Contemporary Religion
Contemporary religion refers to the current state and practice of religious beliefs and traditions in modern society. It encompasses the diverse range of religious expressions, rituals, and spiritual beliefs that exist in the present day. This term is used to understand the evolving nature of religion and its impact on individuals and communities in today's world.
8 Key excerpts on "Contemporary Religion"
eBook - ePub- Stephen Hunt(Author)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...1 Contemporary Religion CHANGING DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS OF RELIGION The matter of the nature and significance of religion in contemporary Western societies, and debates regarding possible decline or resurgence, open up broader questions regarding its definition which, in turn, relate to on-going ideological debates as to the merits or otherwise of religious life. In terms of definitions, the sociology of religion faces a unique set of conceptual difficulties which are enhanced by the increasing variety and ever-changing expressions of religiosity, especially their apparent increasing reduction to the individual and privatized level. Thus, only when it is defined can religion be delimited in terms of the subject matter, the trajectories of its transformation understood, and the conjecture that certain forms are experiencing growth, be put in rightful perspective. This is an important endeavour, especially in relation to current sociological theorizing which departs so radically from the conventional secularization thesis. To be sure, the human capacity for belief is seemingly endless, and in Western societies today there would appear to be a vast range of belief systems, some very loosely articulated. Alongside mainstream Christianity are the world religions or a particular tradition of them as embraced by many ethnic groups, one variety or another of fundamentalism, New Religious Movements and those not so new, and the diverse New Age phenomenon and related forms of spirituality. To these might be added the ‘implicit’ or ‘quasi’ religions — those social phenomena which are ‘like’ religions in some way but which may not include all the usual attributes and perhaps may not even be accepted as a ‘religion’ by participating social actors. Such diversity renders a discussion of religion, especially at the level of everyday life, a demanding challenge...
eBook - ePub- Anthony Giddens, Philip W. Sutton(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Polity(Publisher)
...This means we have to be sensitive to the ideals that inspire profound conviction in believers, yet at the same time we must be relatively detached from our personal beliefs. Sociologists confront ideas that seek the eternal, while recognizing that religious groups also pursue very mundane goals, such as acquiring finance or gaining followers. We also need to recognize the diversity of religious beliefs and modes of conduct and to probe into the nature of religion as a general social phenomenon. What is religion? Defining religion seems to be such a simple task as to merit no deep thought. Religions are commonly defined by a belief in God or gods and perhaps an afterlife, but they also involve worship in religious buildings – temples, churches, synagogues or mosques – and doing ‘religious things’ such as praying and eating or not eating certain foods. For sociologists trying to set limits to their field of study, reaching general agreement on such a basic matter has proved extraordinarily difficult. Indeed, Aldridge (2013: 22) argues that ‘We cannot expect to agree on a definition and then debate matters of substance, since matters of substance are built into any definition. There is not, and never will be, a universally agreed definition of religion.’ One reason for this is that sociology contains numerous theoretical perspectives, and these differ in how they construe the nature of social reality. As a consequence, they also disagree about how that reality can and should be studied. For example, many macro-level studies adopt a realist view which sees religion as a fundamental social institution that transmits values, a moral code and norms of behaviour across generations. Hence ‘religion’ exists objectively and has real effects on individuals...
eBook - ePub- Hillary P. Rodrigues, John S. Harding(Authors)
- 2008(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...While these explanations and many others certainly hold true in many instances and do contribute to our understanding of religion, most religious studies scholars understand that they do not adequately account for the human religious response. They are therefore regarded as reductionist explanations, since they reduce the complexity of the phenomenon of religion in human societies to overly simplified causes, functions, or effects. It would seem strange, if not absurd, if one were to propose simplistic dismissive rationales for why human beings make music or produce art, why we philosophize, or work. However, religious authorities or attitudes have often stood in the way of scientific endeavors (Galileo’s trial by the Catholic Church, and the ongoing evolution versus creationism debates, are telling examples), occasionally triggering a response in kind by the scientific community. Contemporary sociological approaches The contemporary period entertains, for the most part, a much more nuanced and embracing approach to the study of religion among social scientists. Attempts at grand theory and universal explanations of causes and functions have yielded to efforts to offer more limited perspectives and insights into religion. To some extent this seeming humility derives from a shifting scientific paradigm and the contributions of postmodern theories in the social sciences. Each scientific observer is “situated,” observing phenomena from a particular vantage point. Their perspectives are not the only, correct, and true ones. Just as relativity theory demonstrates that even a measurement of time by a stationary observer will differ from a measurement by one who is moving, postmodernism suggests that our appraisals about life, the human predicament, and so on are always colored by the particulars of our own conditions...
