The Sociology of Religion

How do religions emerge, grow and prosper?

What are the essential questions for sociologists who study religion?

Would you give $$ to these people?

Rev. Paul and Jan Crouch

We live in secular times where god takes a back seat to other

political and worldly needs.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/334

Sins of the Taliban

• Shopkeepers selling materials to make kites

• Women taking public baths

• Women showing any skin

• A man with a trimmed beard

• A man with a Beatles haircut

• Women washing clothing in a desert

• Women who have clothing made by a tailor

• Radios and TVs

Religion and Politics

• Why religion and politics are separated in the U.S.

• When religion and politics cross paths, it’s often in a way that does not benefit believers or non believers and society in general

Example One: Abortion

• Everyone would agree that every abortion is a tragedy – even people who are “pro choice”

• However, people who are “pro choice” generally do not ever say this

• To say it implies that we should reduce the number of abortions– “Exactly! Just make them illegal!”

Example Two: Abstinence Only Sex Education

• Costs taxpayers $200 million yearly• 93 percent of Americans have premarital sex by the age

of 30• Students who take abstinence only courses are only

slightly less likely to have premarital sex– But when they do they’re more likely to become

pregnant and exchange STDs• Relies on misinformation: condoms are only 83%

effective; HIV can be in your body up to 10 years before it is detected. – U.S. Govt. documents

• U.S. has highest teen pregnancy rate of all industrialized countries—and it’s increasing!

Politics and Religion

Political battles emerge when ideas are not well defined.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/smr8/JesusThePolitician.htm

Religions always reflect their followers in myriad ways.

• http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/16253/

Religious Group Types

• Cults

• Sects

• Religions

How do religions grow?

• Remember, every religion begins as a cult

• How do cults begin?– Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda

• Everything is about “charisma”

La Iglesia: “Creciendo en Gracia”

• Followers have protested Christian churches in Miami and Latin America, disrupting services and smashing crosses and statues of Jesus.

• De Jesus preaches there is no devil and no sin. His followers, he says, literally can do no wrong in God's eyes.

• The church calls itself the "Government of God on Earth" and uses a seal similar to the United States.

• The Antichrist is not the devil, de Jesus tells his congregation; he's the being who replaces Jesus on Earth.

• Watch video…

Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda(He says he’s God!)

Israeli and British Forensic Anthropologists - 2004

• Used skull evidence from the 1st century as well as skin, hair and eye information

• Their depiction is not accurate, but certainly more accurate than most representations by artists.

• They estimate that he would he would have been about 5-foot-1-inch, 110 lbs.

Jesus

Jesus?

How do religions grow?

• How do cults begin?

• As they grow, what is needed?

• How do rituals help a religion grow?

• What happens when the charismatic leader dies?

Biblical Texts

• We have no original copies of the books that came to be included in the New Testament of the Bible.

• We have no copies made directly from the originals.

• We have no copies made from copies made directly from the originals…nor copies made from copies made from copies.

• Our earliest text fragment is from 150 years after Paul wrote something (approximately 200 CE).

How do religions grow?

• How do cults begin?• As they grow, what is needed?• How do rituals help a religion grow?• What happens when the charismatic

leader dies?• How many “cults” have existed throughout

history?• What happens if a fledgling religion does

not have well-defined rules?

George Carlin on Religion

• http://youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o

Most essential question:

Does the devil exist?

Could this man eat your child?