Sociology Of Religion Research Articles

Sociology and predicting the future of religion

The question of future of religion has always been topical in sociology of religion since its founders (Durkheim and Weber). A number of current global processes taking place in modern society have added sharpness and relevance to the question of future of religion and it became one the most debatable issues.  The purpose of sociology of religion, as the scientific discipline studying religion, is seeing its subject in its perspective and prognostication of future, especially when situation concerning religion today is rather alarming.  It is a generally approved fact and there is no novelty that mankind is in postclassical epoch and that means devaluation of classical values. Precursor of the beginning of this process was Friedrich Nietzsche. He was one of the first who proclaimed “Death of God” to the mankind. “Death of God” also meant the “Death of Man”, but mankind obsessed by luxury, comfort and everyday trifles of life did not pay proper attention to it. But at the end, everything finished with “God murdered” mankind “killing the Man”. If the XX century is stigmatized by “Death of God”, for the XXI century such a stigma will be “Death of Man” (existing reality is so pessimistic and terrible, that even the greatest pessimist Shoppenhauer would be envious of living is such an epoch). Without dramatizing of given reality, it can be said that everything this is very painfully reflected on future of religion.

A Religious History of the American GI in World War II. By G. Kurt Piehler

On Flag Day 1954, Congress amended the US Flag Code, adding the phrase “one nation under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance. Less than a year later, Will Herberg published Protestant—Catholic—Jew: An Essay in American Religious Sociology—popularizing the idea of the United States as a “triple-melting pot” in which the three titular Abrahamic faiths could enjoy equal claims to an American identity grounded in a shared civil deity. G. Kurt Piehler’s A Religious History of the American GI in World War II credits this Cold War “embrace of tri-faith pluralism” to the largely successful implementation of a “Rooseveltian vision of the free-exercise of religion” within the US military during the World War II (pp. 5, 7). A Religious History of the American GI is a welcome addition to the growing literature on lived religious experience in wartime. That scholarship, as well as an extensive use of interviews with combat veterans and the Rutgers Oral History Archives, informs Piehler’s thematic study of “the religious life of the GI” (p. 9). Rich in first-person accounts, it is insightful, nuanced, and at times poignant. This is especially true in the chapter “The Dead.” Piehler unflinchingly considers a topic elided in most military histories as he explores how both United States and enemy dead were treated. Like most chapters, this one uses personal anecdotes (often painful), most often from the combat chaplains who cared for the war’s dead and dying.

Review: Urban Religious Events: Public Spirituality in Contested Spaces, edited by Paul Bramadat, Mar Griera, Marian Burchardt, and Julia Martínez-Ariño

Review: <i>Urban Religious Events: Public Spirituality in Contested Spaces</i>, edited by Paul Bramadat, Mar Griera, Marian Burchardt, and Julia Martínez-Ariño

INTERNALIZATION OF THE VALUES OF THE QUR'AN AND HADITH IN UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS MODERATION IN INDONESIA

Abstract This article discusses the importance of religious moderation in relation to the many cases of religious intolerance in Indonesia. In general, religious intolerance is caused by an excessive or exclusive attitude in religion. The concept of religious moderation in Indonesia refers to the Wasathiyyah Islamic Values (NISWA). These values include; Tasamuh (tolerance), Tawassuth (taking the middle way), Tawazun (balanced), I'tidal (straight and firm), Aulawiyyah (putting first or priority), Musawah (egalitarian), Shura (deliberation), Qudwatiyyah (pioneering), Muwathanah (nationalism), Ishlah (constructive), Ibtikar (innovative, creative), tathawwur (dynamic), and tahadlur (public civility). Washatiyyah Islamic values are implications of the teachings of "Rahmatan lil'alamin". For the implementation of washatiyyah Islamic values in the concept of religious moderation, it is important to collaborate with religious sociologists. This is because the perspective of the sociology of religion can help to provide an understanding of religious phenomena, especially the sociology of religion at this time has confirmed the vision of openness and broad-mindedness vision. Religious moderation (Islam washatiyyah) is the key to realizing a ssociety that is not extreme in religion and able to respect, understand, tolerate each other to create a peaceful and harmonious life among religious communities in Indonesia.The method used in this research is library research with a qualitative approach and perspective. sociology of religion. Keywords: Religious Moderation, Al Quran and Hadith Value, Conflict Resolution

Vězeňská duchovní služba v perspektivě pastorální teologie

The study responds to the lack of theological reflection on prison spiritual ministry in Czechia. Although the Czech Republic has a well­-developed ecumenical prison ministry of chaplains, its operations are primarily of interest in the sociology of religion and penitentiary sociology. The reflection in pastoral or practical theology is significantly weaker. Thus, this study aims to describe the essential elements for the first theological conceptualisation of the prison spiritual ministry in the Czech Republic. It is based on the analysis of the current discourse in the sociology of religion, penitentiary sociology, pastoral theology, and partially other helping professions. Such an analysis serves as the basis for pastoral­-theological evaluation and hermeneutics. The study attempts to draw the core lines for the possible pastoral conceptualisation of the Czech prison spiritual ministry of chaplains with a background in Christian churches.

