...other religious groups and may lack some of the conventional features of religion, such as collective worship and some are not highly organised. They accept the world as it is and offer members success in terms of mainstream goals. There has been a rapid growth in the number of NRM’s and the number of individuals belonging to them. It has been estimated; 800 NRM’s exist and over half a million individuals belonging to these and other non-mainstream Christian churches in the UK. Sociologists have offered three main explanations for this trend: marginality, relative deprivation and social change. Bruce argues that the growth of world-affirming NRM’s is a response to modernity, especially to the rationalisation of work. Work no long provides people with a meaning or a source of identity. Even though we are given less opportunities to succeed, we are still...
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...values and attempt to change society in some way. Cults on the other hand, are loosely knit and don’t tend to have any firm beliefs. There are therefore some significant differences between these two organisations, however it is widely accepted that they are similar, in that they are usually short lived. Many sociologists state that sects, cults and New Age movements only appeal to a minority of the population. For example, people on the margins of society who are poor are often attracted to sects as they offer them a sense of belonging. Others, who may be undergoing a personal crisis such as the death of a loved one, may find that belonging to a sect or cult may help them to overcome this crisis. However, when they feel they have been helped to get over the crisis, they often leave the sect, as there is no further reason to belong to it. This seems to suggest that these organisations only appeal to a small section of the population perhaps seeking short-term help, so they will remain fringe organisations. However, other organisations such as the Scientology movement are still around today with a well recognised and idolised member such as Tom Cruise has helped to increase the popularity of the sect. Supporting the view that sects and cults are short lived, Niebuhr produced some explanations for this. One explanation was that sects only last for a certain number of years and in his terms last for ‘one generation only’. This may be due to the death of the founder or leader would...
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...unorthodox religions or cult practices either becomes or perceived as inhumane or unjust by specifically focusing on unorthodox religions during a twenty year period between the 1950’s through the 1970’s. The research focuses on five different unorthodox religions: The People’s Temple, founded by Jim Jones, Heaven’s Gate, founded by Marshall Applewhite and Bonnie Nettles, Scientology, founded by L. Ron Hubbard, Children of God, founded by David Berg, and Branch Davidians, founded by David Koresh. Langone, M. D. (1995). These five unorthodox religions or cults may have had or have different doctrines and practices, but research shows that they may all share the common trait of being inhumane or unjust. Rationale/Thesis Statement In the International Cultic Studies Association article, by Dole and Eichel (1985), a survey was conducted about dangerous practices associated with cults and referenced different actions that they deemed destructive, from coercion to enslavement, which they believe to be inhumane and unjust. This research study will attempt to uncover some of these practices and find out what draws people to these unorthodox religions or cults. Likewise, this research project also attempts to determine the point at which practices become inhumane or unjust. It’s interesting to note, that three out of the five unorthodox religions or cults included in this research were started in the mid-1950’s, at around the time of frequent U.F.O. sightings in the southwest United States...
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...Assess the sociological explanations for the growth of new religious movements. By: Amy Rashid Over the years, there has been a growth of new religious movements in the society. This growth can be explained in terms of why people chose to join the movements or in terms of wider social changes. Hence, in this essay, I shall discuss several sociological explanations for this occurrence. Firstly, Steve Bruce (1995, 1996) attributes the development of a range of religious institutions, including sects and cults, to a general process of modernization and secularization. He believes the weakness of more conventional institutionalized religions has encouraged some people to consider less traditional alternatives. As modern societies developed and faith in traditional sources of authority (eg: churches) declined, religious pluralism and diversity were increasingly tolerated. More recently, in what Bruce believes is a more secular world in which people are less likely to hold strong commitments, cults have become more popular. These require fewer sacrifices and less commitment than churches and sects and are therefore more tolerable in a modern clientele. These new religious movements engage in worldly activities and allow people to drift in and out of participation as the sample the beliefs on offer. For example Transcendental Meditation (TM) is associated with a political party that fights general elections on policies that advocate the benefits of TM and ‘yogic flying’ for solutions...
