THE SOCIOLOGY OF

RELIGION

G672
UNIT CONTENT
Part 1:
Key Concepts
The nature of religious belief
Different types of religious institutions
Changes in religious movements in the UK

Part 2:
The role of religion in society
Patterns of religious belief in the UK
The Secularisation debate
Individually: Use your mini-whiteboards to write down five things you associate with
religion. Then complete the sentence: Religion is

1: KEY CONCEPTS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Identify different ways in which religion can be defined.
2. Describe the differences between inclusive and exclusive
definitions of religion.
3. Define the word religiosity.
4. Give a minimum of two reasons why it is difficult to measure
religiosity.
 1. WHICH OF THESE PEOPLE IS RELIGIOUS?
2. WHY MIGHT IT NOT BE EASY TO SAY FOR
SURE?

I go to church every Sunday

and say prayers before bed.
I think of myself as a
.I have read the Bible very spiritual person.
twelve times. I believe in God.

I believe in
nothing other
than the
futility of
existence.
DEFINING RELIGION
Defining and measuring religion is difficult.

Who gets to decide whether or not someone is religious?

Is attending religious ceremonies or taking part in religious practices enough

to make someone religious?
RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOURS
Praying in your home
Reading the Quran
Sitting in a yoga pose In Pairs: Decide which
of the following you
Using crystals for healing would consider to be
examples of religious
Waving a scarf at a football match behaviour. Justify your
decisions.
Taking a lucky teddy bear into an exam
Attending mass on Christmas Eve
Throwing salt over your shoulder
THE INGREDIENTS OF
RELIGION

In pairs, complete the activity on your

worksheet(5 mins)
 THE INGREDIENTS OF RELIGION
A place to gather in
A series of rituals and traditions
Belief in one or more supernatural beings
More than 1000 followers
Items or symbols that have special significance
Restrictions on the behaviour of members
Special, meaningful times or days
A leader, or group of leaders who have some power over other members
A Holy book
A set of laws
Belief in an afterlife
Knowing that you are right and everyone else is wrong
Lots of money
A belief in good and evil
 TWO DEFINITIONS
In contemporary sociology, there are two main
definitions of religion (Aldridge; 2004), leading to two
very different ways of thinking about religion.

The two definitions have different ideas about what the

key ingredients for religion are.
 Religion is a function

INCLUSIVE DEFINITIONS OF
RELIGION
DURKHEIM (1912)
Religion is

a unified system of beliefs and practices relative

to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and
forbidden beliefs and practices which unite into
one single moral community.
 INCLUSIVE DEFINITIONS
Durkheims definition is an example of an inclusive definition (it was probably
the first proper inclusive definition).

Also known as functional definitions, because they define religion by what it

offers its followers; the functions it fulfils for them.

Durkheim was a functionalist, so was interested in a functional definition of

religion. He talked about religion as a distinction between the sacred and the
profane.
 INCLUSIVE DEFINITIONS
Anything can be sacred.

Durkheim said that sharing sacred things unites people.

One example of the sacred for Hindus is the cow.

Think of three other examples of sacred things from different

religions.
What does having sacred things do for people?
 INCLUSIVE DEFINITIONS
So for Durkheim, a religion is something that:
a) Has sacred items
b) Has special practices related to those items
c) Unites people into clear communities

Geetz (1966) adds to this that religion is something that

helps give meaning to human existence and that the
associated practices give people more control over their
lives.
 DISCUSS: PAIRS

Do all religions fit these definitions?

Are there any activities/practices that you would

not normally think of as religious which also fit
these definitions?
WHY USE INCLUSIVE DEFINITIONS?
They encourage us to think more broadly about what religion is and
what it means.

They also help sociologists focus on the role of religion in a society.

They are less likely to be ethnocentric.

However, some sociologists believe

these definitions are too broad.
 Its not why you believe, its what you believe in.

EXCLUSIVE
DEFINITIONS
 EXCLUSIVE DEFINITIONS
Also known as substantive definitions, because they deal with the
substance of religion what it is that people actually believe.

