Chapter 17, Religion Key Terms

sacred That which is set apart from ordinary activity. profane That which is of the everyday world and is specifically not religious.

totem An object or living thing that a religious group regards with special awe and reverence. secular Ordinary beliefs of everyday life.

religiosity The intensity and consistency of practice of a person’s (or group’s) faith. monotheists The worship of a single god.

polytheists Worship of more than one deity. patriarchal religions Beliefs and practices are based on male power and authority.

matriarchal religions Based on the centrality of female goddesses, who may be seen as the source of food, nurturance, and love or who may serve as emblems of the power of women. exclusive religious groups Those with an easily identifiable religion and culture, including distinctive beliefs and strong moral teachings.

inclusive religious groups Those with a more moderate, liberal, and ecumenical religious orientation. rituals Symbolic activities that express a group's spiritual convictions.

collective consciousness. Body of beliefs that are common to a community or society and that give people a sense of belonging. Protestant ethic Belief that hard work and self-denial lead to salvation.

ideology Belief systems that legitimates the social order and supports the ideas of the ruling class. ethnoreligious groups Groups for whom religion and ethnicity are especially intertwined. Two examples are Hasidic Jews and the Amish.

churches Formal organizations that tend to see themselves, and are seen by society, as the primary and legitimate religious institutions. sects Groups that have broken off from an established church, when a faction questions the legitimacy or purity of the church from which they are separating.

cults Religious groups devoted to a specific cause or a leader with charisma, and are like sects in their emotional intensity. charisma A quality attributed to individuals believed by their followers to have special powers.

religious socialization The process by which one learns a particular religious faith. brainwashing thesis Claim that innocent people are tricked into religious conversion.

social drift theory Emphasizing that conversion is linked to shifting patterns of association and that people are active participants in the conversion process. antisemitism The belief or behavior that defines Jewish people as inferior and then targets them for stereotyping, mistreatment and acts of hatred.

secularization The process by which religious institutions, behavior and consciousness lose their religious significance. rationalization of society Society is increasingly organized around rational, empirical, and scientific forms of thought.