...science has replaced religion as the main ideological influence in society today. 33. On the one hand it is argues that science has replaced religion as the main ideological function because of the increase in technology, science, and secularisation. However, on the other hand it is argued that religion is still influential and evident in society because of the functions is still performs, thus science has not replaced religion. in comparison to these two views, Marxists and Feminists argue that nor science nor religion are the main ideological influences, rather capitalism and patriarchy are the main ideological influences in society. Firstly, science has replaced religion as the main ideological influence in society because of the enormous impact it has had on society over the last few centuries. This has led to a widespread faith in science. The key feature of science is that it has cognitive power; it can explain, predict and control the world. The fact that religion is declining shows that science has replaced religion. for example, in 2005 only 6.3% of the population attended church on Sundays, which is half of the figures in the 1960s. There also less church clergy now, e.g. in 19000 here were 45000 clergy whereas in 2000 it was 34000. Thus this shows that religion has declined, and this can be attributed to the fact that science is taking over. On the other hand, Davies argues that religion is still the main ideological influence in society today. Davies argues...
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...nature and extent of secularisation in society today. (33 marks) In today’s society there are sociological arguments that say society is becoming more and more secular. A secular society is where religious beliefs and values have lost influence and importance in society. Some seem to think that this has happened in Britain. There is much evidence for this for example statistics show that there has been a decline in the proportion of the population going to church. There has also been an increase in the average age of churchgoers, fewer church weddings and baptisms, a decline in the numbers holding traditional Christian beliefs and greater religious diversity. Wilson has argued that Western societies had been undergoing a long term process of secularisation. Sociologists put forward different explanations of these trends and have reached different conclusions. A common theme that is put forward to explain the recent patterns that secularisation is taking place is modernisation. Weber comes up with the theory of rationalisation and the fact that rational ways of thinking and acting have come to replace religious ones. He argues that the protestant reformation started the process of rationalisation of life whereby rational scientific outlook found in modern society has undermined religious worldview. He says that this has contributed to the decrease in influence if religious beliefs in society today. He also argues that disenchantment of religion has taken place with the protestant...
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...“Religion poisons everything” Religion can be defined as the human need for meaning and purpose of life which is concerned with the supernatural power of the creator, the inevitable forces of the natural and spiritual world and how we interact with mysterious forces. It is a society or community based on similar beliefs, friendship, companionship and support network. Religion has made significant contributions to the lives of individuals as well as society as a whole. Religion proposals an individual’s answers to life’s philosophical questions. It explains the story of creation, human nature and the purpose of life. Also, it gives the individual an identity within a certain religion. It gives the person a logic of belonging which helps for them to understand what their role in life is and the nature around them. Religion has made significant contributions to the life of a person in areas such as the personal search of meaning, ethical guidance, sense of belonging and ritual meaning. These areas have specifically impacted on individuals. The primarily contribution would be the personal search for meaning. A person examines for a better understanding of key questions in life. These questions of life include a human’s origin, purpose and destiny. People will look at religions at times of many diverse situations where they want to discover the answers to their questions particularly during times of personal trauma or crisis. E.g. someone who might be struggling with family problems...
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...Religions and Politics (Prof. Mondonga M. Mokoli, Ph.D.) According to the scientific theory of evolution, life on Earth evolved naturally over time. Evolutionary theory was proposed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century and it was affirmed by the 20th century biologists and geneticists. Thus, this theory has achieved scientific consensus as the origin of human humankind. In contrast, supporters of intelligent design believe that all life on the Earth was created deliberately. Intelligent design theory proposes that the overwhelming complexity of the universe suggests a rational, omnipotent designer, be it God, an alien, or some other source. Thus, intelligent design theory was developed as an alternative not only to Darwin’s evolutionism but also to religious creationism which argues that God is the only creator of life, universe and their contents. The Purpose of this Chapter • Our purpose in this chapter is not to show the truth or falsehood of any of these perspectives nor the doctrines of any particular faith. Rather, it is: - To describe the nature of religion and the general character of certain major religions of the past and the present; - To give some attention to the role that religion has played in the development of human societies, that is; o not only to integrate and stabilize them but also, o at times, to create conflicts; - To consider the present-day influence of social change on religion and, - conversely, the influence of religion...