...beliefs, actions and institutions that assume the existence of

supernatural entities with powers of action, or impersonal powers
or processes possessed of moral purpose. Bruce (2002)

Exclusive definitions are restrictive: They exclude most practices

and focus only on a specific type of belief.
 STRENGTHS OF EXCLUSIVE
DEFINITIONS

They are closer to what we normally understand religion

to be and exclude secular activities (Aldridge; 2004)

In everyday conversation, when we are talking about

religion, we are referring to exclusive definitions.
 WEAKNESSES OF EXCLUSIVE
DEFINITIONS
They are too narrow (Aldridge; 2004)

Not all religions involve belief in supernatural or

superhuman beings (Self & Starbuck; 1998)
EXAM TIPS:

To help you remember, inclusive definitions are the ones that

include a lot of things we wouldnt normally think of as
religious. Exclusive definitions exclude anything that isnt
supernatural.

In any exam question, the type of definition you use will change
the meaning (and answer) to the question, so its always worth
pointing this out!
HOMEWORK

Use your class-notes to complete the blank inclusive/exclusive

definitions worksheet in your handbooks.

By: Next Lesson

 Do we know how religious we are?

MEASURING RELIGION IN
THE UK
 RESEARCH TASK
Select one of the religions present in the contemporary UK
and find out:
Its core beliefs
How many followers it has (in the UK and worldwide)
Its sacred items, texts, symbols etc.
How and where followers practice their faith.

Present your findings to the group.

 KEY TERM: RELIGIOSITY

Describes how religious a society, or a group within that

society is (e.g. What is the religiosity of the contemporary
UK?)

Religiosity can be measured or explored in a range of

ways, from looking at beliefs and practices in a society, to
measuring church attendance.
 MEASURING RELIGIOSITY:
ACTIVITY
Design a questionnaire; it should be designed to find out the
religious beliefs of others.
The questionnaire can be structured however you like, but as a
rough guide, try to find out:
1. Whether or not are religious
2. What religion they follow
3. How religious they are
Conduct your questionnaire to a sample of students and/or staff
in the college
 RELIGIOSITY
What do you think is the religiosity of the contemporary
UK?

What proportion of the population do you think are:

1. Christian?
2. Muslim?
3. Atheist?
Can you think of any
potential problems with
this sort of data on
religiosity?
 RELIGIOSITY: TEST
Who can:
Name the last 3 Archbishops of Canterbury?
Name the last 3 Popes?
Recite the final lines of The Bible?
Write a sentence in Hebrew?
Name all 12 of Jesuss disciples?
Recite all the books of the Old Testament in order?
 PROBLEMS WITH STATISTICS ON
RELIGIOSITY
The way statistics are gathered can cause problems. Hamilton
(1995) points out then people usually say yes when asked if they
believe in God...even when they dont!

Problems with validity: Shows who considers themselves to be

members of a religion, but doesnt tell us what it means to them.
Perhaps they go to church just to be sociable, for example.
 INVESTIGATING CENSUS DATA:
DAY (2007)
Adherent Christians
Believed in God, Jesus, Heaven and all the
rest of it. Committed to their faith and proud of
it.
Ethnic Christians
Christianity an important part of their ethnic
identity; a way of feeling part of a group and
distinguishing themselves from other ethnic
groups. Did not necessarily mean they actively
practised (though many did).
Natal Christians
Considered themselves Christian through birth
e.g. Were raised Christian and
baptised...though did not necessarily still
practice or even believe...
Aspirational Christians
Called themselves Christian because they
equated Christianity as being good and
respectable...but did not actively practice or
even believe...
INVESTIGATING CENSUS DATA:
DAY (2007)
Day believed that many Christians in the UK are using an
inclusive definition of religion. They consider Christianity in
terms of what it does for them (e.g. part of their identity or
community) and the familiar rituals (weddings, funerals,
christenings).
They are not using an exclusive definition because they do not
necessarily believe in God.

Day suggests that, for most Christians, Christianity is more

important that God.
RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT
There are many ways that people can show how
committed they are to their religion.

On your mini-whiteboards, identify three ways.

RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT
Dress
Prayer
Following a religious code of conduct (e.g. behaving in particular
ways according to religious teachings)

However, displaying religious commitment does not tell us

how religious a person is. It is possible to belong without
believing, meaning many people follow the expectations of a
religion, but dont believe in it.
ASSIGNMENT
Choose one of the following exam questions and use your
notes to write an exam-format answer:

Identify and explain two ways in which religion can be

defined [17]

Identify and explain two problems with measuring

religiosity [17]
IT IS DIFFICULT TO MEASURE
RELIGIOSITY BECAUSE
There are problems with the way data on religion is collected
and statistics lack validity (they dont tell us what religion
means to people)
Many people belong without believing
and others can also believe without belonging.
The extent to which people show religious commitment does not
show how religious they are.