...Soci- 300 Classical Social Theory Question 1. Compare and contrast the views of religion held by Marx and Tocqueville. Religions, all over the world have always tried to find an association between mankind and nature and a relation between human beings themselves. One of religion’s main goals is to provide rules and guidance that create order and support for the people that follow it. However, the notion of religion and where it came from has been a subject of debate amongst many historians, thinkers, sociologists and philosophers. Karl Marx, the German philosopher, revolutionist, and sociologist, believed that religion was a manmade ideology. He did not believe that God made humankind; he believed we made God (Marx, 1978). Alex de Tocqueville did not believe in what I just previously mentioned. Instead, the Roman Catholic political thinker and historian believed that God created us and he was responsible for providing the people with the proper rules and keys to living in a materialistic and worldly place (Tocqueville, 1972 pp 359). In this paper, I will be contrasting the different views of religion from the perspectives of Karl Marx and Alex de Tocqueville. With that being said, and although by now we know that both thinkers have different views regarding religion, some of their writings show otherwise and in turn, we will find some striking similarities between them. Beginning with the ideas of Karl Marx; Karl Marx was known to be an atheist who strongly believed...
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...For the longest time, religion has played a big role in society. Religion’s main role today is to guide the followers through life influencing their world views, but there is some problems when it comes to religion and politics. The problem has carried on through the ages. Should they coexist or should they each stand individually in society today. When defining religion, people think of traditions and rituals that had impressed beyond them by their family and their older generations. Politics isn’t something that an individual is taught or learned, its experience that they have got through either having hands on issues or through experiences they have encountered. People tend to lean towards the form of government that best suites them or benefits their life style in which they are living or want to live. If an individual lived a life of poverty, that individual may lean more towards a society of equality and shared wealth where class lines are more consolidated to the people in need. A staggering 82 percent of the American population identifies with one religion or another. A religious sentiment is so ingrained in society that its effects cannot help but be seen in the political arena. A religious belief is either worn as a proud demarcation of their personal moral standing and virtuous character. Due to the American party system of election, certain polarities of religious and moral tendencies between democrats and republicans have risen out of the people’s...
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...Huntington showed his strong worries with the American identity. According to this book, Huntington thought because of lack of common enemies and opposites, the cohesion power and common identity of American people diminished in the past twenty years. He also blamed the Latino immigrants, especially the Mexican immigrants for threatening the American political foundation with the impact on American culture and language they brought. Under this circumstance, he called on a more concrete American identity, which not only includes the “American creed”, but also embodies a core culture. Different with many people, he argued United States is fundamentally a “settler” nation rather than an “immigration” nation. And the initial settlers, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASP), had a dominating effect on the subsequent values and direction of the country. So the Anglo-Protestantism culture, which includes Protestant work ethic and centrality of the religion to personal life, should be re-affirmed as the American core culture, and United States, which he believe ought to be a nation-state, should be built upon this base. And he implied that American government should take measures to limit Latino immigration and take Islam as a national enemy. Huntington’s view has a clear conservative and Republican color. Huntington himself probably views himself as a firm patriot, however what I read is that he is not really confident in American culture and spirit. A successful and vigorous...
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...Introduction to Sociology – HW 4 Directions: All homework (HW) assignments must be typed and numbered in the text box provided. Answers to all questions should be well-written (i.e. clear, complete sentences) and well thought out. 1. Do you believe that the traditional family should be saved? Why or why not? This response should be a minimum of 1 solid paragraph. A traditional family usually is a family that keeps together and has some kind of a dictatorship usually the father figure. They believe in certain type of religion and where the mother has to stay at home and take care of the children while the husband goes to work and provides for the family. I personally believe that maybe having that type of family is not bad if it keeps them happy, but it is not necessary to keep around. There is nothing bad with different types of families. The type of family does not matter it does not have to be the picture-perfect family that the media projects; A family by definition is a social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups to care for one another, including any children. Weather the family should be saved or not depends weather the people want it or not if that is what the members of the family want. Maybe having a few around is not a bad to probably look back and refer to the start of a family. 2. How serious a problem is single-parent childrearing? How ought our society respond to this concern? This response should be a minimum of 1 solid...
