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.