, Hervieu-Leger says that individual...
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