This week in class we talked about religion and its value to society by talking about the idea of religious cohesion. (Durkheim, McGuire, 196-197) A few hundred years ago, people didn’t need each other as much for things. People could do everything themselves and they were all alike so they didn’t really interact much. Society could not be held together this way. Religion, however, was the one thing that connected them and brought them together. (Durkheim, McGuire, 198) It made people feel like they were part of a group and a part of something bigger than themselves. (Durkheim, McGuire, 198) This made religion more important to society back then because it held society together. (Durkheim, McGuire, 198) However, at the same time, religion could also tear society apart. (McGuire, 215-216) Two groups who believed in two different religions often times fought over whose way was right. (McGuire, 215-216) Now in modern times, religion doesn’t play such a pivotal role in holding society together. (Durkheim, McGuire, 198) This is because people in general need each other more and interact more on their own now. This comes from the fact that there are more specialized jobs now and not everyone knows how to do everything. Hence, religion has somewhat declined in its value to society. However, that doesn’t mean it’s no longer important. Religion still brings people together and tears them apart. It can still give people a sense of unity, community and comfort through good times and bad. At the same time though, it can also still create violence and conflict among people.
All posts by Erin J.
A Game of Flag Tug-A-War
In the small town of Rienzi, Mississippi, tensions have started to boil over between religious and non-religious groups. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) Members of the town have held rallies and protests after their mayor was forced to take down the Christen flag that flew over one of the town’s parks. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) This happened because the atheist organization, Freedom from Religion Foundation, threatened to sue the city for $500,000 if the mayor did not remove the flag. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) The mayor felt he had no choice since it’s such a small town and they can’t afford such a huge lawsuit. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) The town’s people however, are mainly Christian, and they felt this was wrong. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) Since then, they’ve been holding these rallies in support of flying the Christian flag in this public area. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) Meanwhile, at the next town board meeting, there will be a discussion on what further action should be taken. (Neffinger, www.christianheadlines.com) This situation is like an elaborate game of tug-a-war; trying to satisfy both the atheists and the Christians. This demonstrates how religion can, in some ways, both bring people together and tear people apart. This situation has brought all the Christian people together to fight for the same cause. At the same time, this situation has divided religious and non-religious people. It really poses an interesting problem. This Christian flag and Christianity really seem to be a part of this town’s identity and to have an outside group come in and tell them it’s not allowed, it’s kind of understandable why the town’s people would be so upset. In the end though, only time will tell how this scenario will end.
Grouping Religion
This week in class we talked a lot about different types of religious organizations. First we talked about this in terms of Christian polities. Episcopal polity means the church or churches are led by bishops. (Lecture) Presbyterian polity means the churches are led by older members, particularly men. (Lecture) Congregational polity means the churches are led by the congregation. (Lecture) Finally, Charismatic polity is where a group of people are brought together by a particular person who leads them. (Lecture) These types of organizations are specific to Christianity. (Lecture) Judaism, Islam, and other major religions are arranged differently. (Lecture) Another way we looked at types of Christian organizations was based on our reading of McGuire’s book. In this case, four types of religious orientation were presented. (McGuire, Pg. 156-158) Churchly orientation means that the Christian group feels a responsibility to help society, but they believe their beliefs and ways are the only way. (McGuire, Pg. 156-158) Denominational orientation means that the group feels responsibility to society and they believe other religions have value and legitimacy. (McGuire, Pg. 156-158) Their way isn’t the only way. Sectarian orientation means the group is in tension with society and they believe their way is the only way. (McGuire, Pg. 156-158) These group are often outsiders in society and often just stick to themselves. (McGuire, Pg. 156-158) Finally, Cultic orientation means the group is in tension with society, but they are accepting of other religions and believe they have value. (McGuire, Pg. 156-158) These groups will just sometimes stick to themselves too. (McGuire, Pg. 156-158) In the end, these are all valid ways of separating Christian denominations into different types of groups. One is not better than the other; although some may have more negative reputations. These systems just help make identifying and studying these groups easier to do.
God Likes Football?!
There’s has been a long standing belief among fans that God influences the outcomes of football games, among other sports. A new survey that was recently released says that 25 percent of Americans believe this to be true, especially when it comes to the Super Bowl and its outcome. (www.christianheadlines.com) Past surveys showed slightly higher numbers. In 2013, it was 27 percent of Americans and in 2015, it was 26 percent. (www.christianheadlines.com) While there is a slight decline, clearly there is still a significant amount of the American population who believes this. This is something interesting to think about. While surveys show that people are becoming less affiliated with religious organizations, other surveys suggest that these same people still have a strong belief in God. (Chaves, Pg. 57) Those who don’t always attend services on regular basis also still say they believe in God. (Chaves, Pg. 49) This reveals that while religious affiliation and attendance has gone down, the core beliefs in things like God and the afterlife still remain quite strong. Many people who are spiritual, but not necessarily religious, still believe in God and that God influences our world. This belief concerning football and God may just be an example of this in some way.
Which is Religion?
This week in class we talked about the differences between official and non-official religion. The differences were pretty straight forward and simple. Official religions have official leaders like priests and bishops, official locations like churches, official doctrine, and official rituals. (McGuire, Pg. 99-101) Non-official religions have this stuff too, but it’s all more informal. (McGuire, Pg. 113) Things can be done by whoever, whenever, wherever, whatever, and however they please. (McGuire, Pg. 113) Shrines left at car accident sites, after major tragedies, or after famous celebrities die are all examples of this. There is nothing in official doctrines that say that people have to do these things; they just do it because it feels right. All of this ties back into the conversation of whether or not religiosity is declining in America. In McGuire’s book, she talks about how the country’s religiosity should not be measured by attendance or official beliefs. (McGuire, Pg. 108-109) Just because someone doesn’t attend official services every week or practice official doctrine doesn’t mean they’re not religious. Some might call these outsider groups cults since they don’t believe in the same things as the mainstream groups. The term cult, of course, has been given a very negative image over time by many people. While certain cults in more modern history were horrifying and disastrous, to say that all cult-like beliefs are bad is simply not true. After a history of official religious organization, we tend to look down upon or ignore these other non-official groups. In the end though, it is clear things are changing in modern times as more people move away from official religion and feel freer to believe what they want to believe.