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...The ideology of a religion is questionable in today's society because of the ongoing technological advancements and ever evolving development of mankind. Religion is a belief system of faith and worship shared by groups of people. These belief systems seek to answer questions that are unanswered by mankind and exist as a superior power over humanity. The evolution of how the world has evolved, has gradually diminished from the ideas that the bible puts forth to become proven otherwise through scientific research and evidence. Religion acts as an authoritarian and dominating hierarchy, impacting on people's will of freedom and liberty. The basic human rights that every individual is entitled to is prohibited because of a belief in a religion. Religion can be thought of as an act of engineered obedience training, it brainwashes and influences...
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...AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION Agents of socialization can also be defined as those people or groups within our social environment that affects or influence the orientation of an individual’s attitude, behaviour, emotion and self orientation either positively or negatively. They affect us directly or indirectly socially, mentally, emotionally and even on our self development. These groups are responsible for making and shaping our entire life in the society. TYPES OF AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION They are mainly five agents of socialization in the society which affects us on a daily basis, these agents of socialization are; The Family The Religion The School The peer group The Mass media THE FAMILY: The Family is the first group to have a great influence in our lives; they are the first form of socialization experience. The family are people we share the same genetics with in nature, they are people that can be said as the closest relations to us, they are grouped into two categories; Members of the immediate family and members of the extended family. The members of the immediate family consist of the spouse (husband/wife), parent, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. While members of the extended family consist of the grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, nephew and niece. In general the family members are people that can share personal experiences and information to one and another, which on normal condition wouldn’t share with others outside the family membership...
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...Beliefs in society: • Different theories of ideology, science and religion, including both Christian and non-Christian religious traditions. • The relationship between religious beliefs and social change and stability. • Religious organisations, including cults, sects, denominations, churches and New Age movements, and their relationship to religious and spiritual belief and practice. • The relationship between different social groups and religious/spiritual organisations and movements, beliefs and practices. • The significance of religion and religiosity in the contemporary world, including the nature and extent of secularisation in a global context. 1. Religion serves to restore faith and the set basic guidelines for living that people should adhere to; an example of this is the Ten Commandments. 2. It can help to restore faith and a sense of individuality. 3. Maintains a sense of unity and creates hope with the promise of heaven. Explaining belief systems: Belief systems: are broadly defined as the framework of ideas through which an individual makes sense of the world. Ideology: originally a Marxist idea meaning a set of beliefs that serve the interests of a dominant group by justifying their privileged positions. The term usually implies that the beliefs are false or only partially true. Theories of ideology Ideology can be defined in a variety of ways - As a set of political beliefs - As the ideas and beliefs of a particular...
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...Religion has been a really hot topic ever since it was established and it has been the cause of devastating battles in the entire world. Two of the most remarkable effects that organized religion has caused in society today has to do with the establishment of the laws and rules that society is govern. The other significant effect of organized religion has to be the influence in behaviors and traditions. Since the early stages of humanity religion has played a very important role in the creation of rules and guidelines for society. Religion provided the standards in which kings and rulers of the land based their laws over their subjects and maintain power for a very long time. These rules had evolved into the current laws that government had implemented into their judicial system. The example that illustrate this evolution is how the roman catholic religion influenced European and the American governments. Europeans specially the Spaniards based their laws deeply on their religion and emphasize all their efforts into converting anyone with a different ideology into christianity. This was evident during the conquer of the American continent when the native americas were rip off their believes because they were different and had to be subdued. Even after the independence from Europe laws were based on believes and gradually changed into todays rules and regulations for society. Depending of the geographical location and the respective religion of the area many societies behaved...
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...SCLY 3: Beliefs in Society Revision Guide 2009-10 Name: Remember: You have to revise everything, because essay questions will focus on more than one area of the specification. The specification: The relationship between religious beliefs and social change and stability * Functionalism: conservative force, inhibition of change, collective conscience, Durkheim and totemism, 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...
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...RELIGION AND ITS FUNCTION – THE FUNCTIONALIST AND CONLICT PERSPECTIVES PRIYANKA JHA 1530334 Religion is an organised collection of beliefs, cultural systems and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. It exists in all societies but the beliefs and practise might differ. However, there are certain characteristics of religion like a set of symbols that invoke the feeling of awe and reverence, rituals and ceremonies and a community of believers or followers that all religion seem to share. The rituals and practices associated with a religion varies. Chanting, praying, singing, eating a particular food or refraining from doing so, fasting are some of the things which can be included in ritual acts. Religion is about the sacred...