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...The Founders’ notion of the separation of church and state was not to erase religion from public life but that the church would not determine governing laws and the laws would also not determine church doctrine: the Founders encouraged religion, as they believed religion was an essential and vital part of the new nation (Spalding, p. 312, 2008). The Founders acknowledged the importance of religion in our country. Even when they thought their homes were being barraged and overrun, they took the time to start their important meeting with a prayer, and as John Adams put it in his letter to Abigail, he had never seen a “greater effect upon an audience” (Novak, p. 306, 2008). Novak further notes that The Founders formed a covenant with God, pledging their fidelity to Him, and asking Him to protect their liberty, and solidifying this covenant by asking Americans to set aside a day for prayer and fasting (Novak, pp. 306-307, 2008). The Founders saw religion as guidance to morality. They also believed in God’s providence and saw Him as the author of liberty. Dreisbach notes that today, the “separation of church and state” or the “wall of separation” is frequently used to separate religion from private life and thus encourage a private religion and a strictly secular state, and a philosophy “intolerant of religious influences in the public square” (p. 320, 2008). This notion is altered from that of the Founders. Spalding states that what the separation of church and state does is free...
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...Major Event/Epoch in American History | Time Period/Date(s) | Description and Significance of the People/Event(s) to American History | 1) Describe three different American Indian cultures prior to colonization. | 17,000B.C.–1492A.D. | One American Indian culture that existed prior to colonization was the Paleo-Indians. These were highly nomadic people who hunted mastodons, woolly mammoths, and other mammals of similar size with spears. They had nomadic tendencies, which led them to live a rather isolated way of life. This helped to avoid the spread of some extremely contagious diseases and allowed families to survive (Brands, 2012, p. 5). Another pre-colonization culture was the Plains Indians. This particular culture survived by using a combination of hunting, gathering, and farming. This development led to the establishment of villages near river valleys that assisted in the influx of population. The conditions in which the lived were optimal for multi-generation survival (Brands, 2012, p. 7). A third American Indian culture that thrived prior to colonization was the Aztecs. They were able to build enormous cities with complex governments, ruled by aggressive men. The Aztecs successfully developed their own hieroglyphic writing as well as a genuine solar calendar. Over time they conquered a great number of foes across the Valley of Mexico and participated in the practice of human sacrifice, which aligned with the maintenance of their crops. They considered human blood...
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...What in your view was the short-term significance of the Second World War on India? The Second World War had a profound effect on India, politically, economically and socially: I will be examining this and how the war ultimately bought about India as an independent nation. This essay will examine the short-term significance of Second World War on India (1939-47). September 3rd 1939 Viceroy Linlithgow, with no consultation or warning, committed over 300 million Indians to war with an enemy they knew little about. India had a long history of being ruled by Britain since it established a trading post there in the 17th century, and this declaration showed how they were still part of the British Empire. Whilst many rejected fascist ideologies, for the predominately Hindu populace, for whom engagement in violence was in direct contravention of their religion’s teachings, involvement in European war was deeply resented. “Nowhere do these great principles of morality and justice mean more than in India”. This statement, by Viceroy Linlithgow, following his declaration of war, illustrates how imperialistic and short-sighted Britain was to their relationship with India as these ‘principles’ had no place in how India was governed. For nearly 200 years the British Empire had suppressed India into submission, turning it an east-empire trading dock. This shows that even though India had been a huge help in the First World War many British officials still believed in India still being...
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...cultural evolution political experience in Ireland. The notion of political culture is how people view the political system as a whole. It is the way in which people respond and act towards the political system. Pye (1995 p.965) defines political culture as “the sum of the fundamental values, sentiments and knowledge that give form and substance to political processes”. Heywood’s view on political culture is that it is ‘the pattern of orientations to political objects such as parties, government, the constitution, expressed beliefs, symbols and values. Political culture differs from public opinion in that it is fashioned out of long-term values rather than simply people’s reactions to specific policies and problems’ (Heywood, 2002: 200). The process through which we learn about politics and how our political attitudes and values can be influenced is through political socialization. The main agents of political socialization are the family, education, mass media and the government. Two American scholars, Gabriel Almond and Sidney Verba, studied political culture and published a book a book of their studies, ‘The Civic Culture’. Its purpose was to identify the political culture within which a liberal democracy was most likely to survive and develop. Almond and Verba (1989) identified three pure types of political culture the parochial, subject and participant. ‘A parochial political culture is marked by the absence of a sense of...