The Role Of Pancasila In View From The Sociology Of Religion In The Globalisation Era

Globalization has positive and negative impacts on humans. The positive impact of course provides benefits for humans. However, the negative impact is incomparable and must be fortified especially for young Indonesians. Pancasila as the basis of the life of the Indonesian people plays an important role in fortifying the nation. This study aims to analyze the role of Pancasila in terms of the sociology of religion in the current era of globalization. The results show that Pancasila as the symbol of the state emphasizes the people to have a religion, belief in God Almighty and its rules and teachings. So that in this way, the practice of Pancasila values can protect humans from the various negative impacts of globalization. Humans will live by rules that are good and right according to the foundation of state life, namely Pancasila and the rules of God Almighty.

FISIKA SOSIAL DAN PENYOALAN EKSISTENSI AGAMA DALAM POSITIVISME AUGUSTE COMTE, DAN KEMUNGKINAN RELEVANSINYA PADA DISKURSUS SOSIOLOGI AGAMA

This paper focuses on rethinking with epistemological analysis of the idea of social physics in Auguste Comte’s positivism which negates the existence of religion or theology. His imagined social physics replacing theology to find an objective-positive social theory did not completely deprive him of his inspiration from religious morality. Altruism, in his natural religion, humanism, is evidence of inspiration from religious morality, which he imagined as a universal-objective human value for overcoming social conflicts. In the future, sociology with its scientific method will find positive-objective social theories, such as altruism in his religion of humanism, as a scientific instrument to build the social cohesion of a society. Modern society, which he considered to be inhabited only by secular-scientific people, until now is in fact also inhabited by religious-scientific people. Rejecting the assumption that there is no relevance between Comte’s sociology and the sociology of religion, this paper emphasizes that there is relevance. Religious human social behavior as a social fact, not a doctrine of belief, can be observed, experimented with and compared to find the objectivity of social theory of religious social behavior which can also universalized as in Comte’s secular sociology.

Geopolitic Reconstruction of Religion (Learning from Hurgronje in Religion versus Government Conflict Management)

Political expression of religion can be dangerous for good governance system. And this has really happened in Indonesian history, both during the Dutch occupation and when Indonesia became independent. Religion has become a political vehicle in various forms of political parties and non-parties. Religion also caused military wars which resulted in heavy casualties. The research questions are: What are the factors that turn religion against the government? How did Hurgronje resolve the religious versus government conflict? The approach is carried out with the Sociology of Religion. This paper uses the IMRAD style. Materials obtained through documents and internet news media. The method used is qualitative. The Results: religion as a political doctrine will lead to conflict religion and government and through three groupings of the role of religion in the right portion, ala Hurgronje, will enable the government to reduce conflict

Interpretation about Death Rite of the Nias Ethnic and its Relation to Social Order.

This study reports on the description and analysis of death rituals that are a tradition of the Nias tribe in Indonesia. Descriptive discussion of rites and rituals of death using the perspective of cultural anthropology and the sociology of religion. In Nias belief, the spirits of the dead can be transferred into statues and become objects of worship, which are highly respected but also feared. Although Christianity has replaced tribal religion, the strength of tradition in the old beliefs persists to this day, so syncretism is unavoidable. The research findings show that death rituals become religious tools that maintain traditional values on the one hand and become legitimate tools to increase social status and cohesion in society. The rituals of death are integrated into social interactions where people carry out symbols and form social order. This finding proves that modern society's social cohesion is inseparable from tradition's role.

