Religion as a Group Phenomenon

Running Head: RELIGION AS A GROUP PHENOMENON

Religion as a group phenomenon Student’s Student’s name Institution affiliated Professor’s name ate

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RELIGION AS A GROUP PHENOMENON

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Religion as a group phenomenon !his "on"ept "onsiders religion to #ring t$o or more people $ho ha%e similarities& intera"t $ith one another and "olle"ti%el' share a sense of unit'( Mem#ers of a parti"ular religious group $ould therefore #e sharing similar religious #eliefs& similar "lothes and e%en norms( Upon agreement and adheren"e to the set norms the group then sele"ts a leader for e)ample priest in *hristianit'& *hristianit'& Ra##i in +udaism& Guru in Si,h& Pandit in Hindu religion among man' others -*hristiano& S$atos . /i%isto& 01234( Religious groups usuall' ha%e the follo$ing "hara"teristi"s5 

!he' share "ommon goals that originate from "ommonl' shared pro#lems and the desire to resol%e them

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!he' usuall' agree upon a set of norms that the' hope $ill help them to a"hie%e their "ommon goals for e)ample proper $orship and ritual a"ti%it'(

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Religious groups also put together "ertain norms $hi"h are then "oined into roles that persons $ithin the group are e)pe"ted to fill and "arr' out in the interests of the group5 -te"hni6ues of pra'er or magi"4

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Mem#ers of religious groups ha%e to identif' $ith the group and e)hi#it some le%el of "ommitment to the group& the purpose of the group and ho$ it purposes to do it( Religion as a group phenomenon fo"uses on re"ruitment and reprodu"tion of

mem#ers( In addition to that& it is the responsi#ilit' of of e%er' religious group to ensure so"iali7ation( !he' need to train and edu"ate their mem#ers espe"iall' the 'oung and the ne$ "on%erts( !his forms one of the ma8or tas,s of religion( Group religion also $or,s to produ"e satisfa"tor' le%els of goods and ser%i"es( Religious groups fo"us on maintenan"e of order as


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$ell( In%ol%es "oordinati%e and super%isor' roles $ithout forgetting the moti%ation of mem#ers to pursue group goals $hile emplo'ing and a#iding #' group norms -9enn& 011:4( Religion as a "hur"h;se"t t'polog' !his "on"ept proposes that "hur"hes& e""lesia& denominations and se"ts form a "ontinuum $ith de"reasing influen"e on so"iet'( Se"ts $hom usuall' split a$a' from the main religious groups tend to #e in tension $ith the so"iet'( so"iet'( *ults and ne$ religious mo%ements are e)"luded from this "ontinuum and in "ontrast aforementioned groups often ha%e a no%el tea"hing( !he' ha%e #een "lassified in terms of their attitude to$ards so"iet' and the le%el of in%ol%ement of their adherents( *hur"hes "laim uni%ersalit'& e)er"ise religious monopol'5 mostl' the' ha%e "lose ties $ith the state and se"ular po$ers& e)tensi%el' organi7ed as a hierar"hi"al #ureau"rati" institution $ith a "omple) di%ision of la#or -9enn& 011:4( In addition to the a#o%e "hara"teristi"s& "hur"hes usuall' emplo' professional& full time "lerg' $ho are a#le to head the "ongregation( "ongregation( Primaril' "hur"hes gro$ in terms of mem#ers through natural reprodu"tion and the so"iali7ation of "hildren into the ran,s( !he' also a""ommodate di%ersit' #' "reating different groups $ithin the "hur"h( 9undamentalism 9undamentalism denotes the #elief of an indi%idual or a group of indi%iduals in the a#solute authorit' of a sa"red religious te)ts or tea"hings of a parti"ular religious leader& prophet or God( 9undamentalists 9undamentalists ad%o"ates for stri"t "onformit' to sa"red te)ts( Religious so"iali7ation o""urs in $ithin the immediate famil' as $ell as in the #roader so"ial "onte)t( Indi%iduals de%elop religious prin"iples not ne"essaril' out out of the influen"e of others( !he religiosities of parents rarel' influen"e the religious #eliefs in "hildren(


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*onfli"ts asso"iated $ith religion usuall' arise from differen"es in religious #eliefs as $ell as "onfli"ting norms(

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Referen"es *hristiano& /( +(& S$atos& <( H(& . /i%isto& P( -01234( Sociology of religion: Contemporary developments( developments( *lar,e& P( =( -01224( The Oxford handbook of the sociology of religion( religion ( O)ford> O)ford Uni%ersit' Press( 9enn& R( /( -011:4( Key -011:4( Key thinkers in the sociology of religion( religion( London> *ontinuum(

Religion as a Group Phenomenon

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