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...The Nature of the South’s Global Transformation David August Ask a historian what caused the Roman Empire to begin to collapse. Some will claim that the outsourcing of the Roman army eroded citizens’ proud militaristic ideals, some will blame the distrust in politics that resulted from the corruption of the government, and many will argue one of the multitudes of alternatives. Even on long-debated topics such as the Fall of the Roman Empire, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint an exact cause for cultural shifts, because they happen in complex cause-effect relationships that contribute to an overarching shift. Although the intertwining characteristics of a culture affect one another, it takes time for those effects to take shape and become prevalent enough to warrant recognition as a legitimate cultural shift. In the United States, the Southern culture has changed drastically from its antebellum origins due to globalization. However, due to the South’s historically strong identity, many of the ingrained ideals that stereotype the Southern culture still remain, and in effect, outsiders’ views remain constant. Although globalization is transforming the South’s social and economic principles rapidly, there is a steadfast core that remains at the heart of Southerner’s political ideals due to the strong influence of religion. When defining a region’s culture, there are four prevailing factors of influence: political, religious, social, and economic. Each factor is tied...
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...Most people generally accept that as a country, America was founded on religions principals. Many of the writings of the founding fathers, including our own Declaration of Independence, include religious doctrine as not only the partial justification for our separation from mother England but also as a part of the vision of how our new nation would be successful. Over time, our society and culture have changed so that today, even though people claim to be religious, religion is certainly not as main stream in our culture as it once was. By better understanding our society in colonial America, how the denominational makeup of churchgoers has changed, how our legal system has both protected and not protected religion’s presence in our daily lives, the influence of different organizations and social movements on religious practices and perceptions, the change in how Christians are perceived and finally the changes in the message that the church is preaching the reader will be able to understand not only how America has changed but also how contemporary Christian leaders and organizations are trying to remain relevant and consistent with God’s word. Colonial America & Our Founding Fathers From the settling of our nation to the Revolutionary War, religion was much more a part of mainstream society. The pervasive nature of religion had an impact on those who led the fight for our freedom. The period of history leading up to the Revolutionary War is commonly referred to as the...
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...Philiipine Traditional Costumes The Philippine Costumes Barong Tagalog for Men Barong Tagalog, the official national costume of Filipino men, originated from the northern part of the Philippines, and is originally made of jusi or pineapple cloth called “pina” (woven from pineapple leaves). It is worn over a Chinese collarless shirt called camisa de Chino. It exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the ornamental restraint of European men’s clothing. Today, barong tagalong can come from different materials and different colors. It is usually used for formal occasion and meetings Mestiza The Mestiza Dress is a formal dress made of expensive lace and fabric adorned with embroideries. It is the sophisticated version of the national costume, the baro’t saya (blouse and skirt). Made more popular by former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos, some even called it Imelda dress or terno. Mestiza dress is known for its elegance and butterfly sleeves. It is usually worn for formal occasion Maria Clara Dress Maria Clara’s dress was named after a mestiza heroine of one of the novels of the Philippine National hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Its origin was the national costume of Filipino women which is baro’t (shirt) saya (skirt). The Maria Clara gown features a floor-length paneled skirt of silk or satin and it consists of four separate pieces: the collarless...