eBook - ePubSociology of Religion
An Historical Introduction
- Roberto Cipriani(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...The Sociological Definition of Religion The simplest way of defining the sociology of religion is to say that it is an application of sociological theories and methods to religious phenomena. Historically, there have been very close ties between sociology and the sociology of religion. The slow and uneven development of theory and methods in the general field of sociology affected the development of the sociology of religion, but the latter has also benefited from increasing precision and scientific validity in the general field of sociology. It is a significant fact that the great “classic” theorists of general sociology, such as Comte, Durkheim, Simmel, Weber, Sorokin, and Parsons, were also major exponents of the sociology of religion. There is a particular point at which the different approaches of these and other sociological writers agree and disagree. Some sociologists maintain an approach to the sociology of religion that is militantly confessional or anticonfessional; others, instead, assume a position of neutrality, refusing any confessional involvement or application of their work. But few sociologists of religion take a position equidistant from these two alternatives. The personal beliefs of each sociologist emerge clearly from the definitions of religion to which each adheres. Yves Lambert has devoted a study to this (1991) in which he makes a distinction between substantive and functional definitions of religion. The former refers to substantive elements: religious practice, the supernatural, the invisible, ritual, etc. The latter, instead, emphasizes the functional connotation of religion, that is, the role of religion in society. When the sociology of religion first got started, substantive definitions were prevalent; later—particularly with the debate on secularization—functional approaches became more influential...
- Luke Doggett, Alp Arat(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...They also show sensitivity to questions about transcendence and the symbolic, ritual and affective registers of Christianity and other religions in both formal settings and everyday life. Their work would not conform to Milbank’s twisted view of sociology’s fallaciousness. Milbank also underestimates the extent to which many social scientists are nowadays aware that they study the social as only one dimension of reality alongside others – not necessarily as a ‘social totality.’ Indeed, the very notion of ‘the social’ has changed in ways that are incompatible with Durkheim’s coercive ‘social facts’ or Marx’s would-be ‘laws of motion’ governing capitalist modes of production. Who now thinks of societies as fixed, bounded, organic systems that evolve independently of human practices? The emphasis has shifted towards forms of sociological analysis that highlight contingency, flows, mobilities, networks and practices. The challenge is to grasp the distinctive character of the forms of sociality that operate through social networks, mediated experiences, market-driven consumerism, and globalised communications. Questions about religion are inseparable from these emergent and evolving forms of the social, their articulations with agencies of the state and their intersections with gender, ethnicity, generations and political ideologies. In short, ‘the social’ is an indispensable category for understanding religion. Critical religious studies I shall refer to the source of the second major challenge to the sociology of religion as ‘critical religious studies’ or ‘critical religion,’ although these labels designate a wide variety of views on how the field of religious studies should be constituted. The critical religious studies project does not aim to demolish the sociology of religion. Indeed, I think it may be compatible with some sociological approaches to understanding religion...
