Introduction to Sociology SOC101Y Introduction to Sociology Professor Adam Green Lecture #16 Religion 27 Feb 13

Religion Religion is a common human response to the fact that we all stand at the edge of an abyss. It helps us cope with the terrifying fact that we must die. It offers us immortality, the promise of better times to come, and the security of benevolent spirits who look over us. It provides meaning and purpose in a world that might otherwise seem cruel and senseless.

How important is religion in your life? Very important Somewhat important Not too important Not at all important

Percent of People Who Think Religion is Very Important, 44 Countries, 2002 (n=38,000) USA Canada Note: Poland is a former Communist country and the UN ranks it 37th in its list of 53 countries in the “high human development” group. It is classified here as a former Communist country. Countries Listed From High to Low Religiosity in Each Group

Durkheim’s functionalist theory of religion Religion: awareness and expression of the collective conscience Collective conscience: common sentiments and values that emerge when people live together Profane: the secular, everyday world Sacred: the transcendent world Totem: object that symbolizes the sacred Ritual: public practice that connects people to the sacred Function of religion: to reinforce social solidarity

Criticisms of Durkheim Durkheim pays too much attention to the role of religion in maintaining social cohesion. In reality, religion often incites social conflict. When religion does increase social cohesion, it often reinforces social inequality. Durkheim ignores this issue too.

Marx’s view of religion Marx saw religion as “the opiate of the people,” an ideology that encourages them to accept existing social inequalities and do nothing about them.

Weber’s theory of religion and social change “If history is like a train, pushed along its tracks by economic and political interests, then religious ideas are like railroad switches, determining exactly which tracks the train will follow.” For example, the religiously inspired “Protestant ethic” had the unintended consequence of encouraging investment and hard work and thus contributed to robust capitalist growth.

Criticisms of Weber The correlation between the Protestant work ethic and the strength of capitalist development is weaker than Weber thought. Weber’s followers have not always applied the Protestant ethic thesis as carefully as Weber did, sometimes emphasizing religious factors to the exclusion of economic and political factors in encouraging capitalist development.

The secularization thesis Secularization thesis: Religious institutions, actions, and consciousness are unlikely to disappear, but they are on the decline worldwide. Criticism #1: Accumulated survey evidence showed that religion was in good health. Criticism #2: There has been an intensification of religious belief and practice among a large minority of people in many countries in recent decades.

Do you believe in God? “Yes, I definitely think so” or “Yes, I think so” “No, I don’t think so” or “No, I definitely do not”

Do you believe in life after death? “Yes, I definitely think so” or “Yes, I think so” “No, I don’t think so” or “No, I definitely do not”

Have you ever experienced the presence of God? “Yes, I definitely think so” or “Yes, I think so” “No, I don’t think so” or “No, I definitely do not”

Conventional Religious Beliefs, Canada, 1975-2005 and SOC101, 2009 (in percent)

The Social Condition of Religion, U. S. A The Social Condition of Religion, U.S.A., 1972-2000 (in percent; n=40,933) Percent Belief in God or higher power (1.7% decline in 12 years) Attended religious services once a month or more (11.8% decline in 28 years) Religious affiliation strong or somewhat strong (0.2% decline in 26 years) Year

Fundamentalists Fundamentalists interpret holy texts literally, seek to establish a direct, personal relationship with God, are relatively intolerant of non-fundamentalists, and frequently support conservative political issues.

Religious Affiliation in Canada, 1951-2002 (in percent) Religion

Weekly Church Attendance, Canada, 1957-2000 (in percent) Religion

Small Religious Categories, Canada, 1991–2001 Percent of Canadians Source: Statistics Canada. 2003. “Canada.” On the World Wide Web at http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/canada.cfm (20 November). SOURCE: Adapted from Reginald W. Bibby, The Bibby Report: Social Trends Canadian Style (Toronto: Stoddart, 1995), p. 132.

Immigrants by Religious Denomination and Immigration Period, Canada < 1961 1971-80 1991-2001 1961-70 1981-90 Roman Catholic 39.2 43.4 33.9 32.9 23.0 Protestant 39.2 26.9 21.0 14.5 10.7 Christ. Orthodox 3.8 6.3 3.8 3.0 6.3 Other Christian 1.3 2.2 3.8 4.9 5.3 Jewish 2.7 2.0 2.2 1.9 1.2 Muslim 0.2 1.3 5.4 7.5 15.0 Hindu 0.0 1.4 3.6 4.9 6.5 Buddhist 0.4 0.9 4.8 7.5 4.6 Sikh 0.1 1.1 3.9 4.3 4.7 No religion 11.0 13.5 16.5 17.3 21.3 Other religions 2.1 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.4 Total 100 100 100 100 100 Source: Statistics Canada. 2003. “Canada.” On the World Wide Web at http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/Products/Analytic/companion/rel/canada.cfm (20 November).

The revised secularization thesis Worldly institutions have broken off (or “differentiated”) from the institution of religion over time. This process has made religion applicable only to the spiritual part of most people’s lives. Moreover, most people have turned religion into a personal and private matter rather than one imposed by a powerful, authoritative institution.

Do you believe some people can sense things without the five senses? Yes No

Do you believe one can predict one’s fate by interpreting the position of heavenly bodies? Yes No

Do you believe that some people have psychic powers? Yes No

Do you believe that some people can communicate with the dead? Yes No

Less Conventional Beliefs, Canada, 1975-2000 and SOC101, 2009 (in percent)

Correlates of Weekly Church Attendance, Canada Socialization: About 80% of today’s weekly attenders had parents who attended weekly. Religion and denomination: About 60% of fundamentalist Protestants, 25% of Roman Catholics, and 15% of mainline Protestants attend weekly. Region: Atlantic Canadians are nearly twice as likely to attend weekly services as other Canadians. Time: For the past 60 years, weekly attendance has declined (although it has increased slightly in the last few years). Age: Weekly attendance is highest for youngest and oldest age cohorts.

Involvement in Religious Groups by Age Cohort, Canada, 2000 Percent Age Cohort

The World’s Predominant Religions This map shows the predominant religion in each of the world’s countries, defined as the religion to which more than 50 percent of a country’s population adhere. About a third of the world's population (2.1 billion people) are Christian, and Christianity is the predominant religion in 114 countries. Christianity is most widespread in North and South America, Europe, Oceania (Australia, New Zealand, etc.), and southern Africa. The second most widespread religion in the world is Islam. Muslims comprise about a fifth of the world’s population (1.3 billion people). Islam is the predominant religion in 39 countries in the Middle East, central and northern Africa, and parts of Asia. Hindus comprise the world's third largest religion. Although only three countries are predominantly Hindu, one of them is India, so about 1 billion people adhere to Hinduism. The fourth major world religion is Buddhism, the predominant religion in eight Asian countries. About 400 million people are Buddhists. Although numerically small on a world scale, Judaism must also be included in any list of major world religions because Christianity and Islam have their roots in Judaism. There are about 14 million Jews in the world and Judaism is the predominant religion only in Israel.