How to measure spirituality? Review of new methodologies in the research of spirituality

Inconsistency of the universal character of the theory of secularisation and the increasing presence of religion in social life has resulted in a new paradigm in sociology of religion, according to which religion has not been losing its social significance but has been transforming. Religiousness and spirituality are being differentiated, with the latter often being a wider construct that also includes religiousness. The article presents an analytical review of some of the new approaches and measuring scales published in “Assessing Spirituality in a Diverse World” in 2021 under the editorship of A. L. Ai, P. Wink et al. These scales are specifically interesting for the further application of the methods to multidimensional research of students’ spirituality. During the research the concept of ‘spirituality’, widely used in educational field, was specified within new paradigms in sociology and psychology of religion; and three of the most recent approaches in the study of spirituality including research of ‘new’ spirituality, (non)religiosity/ (non)spirituality, and spirituality as an aspect of meaning in life were analysed. The analysis shows potential strengths and weaknesses of the showcased measuring instruments. Review of the recent western theories and methodologies in the study of spirituality, developing within the field of sociology and psychology of religion, enriches interdisciplinary knowledge exchange and invites researches from other fields of humanities to test existing western methodologies in Russian context.

Abby Day, Sociology of Religion: Overview and Analysis of Contemporary Religion

Abby Day, Sociology of Religion: Overview and Analysis of Contemporary Religion

(Des) igualdades de género nas igrejas evangélicas na Europa

This article presents the theme of our research "The role of women in evangelical churches in Europe". We intend to conduct an in-depth, intensive, and qualitatively study based on the Grounded Theorymethodology on gender (in)equalities in evangelical churches in Europe. This is a contemporary, pertinent and original theme, little developed in sociology of religion. We intend to compare the data collected in five European countries, diversifying the geographical location and other relevant sociological anddenominational variables described in the following text.

Bunjevci u Srbiji - Hrvati, Srbi ili posebna nacionalna zajednica?

The paper analyzes the ethno-demographic, identity and political development of the people of Bunjevci in Serbia. Numerous theories of ethnologists, historians, linguists and sociologists of religion about the origin, language and religion of the people of Bunjevci were presented, as well as the ethnopolitical development of the Bunjevci people, throughout history until today, by confronting different attitudes and answers to the question: are the Bunjevci more Serbs, Croats or a specific national community? The importance of national self-identification, i.e. the free declaration of the people of Bunjevci about their own national identity and the impact of changes during the census declaration on their population development, was highlighted. Viewed over time, the political development of the Bunjevci national minority in Serbia is characterized by turbulent changes, from denial to recognition of their national and cultural distinctiveness, the struggle not to assimilate into either the Croatian or the Serbian nation, which became a feature of their identity and preserved this ethnic community until today. Predictions are that the Bunjevac national minority in Serbia, without the formation of a modern socio-economic structure and cultural-political institutions, is in danger of disappearing by the end of the 21st century, like all other small linguistic communities, according to the opinion of many domestic and international expert. For the survival, demographic and cultural development of Bunjevci as a modern ethnic community, activities that contribute to the integration of the Bunjevci people and establish equal relations with all other ethnic communities, as well as with the wider socio-political environment, are necessary. For Bunjevci, as a long-disenfranchised and "erased" national community, the affirmation of one's own ethnic, linguistic and cultural identity is an important prerequisite for achieving equality and social integration as a special minority community. This primarily refers to the contestation and appropriation of everything that belongs to the Bunjevci by the Croatian national community in Vojvodina, as well as efforts to assimilate into the borders of Serbian culture and history. However, the accepted principles of multiculturalism in Serbia form the basis and guarantee for the affirmation of the Bunjevci people as a small nation and a chance for their overall faster development, for the preservation and improvement of all components of their ethnic identity, as well as full equality, both with the majority people and with all other nationalities in Serbia.

ACTIVITY OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS ON THE TERRITORY OF UKRAINE IN THE CONDITIONS OF MILITARY AGGRESSION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AGAINST UKRAINE

B a c k g r o u n d . This article examines the influence of religious organizations in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war and analyzes their activities in resisting Russian aggression. Considering the importance of socio-religious relations in crises, this article reveals new aspects of the activity of religious organizations in Ukraine. The purpose of this study is to analyze the activities of religious organizations on Ukraine's territory during the Russian Federation's military aggression. Tasks include the analysis of socio-religious relations in the context of war, the study of humanitarian and peace-making activities of religious organizations, and proposals for forming state policy in the sphere of socio-religious relations. The object of the research is the activity of religious organizations on the territory of Ukraine in the conditions of military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The research focuses on the influence and role of religious organizations in resisting the Russian occupation, particularly in the analysis of socio-religious relations during the Russian-Ukrainian war. In the study context, two main areas of activity of religious organizations are considered – humanitarian and peacekeeping. The main task is the study of the influence of these organizations on public resistance to the aggressor, as well as the formation of proposals for the development of state policy mechanisms in socio-religious relations. M e t h o d s . This study uses an analytical approach, structural analysis and empirical methods. The analytical approach is used to analyze socio-religious relations and their impact on the situation in the conditions of military aggression. The structural analysis allows us to investigate religious organizations' humanitarian and peace-making activities. Empirical methods are used to collect and analyze factual data regarding the role of religious organizations in opposing the aggressor. The case study method or the method of specific situations was used to study specific cases of successful activities of religious organizations in crises. R e s u l t s . Analyzing the activities of religious organizations, it was found that they play an essential role in public resistance to the aggressor. Religious organizations are actively engaged in humanitarian and peacekeeping activities, assisting internally displaced persons, evacuated citizens, and informing the world about Russian aggression. C o n c l u s i o n s . The study confirms the importance of public mobilization and humanitarian activities of religious organizations in crises. In order to achieve successful results in the fight against the enemy, the state must promote the development of religious activities and provide conditions for their humanitarian and peacekeeping work. This article can be helpful for teachers and students of courses in political science, sociology, cultural studies, religious sociology, security and conflict studies who are interested in the study of socio-religious relations, public resistance in crises and the role of religious organizations in conflicts.