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...“The growth and influence of religious fundamentalism across the world challenges the claim that contemporary society has become secular”. To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view of contemporary religious belief and practice? Our current society is turning more secular. However, with the numerous religious beliefs and practices there have been arguments for these claims. Pick and mix cultural society mainly refers to the city like London, which purely believes in capitalist ideology in other words, we can say that it is a diluted form of a religion due to multicultural society therefore, religion would be flourishing rather than declining. There has been an increase in people practicing other religions. exclusivist or inclusivist. This means that we see religion as believing in a God or that we can worship anything and. In addition to this, there has been a fact that proves that Britain is no more a cultural country because of the increasing rate of immigrants; this has lead to the amount of people declining in visiting churches. The Society now believes on being the Belonger not the believers. This can be proves as the recent statistics shows that only six per cent of the total population in the UK visits churches on Sunday. People actually visit church only in case of coronation or weddings. On the other hand, modernization has played a great role, in making the current society secular. Recently there has been an argument between the atheist...
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...declare that the assignment being submitted represents my own work and has not been taken from the work of others save where appropriately referenced in the body of the assignment. Signed Date: This essay explores the extent to which new religious diversity in Ireland challenges traditional definitions of Irish national identity. National identity can be defined as the cultural outcome of a discourse of the nation. This concept of national identity exists for a number of reasons. It gives us a sense of collective belonging, it decides who should be allowed become a full citizen of the nation, and it influences the goals of a nation that are thought to be in the collective social interest (O’Mahony et al, 2001). Irish national identity used to depend on Catholicism. Although predominantly Roman Catholic, Ireland today is a multi-cultural society where all religions are embraced and respected as playing vital roles in the societal make-up of the country (educationireland.ie). The first impression when religious beliefs and practice in Ireland are compared with those in Europe as a whole is that Ireland remains an outstandingly Catholic country (Fogarty et al, 1984). While it is true that the vast majority...
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...Religion and Politics and the effect of religion in America For a virtuous instance of how religion affects politics in our current world we need not look very distant but rather look around you. The influence of Catholicism on Latin American politics, and the role religion plays on Middle Eastern politics have had a profound affect in those related societies. After examining the effects of religion into the above mentioned societies it is clear that the introduction of religion into politics has proven to be suppressive and counterproductive to most third world countries, and various subcultures in first world countries. A very well known writer and scholar on the history of Egypt, Budge, E. A. Wallis, "Egyptian Religion and Society: Egyptian Ideas of the Future Life (Library of the Mystic Arts)". Citadel Press. August 1, 1991. Wrote, “Most scholars have concluded that, in later times at least, there was no close personal tie between the individual Egyptian and the gods, that the gods remained aloof, that their relationship to humans was indirect, communicated to him by means of the king”. We must remember that there was no established book or set of teachings, as the Bible or the Qur'an, and few prescribed conditions of behavior or conduct. Humans were guided essentially by human wisdom and trusted in their belief in the goodness of the gods and of their divine son, the king. An important concept in Egyptian life was the idea of justice. Although the Egyptian was entirely...
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...SCLY 3: Beliefs in Society Revision Guide 2009-10 Name: Remember: You have to revise everything, because essay questions will focus on more than one area of the specification. The specification: The relationship between religious beliefs and social change and stability * Functionalism: conservative force, inhibition of change, collective conscience, Durkheim and totemism, 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 ...
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...Colorado Technical University Individual Project # 1 Religion as a Social Institution Donald Ricker Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for SOC 205 Introduction to Sociology By Ray Cordero Colorado Springs, Colorado November 2010 Abstract Religion is just one of the many functions that make up social institutions. Understanding the definition of a social institution can be key to understanding human behavior. Recognizing religion’s overall function within this social institution can also help us create a better society. I chose to write about religion as a social institution because it reflects an area that requires an individual to take more of a “leap of faith” in my opinion. In other words, this belief requires a person to rely on things that may not be seen or something you can touch or feel. To explain my view of religion as a social institution I will give you a definition of social institutions and then I will cover its function from the religious standpoint. First, let me give you some definitions. Webster’s New World College Dictionary tells us that an institution is an “organization, society, or corporation, having a public character, as a bank, church, bank, hospital, etc.” Our course reference book further defines a social institution as “organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs” (Sociology 113). Finally, another definition would be that a social institution is a group of people...
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