9 lessons left 2 lessons: groups and participation

1 lesson: po-mo2 lessons – global contexts

4 lessons – revision

When you are on study leave, I am hoping you will make appointments with me during our normal lesson times. There is a month before our exam!

L/O: Exploring the relationship between social groups and religious organizations and beliefs

STARTER:What do we know already?

The church - Ernst Troeltsch (1931)

Which social class is most associated with the church and why?

The church/denomination - feminists

Which gender is most likely to attend the C of E and why?

Religion and gender

Which gender tends to lead?

Sects (Troeltsch 1981)

Which social class is more likely to join and why?

NATION OF ISLAMWhat age , ethnicity and social class does the Nation of Islam appeal to and why?

CultsWallis:

1. What social class is most prevalent?

2. What ethnicity?

3. According to Wallis and Weber, what type of person joins a cult?

4. Why else might this particular social class join a cult according to Stark and Bainbridge?

THE MOONIES

•What social class and age group does the Unification Church appeal to and why?

New religious movements

According to Bruce, which age group is most likely to join a NRM and why?

Steve Bruce: ethnicity

Why does Bruce argue that ethnic minorities are more likely to

be religious?

DID I MISS ANYTHING?!

GENDER AND PARTICIPATION

TASK Look at the graphs from the

2011 census and write a couple of sentences about what each one shows

CHRISTIANITY

ISLAM

No religion

2005 Church Census–In main churches or denominations, 57% of women attend more often than men and at least once a week.

1990 opinion poll (Brierley 2005)

– 84%of women believe in God in comparison to 64% of men; 57% of women and 39% of men believe in life after death.

Heelas and Woodhead (2005)

•80% of participants in holistic groups in Kendal were female

Muslim women

The 4th PSI found that Muslim women are more likely to say religion is important to them but less likely to attend the mosque.

GRACE DAVIE (1994)Percentage believing in:

God Sin Evil The Devil Life after death

Women 84 72 76 42 57

Men 74 66 58 32 39

WHY?

Glock and Stark (1969) and Stark and Bainbridge (1985)

• Religion as compensation

___________________________________

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT WOMEN NEED RELIGION TO ACT AS A COMPENSATOR?

___________________________________

Glock and Stark (1969) and Stark and Bainbridge (1985)

• 1. Organismic deprivation - physical and mental health problems

• 2. Ethical deprivation – women are more conservative, therefore look to religion to stand up against moral decline

• 3. Social deprivation – women are more likely to be poor

Alan Miller and John Hoffman (1995)

• Differential socialization – women are taught to be more passive, submissive and obedient which fits with many religious beliefs.

• Structural location – men more likely to be in the labour force – religion is also often seen as a household activity

• Risk – there is nothing to lose by being religious. Malinowski identifies that religion helps deal with risk. Men tend to be less risk adverse.

Steve Bruce (1996

• Risk is not significant. • Religion has an affinity with femininity – ‘less

confrontational, aggressive, goal orientated, less domineering, more co-operative and more caring’. New age religions fit with female gender roles too.

• Since women are more involved with the private sphere, as religion declines in the public sphere, they are less affected by the results of secularization.

Linda Woodhead (2005)

• There is a spiritual revolution involving a shift away from the traditional religions. Secularization increased rationality (see Weber) which has had a corrosive effect on religion – this largely affected men.

• Females became the majority in churches, thus churches became increasingly feminized – even less appealing to men. 1970s more women in work, decline in church attendance.

• Women less involved in public world than men• New Age beliefs especially help women resolve the tension

of work and traditional female roles.

Aldridge (2000)• Women are being ordained in the C of E

because there is a shortage of male priests and it will help appeal to women• But many women are still alienated from

traditional religion and therefore turn to new age religions because they offer a more positive representation of feminity

GRACE DAVIE (1994)Women are closer to birth and death (through child-bearing and caring for sick) which brings them closer to the ultimate questions.

BUT!

Brierly (2005)• Between 1990 and 2005, there has

been a decline in Sunday church attendance of 16.4% of women aged 30-45

WHY MIGHT THIS BE?

Callum Brown (2001)

• Since the 1960s, women have begun to reject traditional gender roles…

AGE AND PARTICIPATION

TASK Look at the graphs from the

2011 census and write a couple of sentences about what each one shows

CHRISTIANITY

ISLAM

No religion

Age and religion

Attendance at church services, England

AGE 1979 2005Under 15 1,416 62415-19 490 15320-29 598 23130-44 870 49645-64 1,088 90765 + 979 755

David Voas and Alisdair Crockettt (2005)

• Closer to death – more religiousGenerational effect• British Attitude Survey shows that with

each generation there has been less socialization to be religious…

• Brierly argues that generation Y (1980s -) focus more on finding happiness…

Heelas (2005)

• The Kendal Project showed that people become more interested in spirituality as they get older.

ETHNICITY AND PARTICIPATION

TASK Look at the graphs from the

2011 census and write a couple of sentences about what each one shows

Religion by ethnicity, England and Wales, 2011

George Chrysisides (1994)3 options open to ethnic groups:• Apostasy• Accommodation• Renewed vigour

All three cases are found but 2 and 3 are most likely.

4th PSI Survey 1997• 4th PSI Survey found that Chinese, White

and Afro-Carib were less likely than older people to see religion as important.

• Less marked for African Asians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis but they were still less religious.

• Only 4% of Muslims say that religion is not important to them

Why are ethnic groups more

religious?

John Bird (1999•Come from religious nations•As a minority group, religion can act as a form of social solidarity•Helps maintain cultural identity•Family pressure•Helps cope with oppression. •Tend to be working class

Ken Pryce (1979)Pentecostalism helps Afro Caribbean's adjust to a society of discrimination etc and it can serve to be an opiate. It could also improve ones social position because it encourages thrift and hard work.

Rastafarianism offers salvation so is very alluring for the oppressed.

Ramji (2007)• Islam is a way for men to secure a

dominant gender identity. Males in his sample held patriachal attitudes which they justified with Islam – ‘it’s harem to have women in your family working…’

Steve Bruce• Cultural defence• Cultural transition• As ethnic groups become more

integrated, religiosity will decline.

BUT!

Tariq Modood (1994)• Second generation Muslims are not as

religious as their parents because they have been socialised into the wider culture

• Butler (1995) calls this trend cultural hybridity

SOCIAL CLASS AND PARTICIPATION

• Middle class people tend to be interested in new age therapies• Middle class females are more likely

to attend traditional churches

Bruce: "Religion in Modern Britain“ (1995)

The class composition of New Age cults is overwhelmingly middle class:

"Spiritual growth appeals mainly to those whose more pressing material needs have been satisfied. Unmarried mothers raising children on welfare tend to be too concerned with finding food, heat and light to be overly troubled by their inner lights, and when they do look for release from their troubles they prefer the bright outer lights of bars and discotheques".

Bruce: "Religion in Modern Britain“ (1995)

New Age cults appeal specifically to:

"University-educated middle classes working in the 'expressive professions': social workers, counsellors, actors, writers, artists, and others whose education and work cause them to have an articulate interest in humanpotential".

GRACE DAVIE – believe or belong?

The working class are more likely to believe but not belong, whilst the middle class are likely to belong but not believe

WHAT DOES SHE MEAN?

Dawkins (2006)• There is evidence of an

inverse relationship between the level of

education and religious belief.

CENSUS 2011

OVERVIEW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dWmSdjdIeI&list=UUFAmuev5BtHEh3o-WxgFA3g