Közgazdaságtani modellek a valláskutatásban

The economics of religion has entered the social science mainstream in recent decades, mainly through the work of Roger Finke, Laurance Iannaccone and Rodney Stark. In these works, the authors sought to lay down a new theoretical framework for explaining religious phenomena that could be used to provide a new context for the empirical data sets of sociology of religion by applying approaches to rational choice theory and the concept of the market. In doing so, they have sought to overcome the secularisation thesis (Iannacone 1998, Finke and Stark, 2000) and the view that the religious dimension is primitive or at least irrational (Stark, Iannaccone and Finke, 1996). The first half of the following paper focuses on this economic approach, reflecting in this context on the changing nature of religiosity in modern times, the challenges of religious identity formation, and the issue of religious markets resulting from contemporary pluralism, including the spiritual offer in Hungary. In the second part, relevant parts of our data collected over several years at the Everness festival, which provides a platform for the display of a broad spectrum of Hungarian spiritual offerings, are briefly presented, along with religious market supply trends.

Реконструкция трех типов трансценденций в социологии религии Томаса Лукмана

Although Thomas Luckmann was at the origin of secularization theory, which is considered to have finally lost its relevance in the early 1990s, some parts of his theory of religion are still of interest. This paper focuses on the transcendence concept, which is assumed to be crucial for Luckmann’s theory of religion and remains a relevant resource for the study of religion today. The text advances and substantiates the thesis that explicitly or implicitly, three types of transcendence can be found in Lukman’s theory of religion. The description of the anthropological transcendence focuses on the transcending of the human organism to the social world. The explication of this process leads us to the conclusion that the condition for the possibility of religion is the property of the organism to construct gradients of importance before any reflection on this importance. The description of phenomenological transcendence focuses on the process of “shrinking” of the experience of the transcendent underlying religion: from religions of “great” transcendence (world religions), to religions of “medium” or even “little” transcendence (privatized religions). The discussion of this type leads to the idea that religious experience does not disturb the course of everyday life, but is a condition of it, and that although any experience can be the basis of religion, there must be a way of selecting experiences that have a higher probability of being experienced religiously. The description of sociological transcendence focuses on the process of internalization and reconstruction of self-evident “ultimate” socially objectified significances (socio-historical a priori) transcendent to the individual and underlying their everyday life. In this sense, the process of privatization of religion suggests that the practice of “choosing” a private religion is part of, rather than a condition of, a system of “ultimate” significance. Understood in this way, Lukman’s theory of transcendence allows us to look at some relationships important for the sociology of religion from a different angle. For example, the relationship between religion in the public and private sphere, the relationship between religious and everyday experience, and the relationship between the functional boundaries of religious and secular institutions.

The Czech Struggle for and against Religion in Public Space: The Case of Re-Erecting of Marian Column in Prague from the Perspective of the Media

Over the course of the last thirty years, that is from the fall of the Communist regime and the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe, sociologists of religion and religious studies scholars have been attempting to characterize the attitude of Czech society to religion. This article consequently attempts to deal with religion in public space, in Prague and specifically in place perceived as purely Czech and national. The most significant case of iconoclasm in modern Czech history – the demolishment (1918) and re-erection (2020) of the Marian Column on the Old Town Square in Prague – was consequently chosen as the example of Czech national narrative template. The re-erection of this column has become an interesting media topic. This article therefore attempts to define the basic ideological frameworks of this debate, which was most intense in 2020, the time of the re-erection of the column.