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...supernatural deities and nature. It sets up the morality of the people, explains the transitoriness of life, but most importantly, it gives people a sense of meaning and purpose. Now, with all those things in mind, replace religion, in the most general and abstract sense, with Scientology. Scientology, since its birth, has been the subject of criticism not only by outsiders, such as the media, but by former members, as well. As an outsider, I hope to give as objective of an overview as possible of the religion of Scientology. In this paper, I will be a giving historical summary of the religion, detailing the founder, L. Ron Hubbard, and much of his early life, the many ways in which Scientology works and is applied as a religion, as well as the religion’s current status, drawing from conclusions made by critics and proponents. Birth and History Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was born in Tilden, Nebraska on March 13, 1911. As the son of a Navy officer, Hubbard moved around a lot. One such place he moved to was Montana, where he has claimed that he “befriended members of the local Blackfoot tribe”. And later, as a teenager, he explored rural parts of Asia on his own, stressing how during both experiences he learned “secrets” from the respective cultures. After a couple of failed attempts at passing the entrance exam for the United States Naval Academy, he enrolled at George Washington University as a civil engineering major in the early 1930s. His time at George Washington University is much...
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...The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/1759-0833.htm Religious beliefs and consumer behaviour: from loyalty to boycotts Religious beliefs Khalil Al-Hyari, Muhammed Alnsour and Ghazi Al-Weshah 155 Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Al-Salt, Jordan, and Mohamed Haffar Received 28 March 2011 Accepted 8 June 2011 Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK Abstract Purpose – In a constantly changing and increasingly globalised world, religions still play a significant role in influencing social and consumer behavior. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model that explores the link between religious beliefs and consumers’ boycotts towards particular products. Certain important concepts are linked to boycott, these include: conspicuous consumption of global brands, animosity and country of origin. Design/methodology/approach – First, a critical literature review on empirical consumer animosity, conspicuous consumption, religion, and consumption studies is undertaken. Second, qualitative techniques are used to collect the primary data. This is undertaken with reference to the case study of boycotting of the international Danish brands in Saudi Arabia, in order to highlight the relative emphasis of each of the factors that may influence consumer purchase behaviour of global brands. Findings – The findings of this study show that there is a strong relationship and a clear link between religiosity...
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...7 CONCLUSION 11 WORKING BIBLIOGRAPHY 14 INTRODUCTION In this nation, and in much of the Western world, the right of each individual to worship as his or her own conscience dictates, or not to worship at all, is one that is all too often taken for granted. Few consider the tremendous lengths gone to and the enormous price paid by so many to obtain and preserve this right. In the United States when one does reflect on this matter his or her thoughts rightfully focus on the many men and women of the armed forces who fought to gain and keep the freedoms the citizens of this nation enjoy. What is often overlooked is the contributions of Baptists in the centuries long struggle to obtain religious freedom. Their struggle began not in the American colonies but rather in England a century earlier. “The freedom of religious belief and behavior which modern Baptists and others take for granted was forged in the crucible of persecution in seventeenth-century England” McBeth adds that, “No group can claim more credit for the Act of Toleration, passed by Parliament in 1689.” The struggle that began in England would later be waged again in America. Few people today realize that it is largely through the efforts of Baptists that religious freedom was granted in the Bill of Rights. The simple fact is that the religious freedom enjoyed by much of the world today could not have been achieved without the contributions of courageous Baptist leaders such...
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...Contrast Between Catholic and Baptist Religion - Ask most people today if they have heard of Baptist and Catholic religion and most would say yes. In many ways the two are very similar. For instance, both are based on the Christian faith, belief in the trinity, and that God is the one true God. The two religions agree that Jesus died on the cross and rose again to atone for our sins. They share a 27 book New Testament and insist that salvation comes from Christ alone. On the other hand, while the Baptist and Catholic religions do have similarities, they also have differences, such as their services, communion, and views regarding salvation. The Catholic Religion - The world has more than one billion Catholics and with the ever growing population, it will only get larger in number. To be a Catholic means to have complete faith in God and his divine grace. Having God's divine grace means to obey it and keep it holy as it was created by God and given to his people. The religion itself is based on this and the people take it very seriously. Catholics believe that all people are of good nature but when one commits a sin it not only hurts that one person but the people and the Church.... [tags: Catholicism, What Catholics Believe, informative] 1922 words (5.5 pages) $14.95 [preview] Catholic religion - CATHOLIC RELIGION To belong to the church one must accept as factually true the gospel of Jesus as handed down in tradition and as interpreted by the bishops in union with the pope...
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