Loss of Religious Authority
According to a recent news article by Fox News, North Dakota is considering lifting an old law that doesn’t allow people to shop on Sundays until the afternoon. (www.foxnews.com, Jan. 23) This is an old blue law that is a part of old religious traditions. (www.foxnews.com, Jan. 23) 16 other states as well as North Dakota still have laws like this in effect even to this day. (www.foxnews.com, Jan. 23) These laws restrict certain activities on Sundays that might interfere with people going to church. (www.foxnews.com, Jan. 23) Back then, these laws were considered very helpful in that regard. However, today many don’t consider them helpful anymore. Some even find them to be a burden. North Dakota wanting to end one of these old laws demonstrates the changing tide of religious influence in society. For a few hundred years churches and religious organizations set the standards for how people used to live their lives. (McGuire, Pg. 115) They were supposed to go to church faithfully and practiced what the church told them to practice. (McGuire, Pg. 115) Religious institutions were very influential in society back then, especially since governments often backed them by creating certain laws. (McGuire, Pg. 115) However in modern times, the tide has now gone in the opposite direction. (McGuire, Pg. 117) People are starting to break away from organized religion and religious tradition now more than ever. (McGuire, Pg. 117) Therefore, the events in North Dakota maybe symbolizing this weakening of religious influence in today’s society.
America’s Changing Religious Atmosphere
This week in class one of the main subjects we read and talked about was about America’s religious landscape. Compared to the rest of world, America seems to be one of the most religious countries in terms of people who actually practice a religion and one of the most diverse in terms of the number of religions that are practiced here. However, while this appears to be the case on the outside, on the inside one needs to look at the actual numbers. 70.6% of people are Christians, 1.9% are Jewish, 0.9% are Muslim, 0.7% are Hindus, 0.7% are Buddhists, and Native American traditions are only 0.3% of the population. Then, there is 22.8% of the population who say they’re unaffiliated with any religion. Therefore in actuality, America is really not that diverse after all. America is however more diverse than it was back in the 70’s. (Chaves, Pg. 16) There has been growth in diversity from that time onward. (Chaves, Pg. 16) This is primarily due to immigration. (Chaves, Pg. 17) As for being a more religious country, compared to other countries like in Europe, for example, there are definitely more people who attend services and practice their faith. However, America is experiencing a decrease in both Catholics and Mainline Protestants while at the same time experiencing an increase in the unaffiliated group. (Pew Survey, 2014) This suggests that more people are turning away from organized religion. Therefore, while America still remains pretty religious, there is a downward trend occurring in the amount of people who are tied to an official religious group.
Faith around the World
A newspaper article from the Orange County Register last Saturday focused on religion across the globe in honor of World Religion Day. Color-coordinated maps showed which parts of the world practiced which faith in the vast majorities. In terms of percentage, Christians made up 31.5% of the world’s population, Muslims 23.2%, Hindus 15%, Buddhists, 7.1%, and Jews only 0.2%. (Snibbe, News Pg. 4) Christianity and Islam, not surprisingly, are the dominate religions for a huge amount of the world. However, just because the majority of people practice these faiths in any particular country doesn’t mean that’s the only religion practiced there. This article can give a person some idea about religious diversity around the world, but certainly not a complete picture. However, the article did also listed the top ten most religious countries and the top ten most in decline in terms of religion. (Snibbe, News Pg. 4) The top three most religious were Ghana, Nigeria and Armenia. (Snibbe, News Pg. 4) Meanwhile, the countries that are most in decline were Vietnam with a 23% drop in religion, Switzerland at 21%, and France at 21%. (Snibbe, News Pg. 4) The US is 7th on this list with a drop of 13% in religion. (Snibbe, News Pg. 4) This clearly reflects how more western countries are declining in religious faith while more non-western countries continue to have strong religious ties. Whether or not western countries are rejecting religion all together or just organized religion is unknown.
Religion: Fading or Not?
This week was enlightening about the changing tides of religion. My fellow students and I each got a chance to share our family’s religious history and our current affiliations. Two or three other students and I were brought in different Christen denominations and are still practicing those faiths. However, a vast majority of the class was different. Some were still Christen, but questioned certain aspects of their faith and even developed their own ideas to make up for this. Others were raised in atheist or non-religious families and therefore weren’t religious themselves. Some were from religious families but they stopped practicing that faith, and others from non-religious families became religious or spiritual. Finally there were the people who weren’t necessarily religious but considered themselves spiritual. This brings up an interesting topic. There seems to be a developing group of people who are not actually religious nor belong to an established religious organization. Instead they have their own spiritual beliefs they’ve developed on their own. Some debate whether these peoples’ beliefs count as religions themselves or not. This of course depends on how one defines religion, which is another topic of debate. People also say that we’re becoming less religious. However, according to Meredith McGuire’s book she believes that religion itself is not fading away, but the need for established religious organizations, such as the different Christen denominations, is fading away. (McGuire, Pg. 4-5) Therefore, maybe it is fair to say that this developing group of spiritual people are religious in their own way after all.