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...Assess sociological explanations for the increasing number of religious and spiritual organisations and movements in society today. (33 marks) In society some people hold religious beliefs without belonging to an organised group, whereas others express their beliefs through membership of a religious organisation. Troeltsch distinguished between two main types of religious organisations – the church and the sect. Churches are large organisations with millions of members, run by a bureaucratic hierarchy of priests, who claim a monopoly of the truth. Churches are universalistic aiming to include the whole of society as they place few demands on their members. However people of the higher class tend to be more attracted as they are ideologically conservative and are often close linked to the state. Sects are small exclusive groups opposed to wider society, expecting a high level of commitment from its members. Sects tend to draw their members from the poor and oppressed, many of the sects are led by charismatic leaders. The only similarity between churches and sects is that they both believe they have a monopoly of religious truth. Sects are often short lived organisations only lasting a single generation or less. As well as churches and sects. Sociologists have identified other types of religious organisations such as denominations and cults. Niebuhr describes denominations as lying midway between churches and sects. Membership for denominations is less exclusive compared to sects...
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...Do NRMs/NAMs attract more members of the poor and deprived classes? (18 marks) Deprivation is the lack of material benefits considered to be basic necessities in society, there are many different types of deprivation which will be discussed and analysed. Glock and Stark identified them to include gender; the disabled (organismic deprivation – mental/physical problems); ethical; social; or economic. The poor and deprived classes could include the working social class and ethnic minorities who are marginalised, and reject from wider society for example afro-Caribbean’s. Barker has adopted the concept of new religious movements as an overarching idea that embraces both sects and cults, it is a more neutral term to highly negative meanings of sects and cults in popular culture. A new religious movement (NRM) is a religious community or spiritual group of modern origins, which has a peripheral place within its nation dominant religious culture. Wallis’s typology of NRMs looks at the relationship between wider society and sect’s, he identifies 3 – world affirming, world accommodating and world rejecting. World affirming NRMs try to gain the most from society, and seen as a less threatening ‘loose’ organisation for personal achievement. Specifically they lack religion and use internet and technology for contact, levitation or meditation are examples. World accommodating disagree with society but choose to accept it and live normal lives, they seek to restore faith and religion into...
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...(The Secret) I. Introduction The Secret is a best-selling 2006 self-help book written by Rhonda Byrne, based on the earlier film of the same name. It is based on the law of attraction and claims that positive thinking can create life-changing results such as increased wealth, health, and happiness. The book has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 44 languages, but has nevertheless attracted a great deal of controversy, as well as being parodied in several TV programs. About the Author Rhonda Byrne (born 12 March 1951) is an Australian television writer and producer, best known for her New Thought works, The Secret—a book and a film by the same name. By the spring of 2007 the book had sold more than 19 million copies and the DVD more than 2 million. She has also been a producer for Sensing Murder. According to an article published by Australia's Herald Sun, Byrne has also worked on the Australian TV series World's Greatest Commercials and Marry Me. In 2007, Byrne was listed among Time Magazine's list of 100 people who shape the world. She gained her fame and fortune after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[2] On 17 August 2010, The Power, which is a sequel to The Secret, was published as both a hardcover edition and audio CD. According to a January 2009 article at Forbes.com, Byrne's book and film have made $300 million. Forbes.com also mentioned that "The Secret" alone generated her income of $12 million in 2006. Her philosophy...
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...what we want to become as an adult; whether that be a teacher, astronaut, or a firefighter. We can strive to become cops and save the world or be on the opposite side, criminals and defy the law. We are able to inspire others to do good or encourage to do bad. Unfortunately, we are not able to choose our parents or where we are raised. But that does not mean you are only subjected to that lifestyle. Charles Miles Manson is one of America’s most notorious murders in American history. His ways to manipulate and inspire his followers in to committing murders without second guessing themselves is like nothing ever seen before. The murderers were members of a group led by Charles Manson called the Manson Family. These people were completely controlled by Manson. He had them convinced that they were the chosen ones and that they were only carrying out the orders of a man they thought was Jesus Christ incarnate. They were willing to risk death and imprisonment to satisfy this man. He was born November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother, Kathleen Maddox was six-teen when she gave birth to him. With her troubles in and out of jail, a young Charles Manson spent most of his adolescent childhood with his aunt and uncle is West Virginia. They were very religious and strict individuals which, was a culture shock to him. Growing up just like his mother, Charles Manson was in and out of boys’ homes and detention centers. At the age of nine-teen he was...
