Religion in the contemporary world : a sociological introduction / Alan Aldridge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Aldridge, Alan (Alan E.)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and sociology.

Physical Description:

ix, 242 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge ; Malden, MA : Polity, 2007.

Summary:

In the new edition of this widely read text, Alan Aldridge examines the complex realities of religious belief, practice and institutions, ranging from the high growth rates of successful minority religious movements such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, to the phenomenal rise of Pentecostalism, the challenge of 'fundamentalism' and the apparent turn from religion to spirituality.

Religion is a powerful and controversial force in the contemporary world, even in supposedly secular societies. Almost all societies seek to cultivate religions and faith communities as sources of social stability and engines of social progress. They also try to regulate real and imagined abuses and excess: cults that brainwash vulnerable people, fundamentalism that threatens democracy and the progress of science, and terrorists who carry out atrocities in the name of religion.

The second edition has been carefully revised to make sure it is fully up-to-date with recent developments and debates. Major themes in the revised edition include religious diversity and its implications for social cohesion, and the paradoxical fate of religion in societies that appear to be obsessed with individualism and consumerism. This book will appeal strongly to a range of readers, especially students taking courses in the sociology of religion, and anyone who is interested in the place of religion in the contemporary world.

Contents:

1 Religions and the Challenge of Diversity 1

The religious factor 1

The challenge of diversity 8

A clash of civilizations? 13

Grassroots Christian responses to diversity 14

2 Defining Religion: Social Conflicts and Sociological Debates 17

Scientology: authentic religion or imposture? 18

Baha'i: world faith or apostasy? 20

Advantages of being recognized as a religion 21

Disadvantages of status as a religion 25

Defining people as religious 28

Max Weber: on not defining religion 30

Emile Durkheim: defining religion sociologically 31

Contemporary sociological definitions of religion 34

Religion and definition in use 38

3 Varieties of Religious Movement 42

Church and sect 42

Denominations and cults: tolerating diversity 46

New religious movements 50

The limits of classification 59

4 Secularization: The Social Insignificance of Religion? 61

Auguste Comte and the Law of Three Stages 61

Karl Marx and the projection theory of religion 64

Emile Durkheim and the social functions of religion 67

Max Weber and the disenchantment of the world 70

Georg Simmel: an alternative classical view 78

Defining secularization 80

Secularization from within 81

Decline of community 85

Marginalization of charisma 88

Cultural amnesia 89

Pluralization, relativism and consumer choice 90

Reason, rationality and science 92

A consensus on dystopia? 97

5 Secularization Challenged: A New Paradigm? 100

A secularization theorist recants 100

Believing without belonging 101

A new paradigm 104

Voluntarism according to Talcott Parsons 106

The demand for religion: a rational choice? 109

The supply of religion: the benefits of competition? 111

The Mormons: a new world faith? 117

Jehovah's Witnesses: overcoming the failure of prophecy 123

The new paradigm and the rise of the megachurches 126

The Pentecostals 128

6 Fundamentalism 131

Bible believers 132

Fundamentalism and monotheism 133

Islamophobia 138

7 Civil Religion and Political Ritual 143

Ritual and social integration: the legacy of Durkheim 143

In God We Trust: civil religion in the United States 144

A failure of civil religion: Canada 148

Symbolic division in society: Northern Ireland 150

Political religion in an atheist society: the Soviet Union 153

Political religion and charismatic leadership: Nazi Germany 158

Character and society 160

8 Brainwashing, Consumer Protection and the State 162

Brainwashing - old and new 162

The power of the brainwashing metaphor 165

What new religious movements offer their recruits 167

Disengaging from new religious movements 169

Consumer protection and the regulation of abuses 171

Cult scares and the anti-cult movement 173

Doomsday cults: five case studies 175

Apocalypse and self-destruction 181

A role for cult watchers? 188

9 Religious Identity and Meaning in Consumer Society 190

Individualism unchecked? 190

Individualism and authority: the Roman Catholic Church 192

Sexuality and gender 196

From religion to spirituality? 210

A New Age? 212

Religion and spirituality online 215

Consuming religion 216

Afterword: dialogues in a post-secular world 221.

Notes:

Previous ed.: 2000.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780745634043

0745634044

0745634052

9780745634050

OCLC:

156816349