Types of Religious Organisation

E. Troeltsch --  distinguished 2 main types -- Church & Sect

• Church
  • large organisations -- large membership worldwide -- e.g Catholic Church
  • Run by bureaucratic hierarchy of prof priests
  • claim monopoly of truth
  • universalistic -- aim to include the whole of society
  • tend to be more attractive to higher classes -- as they're more ideologically conservative
  • often linked closely to the state -- e.g British sovereign = head of state & head of CofE
  • Place few demands on their members
• Sects
  • Small & exclusive groups
  • hostile -- wider society
  • high levels of commitment
  • members = from poor/oppressed backgrounds
  • Charismatic leaders
  • claim monopoly religious truth

R. Niebuhr -- identified other types in addition

• Denominations
  • midway between church & sect
  • less exclusive than sects
  • Not Universalistic -- don't appeal to wider society 
  • broadly accepts societal values -- But not linked to state
  • some minor restrictions -- e.g not drinking alcohol
  • not as demanding as sects
  • unlike church/sect -- tolerant of other religious claims & don't claim monopoly of truth
• Cults
  • least organised -- highly individualistic + loose-knit = usually small grouping around shared themes + interests
  • led by 'practitioners' & 'therapists' -- who often claim special knowledge
  • usually tolerant of other beliefs
  • don't demand strong commitment -- often more like trainees/customers -- often leave once knowledge or training = acquired
  • many = world-affirming -- claiming to improve life 

R. Wallis -- identified 2 characteristics

1. How they see themselves

• Churches & Sects = claim monopoly of truth -- only legitimate explanation
• Denominations & Cults = accept there can be many valid interpretations

2. How wider society sees them

• Churches & Denominations = seen as legitimate & Respectable
• Sects & Cults = seen as deviant

Some socos disagree that these descriptions fit today's society...

• Bruce -- Troeltsch's idea -- church having religious monopoly -- only applies to R. Catholic Church prior 16th Century Prod Reformation
  • when it had a religious monopoly over society -- symbolised by massive imposing cathedrals 
• Since -- sects & cults = flourished
• religious diversity = now Norm
• Today's society -- churches = no longer churches in Troeltsch's sense 
  • have been reduced to status of denominations
  • competing with rest

NRMs

• Significant growth since 1960s
  • e.g Unification Church = 'Moonies', Children of God, Transcendental Meditation = Tm etc.
• Wallis categorises NRMs into 3 groups -- based on relationship to outside world -- rejects/accommodates/affirms

World-accommodating NRM (W.A)

• often a breakaway from mainstream church/denomination
  • e.g Neo-Pentecostalists = split from catholicism
• Neither reject nor accept the world -- focus on r. matters
  • i.e seeking to restore spiritual purity of religion
    • e.g Neo-Pentecostalists believe other Christian religions have lost holy spirit
• members tend to live conventional lives

World-Rejecting NRMs

• Similar to Troeltsch's sects
• Examples = Moonies/Children of God/Manson family
• Vary greatly in size
• Several Characteristics
  • Clearly r. organisations -- clear notion of God
  • Highly critical of outside world -- expect/seek radical change
  • To achieve salvation -- members must make sharp break from former life
  • Communal living -- restricted contact with outside -- movement controls every aspect of life -- often seen as 'brainwashing'
  • Often conservative moral codes -- e.g sex

World-Affirming NRMs

• Different from all other r.groups
• may lack conventional features of religion -- e.g collective worship or lack high organisation 
• But they do offer access to spiritual/supernatural powers
• Examples = Scientology/TM/Human Potential
• Characteristics
  • accept world as it is -- optimistic + promise followers successes in mainstream goals -- i.e careers & personal relationships
  •  tolerant of other religions -- claim extra special knowledge -- enable followers to 'unlock' own spiritual power -- described as 'psychologising religion' by offering worldly gratification
  • most = cults -- followers = customers -- entry = via training -- very little demands -- can carry on with normal lives
• In general W.AFF = most successful
  • e.g 2005 U.K membership
    • W.R - Moonies = 1.2k
    • W.AFF - Scientology = 165k

• Wallis -- offers a useful way of classifying NRMs
• But -- some argue it's not clear -- categorising on movement's teachings or the individuals' beliefs
• He also ignores diversity of beliefs within NRMs
• Wallis -- recognises NRMs = not always fit his typology -- e.g 3HO (r.organisation) has features that fit all 3 types
• But -- many socos find his typology = very useful for analysing differences etc
• Stark & Bainbridge -- reject idea of typology altogether -- argue we should use only 1 criterion to distinguish = the degree of conflict/tension between r.group & wider society 

Stark & Bainbridge -- identify 2 kinds of org = in conflict with w.society 

1. Sects = result from schisms -- usually over disagreements over doctrine

2. Cults = New religions -- e.g Scientology

• In general S & B see:
  • Sects promise other-worldly benefits -- e.g place in heaven -- to those suffering economic/ethnic deprivation --- their values conflict with w.society
    • Contrast with:
  • Cults tend to other this-worldly benefits to the more wealthy -- who suffer psychic deprivation (normlessness) & Organismic deprivation (health problems) 

Stark & Bainbridge -- subdivide cults by levels of organisation

1. Audience Cults = least organised -- no formal membership or much commitment -- little interaction between members -- participation can be via media -- examples = Astrology & UFO Cults

2. Client Cults = based on consultant/customer relationship -- provision of services -- historically  = med. miricles + contact dead -- emphasis shift to 'thereapies' & self-fufilment

3. Cultic Movements = most org -- demand higher levels commitment than other cults -- members = not allowed to be members of other r.organisations -- examples = moonies or doomsday ritualists & mass suicides 

• S & B = useful distinctions between orgs -- e.g their idea of using degree of conflict with w.society to distinguish = similar to Troeltsch's distinction between church = accepting society & Sects = rejecting society
• But -- some examples they use don't fit neatly into any 1 category