Page 505 - Sociology and You

Section 3
Chapter 14 Religion 475 Religious Organization
and Religiosity
Key Terms
• church
• denomination • sect
• cult
• religiosity
Religious Organization
In Western societies, most people practice religion through some organi- zational structure. For this reason, the nature of religious organization is an important component of the sociological study of religion. Early scholars
identified four basic types of religious organization: church, denomination, sect, and cult.
How do sociologists distinguish among the basic types of religious organization? To sociologists, a church is a life-encompassing religious organization to which all members of a society belong. This type of religious organization exists when religion and the state are closely intertwined. In Elizabethan England, for example, Archbishop Richard Hooker of the Church of England wrote that “there is not any man of the Church of England but the same man is also a member of the commonwealth; nor any man a mem- ber of the commonwealth which is not also of the Church of England.” As you can see, the sociological definition of church is different from the one commonly used in American society. When Americans talk about “churches,” they are actually referring to denominations.
A denomination is one of several religious organizations that most mem- bers of a society accept as legitimate. Because denominations are not tied to the state, membership in them is voluntary, and competition among them for
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The major forms of reli- gious organization are churches, denominations, sects, and cults. Religiosity— the ways people express their religious interests and convictions—can be analyzed in terms of five dimensions: belief, ritual, intellect, experience, and consequences.
church
a life-encompassing religious organization to which all members of a society belong
denomination
one of several religious organizations that most members of a society accept as legitimate
The Amish are a religious sect. How does a sect differ from a church, denomination, or cult?