Sekatenan Tradition as a Form of Community Integration in the Viewpoint of Phenomenology and Sociology of Religion

This study aims to examine the relationship between religious practice and the beliefs of the people who celebrate it, namely the Sekatenan ceremony, which is part of the grebeg maulud event, by explaining the phenomenon of cultural activity at the Yogyakarta Palace, the form of organization in the sekaten tradition from the point of view of phenomenology and the sociology of religion. This type of research is qualitative, using data triangulation techniques with observation, interviews, and documentation methods. The approach used in phenomenology and the sociology of religion. The results of his research show that the study of religious phenomena assumes that diversity can only be understood in its entirety which is centered on the essential nature of religious life, Sekatenan has symbolic meaning and behavior that contains values ​​including religion and culture. Based on sociological studies, Sekatenan has become a community tradition in the Yogyakarta area. Religious activities explain religious issues, which are always associated with sociological aspects. The Sekatenan ceremony can establish a good relationship between visitors, community members, and traders, fellow traders, and the local government with the palace so that the objectives can be achieved to improve the social quality of community life.

The Practice of Interfaith Tolerance Values in Schools

This research explores the tolerance practices teachers and students in schools apply. It aims to analyze the tolerance practices by teachers and students in daily life in a pluralist school environment and find out how to resolve conflicts in pluralist schools. The research uses the qualitative method. The used approach is the sociology of religion with the emic-ethical method. The data collection techniques are observation and interviews. The results show: first, tolerance has taught positive values to respect people with different backgrounds. Second, various religious activities can bring out attitudes and values of tolerance between teachers and students. Third, for any problems, there must be a mediator to intervene and resolve the problems that occur so that conflicts can be resolved properly and back to upholding a pluralist attitude.

Din Sosyolojisinde Dijitalleşme Teorileri ve Yaklaşımlar

Dijitalleşme ve din ilişkisi, çeşitli disiplinler altında çok boyutlu bir biçimde işlenmektedir. Dijitalleşme-din etkileşimine ilişkin ortaya konan teorik perspektiflerin alanda dağınık olarak yer alması, araştırmacıların kendi sahaları kapsamındaki verilere ulaşmasını zorlaştırmaktadır. Söz konusu zorluğu aşma amacını taşıyan bu çalışma; din sosyolojisi literatüründe yer alan dijitalleşme teorilerini alanda konumlandırmaya ve dijitalleşme-din sahasının sınırlarını belirginleştirmeye çalışmaktadır. Ancak teorilerin genel bir panoramasını sunan bu çalışma, dijitalleşme-din sahasına ilişkin tüm teorik perspektifleri kapsamamaktadır. Güncel gelişmeler ışığında dijitalleşme-din teorilerini temel dört teori ve daha küçük kapsamlı dört yaklaşım olarak sınıflayan bu çalışma; konuyu teorilerin başlıca temsilcileri ve temel argümanları çerçevesinde, dökümantasyon yöntemiyle incelemiştir. Bunlardan ilki, medya ortamının sosyal yapı üzerindeki belirleyiciliğini ön plana çıkaran “medya ekolojisi teorisi”; ikincisi, medyayı sosyal kurumlar için bir fırsat olarak değerlendiren “medyalaşma teorisi”; üçüncüsü, dijitalleşme sürecinin sosyal yapı üzerindeki makro, mezo ve mikro düzeydeki dönüştürücü etkilerine odaklanan “medyatikleşme teorisi”; dördüncüsü ise, konuya ilişkin daha önce ifade edilen teorileri sentezleyen “müzakere teorisi”dir. Bu teorileri, alanda yer edinmiş ana teoriler olarak konumlandırmak mümkündür. Öte yandan bunların dışında “çevrimiçi din”, “oyun”, “siyaset ve hukuk” ve “benlik sunumu” gibi kavramlar üzerinden din fenomenini okuyan daha küçük ölçekli yaklaşımlar da bulunmaktadır. Sonuç olarak medya ve din ilişkisini makro düzlemde inceleyen teorilerin, bu ilişkiyi olumlayanlar ve olumsuzlayanlar olarak temelde iki eğilime sahip olduğunu; mikro düzlemde inceleyen teorilerin ise özne, bağlam ve etkileşim kavramları çerçevesinde daha spesifik analizlere yöneldiğini söylemek mümkündür. Söz konusu teorik perspektiflerin, gerek bağımsız gerekse birbirleriyle ilişkili olan yönlerini ortaya koyan bu çalışmanın, dijitalleşme-din sahasının sınırlarını belirginleştirmesi açısından alana katkı sağlaması umulmaktadır.