11.1 Explain the components and functions of religion.

11.2 Discuss the process of becoming religious.

11.3 Describe how the United States became a “denominational society.”

11.4 Compare the functionalist and conflict perspectives on religion.

11.5 Predict the future role of religion in the modern world.

Key Points:

• Religion makes our most important values sacred, operating through three interconnected systems: (1) a meaning system, (2) a belonging system, and (3) a struc­tural system.
• We become committed through these three systems, by our attachment to a reference group that becomes a belonging system, by making investments in the organi­zation (the structural system), and by holding as real the system of ideas (the meaning system).
• At the micro level, symbolic interaction theory illumi­nates how the meaning system works, with an interaction of myths, rituals, and symbols coming to define reality and making the values and the meaning system sacred. Rational choice theory focuses on the costs and ben­efits that influence the decisions individuals make about religious commitments. It also examines how religious organizations go about seeking a “market share” in the competition for members.
• Denominationalism organizes religious life when there are a plurality of religious groups and when religious authority is separated from governmental authority. New Religious Movements (NRMs) also arise in pluralistic social contexts.
• At the macro level of analysis, functionalists maintain that religions can serve as a kind of glue to help solidify the country and can meet the basic needs of the pop­ulace. In contrast, conflict theorists focus on the ways in which religion reinforces conflicts and inequalities in society, whether socioeconomic, racial, or gender.
• In the United States and Canada, secularization is domi­nant at the meso and macro levels but does not seem to be as strong at the micro level. This is a source of tension in societies.
• At the global level, religion can be involved in issues of war and peace (sometimes unwittingly undermining peace).

Summary:

Religion is a powerful force in the lives of people around the world. It typically elicits passions and deep loyalties, and in so doing, it can stimulate great acts of self-sacrificing charity or horrible atrocities and intergroup bigotries. Peo­ple’s religious affiliation strongly relates to their nationality, ethnic and racial group, and lifestyle. Religion is the one institution in most societies that consistently professes a desire for peace and goodwill, yet there may be inconsis­tencies between what people say and what they do. Reli­gion can provide us with the hope that the world’s problems may be dealt with in humanitarian ways.

Religion can provide a sense of purpose to our lives, and religious symbols come to have sacred meaning. Systems of meaning, belonging, and structure are interdependent components of religion.

Humans in the modern world tend to be spiritual. They may also live in states with massive governmental bureaucra­cies that hold power, and they participate in economic sys­tems that produce and distribute the goods and services needed for survival. The next institutions we will examine are politics and economics—how power relations are nego­tiated at each level in the social world.