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...visited two decades ago. The Complete Guide to Buddhist America, written in 1998 for which the Dalai Lama wrote the preface, reports that the number of worship centers in the United States more than doubled from 1987 to 1997 to over one thousand. Several examples illustrate the recent exposure of Buddhism in Western popular and political culture. Firstly, one of the most popular films of the early 1980s, The Return of the Jedi of the Star Wars series featured the Ewoks who spoke high-speed Tibetan. More recently, in 1996, at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies in Atlanta, Georgia, the percussionist of the Grateful Dead play the song “Call to Nature” which famously began with the chanting of a Tibetan monk. Furthermore, in 1996 fifty thousand people gathered at Golden Gate...
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...Developing & Marketing A Blockbuster Drug: Eli Lilly’s Experience with Prozac BME-6 B. HBS CASE: “Developing and Marketing a Blockbuster Drug: Lessons from Eli Lilly’s experience with Prozac” 1. What factors contributed to Prozac becoming a blockbuster drug? Explain how each factor contributed and what management decisions helped the drug’s success. The following factors contributed to Prozac’s success: • Prozac’s low side effects and toxicity: The many drugs that were available before Prozac, such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) for treating depression, were too toxic or tricky to use except by trained psychiatrists. In the early 1970s, Ray Fuller, a senior Lilly pharmacologist, had been following new European research showing that a low concentration of serotonin in the brain was linked to depression. A Lilly chemist Bryan Malloy had synthesized some compounds intended to boost serotonin without the side effects of the TCAs. Human research data produced consistent and positive data. The new lower dose human studies revealed that 20 mg once a day was better than placebo and just as effective as TCAs taken multiple times a day. Prozac also produced fewer side effects, and was not lethal in overdose. Dropout rates on Prozac were comparable to the other TCAs and lower than for placebo that contributed to its success. • Thoughtful Marketing Launch Plan: When Prozac was launched in January 1988, Ken Cohen, the Marketing...
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...Since its founding, the website Amazon.com has attracted criticism and controversy from multiple sources, where the ethics of certain business practices and policies have been drawn into question. Amazon has faced numerous allegations of anti-competitive or monopolistic behavior, both in and out of court. This includes documented instances of price differentiation, enforcement of controversial patents against competitors, attempts to prevent discounted direct selling by publishers, and a declared intention to cease working with third-party print on demand services in favour of its own. Questions have been raised concerning the company's legal compliance. In 2002, Amazon faced a challenge to the legitimacy of their Canadian operations, although that case was subsequently dropped. A 2009 ruling in Japan found that the company, which had tried to avoid paying corporate tax in the country, was in fact liable to pay. Controversy over taxation has arisen on multiple occasions: It was reported in 2012 that Amazon is under investigation in the UK, while in the US the company has attracted criticism for only collecting sales tax from customers in five states. Compounding these problems, there have been reports of poor treatment of workers, with allegations of summary dismissals for health problems and anti-unionization tactics including mass layoffs. Some controversies have centered around content. The bookstore has carried titles such as The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure and...
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...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 identity; religion in migrant...
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...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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...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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...Does science make belief in God obsolete? Yes, if by… No, and yes. Absolutely not! Not necessarily. Of course not. No. No, but it should. No. Yes. No, not at all. It depends. Of course not. No, but only if… Steven Pinker Christoph Cardinal Schönborn William D. Phillips Pervez Amirali Hoodbhoy Mary Midgley Robert Sapolsky Christopher Hitchens Keith Ward Victor J. Stenger Jerome Groopman Michael Shermer Kenneth Miller Stuart Kauffman 2 4 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 Does science make belief in God obsolete? irteen views on the question Online at www.templeton.org/belief INTRODUCTION T he John Templeton Foundation serves as a philanthropic catalyst for research on what scientists and philosophers call the Big Questions. We support work at the world’s top universities in such fields as theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief. We encourage informed, open-minded dialogue between scientists and theologians as they apply themselves to the most profound issues in their particular disciplines. And, in a more practical vein, we seek to stimulate new thinking about wealth creation in the developing world, character is booklet neatly embodies our approach to the Big Questions: the contributors are education in schools and universities, and programs for cultivating the talents of the gifted. scholars and thinkers of the...
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