eBook - ePubAn Introduction to the Sociology of Religion
Classical and Contemporary Perspectives
- Inger Furseth, Pål Repstad(Authors)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...This is the argument of the American sociologist Meredith McGuire (1997), who favors relatively broad definitions. She claims that they inspire theoretical questions and encourage the use of perspectives taken from the sociology of religion to analyse several different types of phenomena. No doubt various forms of Contemporary Religion have relatively loose ties to established religious institutions but, in this situation, broad definitions can be used as “sensitising concepts” (Blumer 1969) that provide scientists with ideas in their search for new religious forms in new contexts. Hardly any contemporary sociologist of religion will argue that religion only includes events and practices that take place in churches, mosques, and temples. However, if the concept of religion is so broad and inclusive that every world-view and devoted human commitment is identified as religion, the concept becomes obscure and useless. For example, it is difficult to speak of secularization if every world-view and interpretation of life is regarded as religious. It is not necessary for scholars to include in their definition of religion every phenomenon that constitutes a possible object of research. Some scholars have, for example, an interest in the study of religion and politics, which offers an opportunity to create an analytical distinction between a religious and a political commitment. Some scholars who use substantive concepts of religion tend to characterize phenomena that are similar to religion as quasi-religions or religious surrogates. Communism, fervent nationalism, and hooliganism are often described by such concepts. Words such as quasi-religion, pseudo-religion, and semi-religion have a negative bias, which in turn might affect religion as such, because they create associations to fanaticism and irrationality. This is a reminder that language and concepts are often suffused with values...
eBook - ePub- Dan W. Clanton Jr., Terry Ray Clark, Terry Ray Clark, Dan W. Clayton(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...However, scholars do agree that religion has been and continues to be one of the most pervasive and important characteristics of human society. Similarly, culture and popular culture are undeniable realities of human existence. They provide real phenomena worthy of academic analysis, and they reflect real ideas, beliefs, and values; they are not merely figments of human imagination. Culture, including popular culture, refers to all the ideas, products, practices, and values of human society. These things emerge from and reflect the hopes, fears, dreams, goals, and struggles of real people. Thus, their study provides an opportunity to better understand human society as a whole, as well as more specific parts of society, including all the groups, sub-groups, and individuals that interact with one another, sometimes cooperatively, and sometimes in the context of conflict. What is religion? The problem of defining religion is one of the most difficult, foundational, and pervasive issues plaguing the field of Religious Studies today. Yet, it is usually never even considered outside the realm of academia. Why is this? The answer lies in the simple fact that most people inherit from the beginning of their lives—from their elders, family, religious tradition or larger society—a working concept of what religion is, and what it means to be religious. Most do not need to be taught how to recognize something as religious, at least not within their own tradition. Religion, generally speaking, refers to those practices of any society that are attentive to what is believed to be a sacred, unique, or extraordinary element or quality of human experience. Even societies that do not always clearly delineate what is considered sacred from what is not sacred (i.e. the mundane or ordinary) seem to understand what these terms refer to...
eBook - ePub- Phil Zuckerman(Author)
- 2010(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...And in many parts of the world, religion is one of the most powerful, all-pervasive social institutions out there. It thus makes sense that many of the founding sociologists such as Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, George Simmel, W.E.B.Du Bois, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Friedrich Engels wrote and theorized extensively about religion. Sociologists of religion are interested not only in analyzing religion as a social institution in its own right, but also in understanding how religion influences, and is influenced by, other major social institutions. For instance, the single most famous and widely recognized seminal study within the sociological canon is Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (2002 [1904]). In this classic study, Weber explores the ways in which specific Protestant/Calvinist religious beliefs played a decisive role in the development of modern western capitalism. 4. Sociologists study social patterns. Do women attend religious services more often than men? Are blacks more likely to believe in the existence of Satan than whites? Do Jews tend to vote more liberal than Christians? Do religious people divorce less frequently than the nonreligious? Sociologists of religion have their work cut out for them in exploring the plethora of patterns that emerge concerning religion in society. The most hotly debated topic within the sociology of religion during the past decade has revolved around a basic question of one particular social pattern: whether or not people are more or less religious today than they were in the past—the matter of secularization (Swatos and Olson 2000; Bruce 1992). 5. Sociologists understand that an individual can be truly understood only within his or her sociohistorical context. To put it simply, an individual can be a member of a particular religion only if that religion exists when he or she does. Furthermore, geography (where a person exists) is key (Park 1994)...
