METHODS OF STUDYING RELIGION


METHODS OF STUDYING RELIGION


Historical Research

Concern with whether a particular social situation is preceded by, accompanied by, or
followed by other social circumstances

Examples
What are the crisis points in the development of religious groups?

Is there any general evolutionary course which new religious groups follow
 
Cross-Cultural Research

Comparison of sociocultural patterns across cultures


Examples
Does the importance of religion in the social order change with the level of economic development

What social factors are associated with the existence of high gods or witches

What components of religious belief/practice are universal to religion

Experimental Research


Establishing a controlled situation in which only the desired factors can vary


Examples

Does prayer have a positive effect on health outcomes

What are the effects of different kinds of church donation appeals
Content Analysis Research

Examination of themes or structures in religious material


Examples

What are the key themes in religious materials  – hymns, prayers, sermons

What are the differences between formal and informal themes in religious materials


What are the most intensely debated topics in media coverage of religion  

Survey Research

Taking measurements on attitudes and/or behaviors of a sample of some population on
some issue

Examples

What is the level of religious participation in the population and how has that changed

What is the relationship of various social characteristics to religious attitudes and practice

What is the effect of religious attitudes on political behavior

 

Participant Observation Research

Adopting a role within a group that involves a varying balance of observer and participant


Examples

How do individuals come to convert to a religious group

What is the impact of ritual observances on members of a religious group





PRESENCE OF HIGH GODS AND THE EXISTENCE OF SOVEREIGN ORGANIZATIONS


Functions of Gods
Belief in gods provides evidence that all events have a common source

Actions of deity are interpreted so that diverse events are unified

High gods
Deity who is the sole creator of the universe

God who rules the world and heavens, whether or not he/she created them

God is the first cause of all effects and the necessary and sufficient condition for reality’s continued existence

Sovereign Organizations

Organizations that exercise original and independent jurisdiction over some sphere of social life

Examples:
Kingdom, village, family

Tribe, village, extended family, household


Every deity corresponds to the structure of a sovereign groups

The greater the diversity of sovereign groups, the greater the likelihood of a high god



NUMBER OF SOVEREIGN GROUPS AND THE PRESENCE OF HIGH GOD


Presence of                 Number of Sovereign Groups
High God                    1-2           3        4 or more


Present                        2              7        10   

Absent                       17              2         1

    Total                      19              9        11

Percent present        11            78        91





WITCHCRAFT


Witchcraft involves “black magic” in which the practitioner can control the supernatural

Witchcraft is usually secret and is a direct, personal attack


Witchcraft appears in a group under the following conditions
1. Major deprivation within the group

2. The deprivation is of unknown or uncertain origin

3. There is no non-aggressive way of venting tension nor means that are not socially disruptive

4. There are beliefs supporting the efficacy and availability of magical procedures

Witchcraft provides
1. An answer to unsettling experiences

2. A means of doing something about unsettling experiences

3. A means of controlling individuals perceived as threatening the functioning of the community

Witchcraft is used against others whose purposes are close, important persistent, and uncontrolled by legitimate social arrangements



PREVALENCE OF WITCHCRAFT AND PRESENCE OF UNCONTROLLED OR UNLEGITIMATED RELATIONSHIPS
(N= 49)


                   Uncontrolled or Unlegitimated Relationships

Prevalence of                   None            Within the            With Other
Witchcraft                                              Society                Societies   


High                                     1                       7                          10

Intermediate                     14                        2                            5

Low                                     9                        0                             1


Total                                 24                        9                           16

Percent High                      4                      78                           62

Percent Intermediate      96                       22                          38
or Low





DIMENSIONS OF INDIVIDUAL RELIGIOSITY

        Charles Glock and Rodney Stark


The Experiential Dimension

Confirming Experience Level - a sudden feeling, knowing or intuition that one’s beliefs are real (a generalized sense of sacredness or specific awareness of the presence of divinity)
Responsive Experience Level - salvational, miraculous, or sanctioning

Ecstatic Experience Level - speaking in tongues, holy dancing, revelation

The Ideological Dimension

Adherence to group doctrines (In Protestantism: virgin birth, literal truth of scripture, necessity of belief in Christ as one’s personal savior)
   

The Ritualistic Dimension

Participation in acts through which practitioners come in contact with the sacred (affiliation, attendance, participation in church activities, participation in devotional activities)


The Intellectual Dimension

Level of individual’s knowledge about scriptures, creeds, doctrines


The Consequential Dimension

Connection of beliefs to other social activities (criminality, drug/alcohol use, social justice

 



BARNA SURVEY OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES


                                 A         B         C         D         E          F         G         H          N
       
All Adults                43%    38%    82%    16%    15%    16%    18%    24%    6038

All Protestants         50        54       90        23        21        20       21         36        3402

Baptist (any type)    50        55       92        30        22        19       20         43        1035

Mainline*                45        39       87         16        15        20       20         20          983

AG/Pentecostal       67        71       95         35        33        27       25         61          218

Christian non-
denominational        61        66       94        21        32        22       26          57          321

Atheists                     4           9      27          1          1           1         3           2           398


* Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian or Episcopal

 A=attended a church service, other than a special event such as a wedding or funeral, in past 7 days

 B= read from the Bible, other than while at church, in past 7 days

 C= prayed to God, in past 7 days

 D= attended a Sunday school class at a church, in past 7 days

E= participate in a small group that meets regularly for Bible study, prayer or Christian fellowship, not including a Sunday school or 12-step group, in past 7 days

F= volunteer at your church, in past 7 days

G= donated money to your church, in past 30 days

H= explained your religious beliefs to someone who had different beliefs, in hope that they might accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, in past year

The data described above are from telephone interviews with a nationwide random sample of 6038 adults conducted from January 2000 through June 2001. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.