Organisations, movements and members

Types of religious organisations

Churches -
- Well organised and large organisations
- Run by a bureaucratic hierarchy of professional priests
- Universalistic and aim to attract the whole of society
- Ideologically conservative and often closely linked to the state
- Claim a monopoly of truth
- More attractive to the higher classes
Sects -
- Small, exclusive groups
- Draw from the poor and oppressed
- They too claim a monopoly of truth
- Hostile of wider society and require high levels of commitment
- Led by a charismatic leader
Denominations -
- Broadly accept society's values
- Less exclusive, but they dont appeal to wider society
- Impose minor restrictions on members, such as forbidding alcohol, but are not as demanding as sects
- Tolerant of other religious organisations and dont claim a monopoly of truth
Cults -
- Lose knit and least organised
- Highly individualistic
- Doesnt require high levels of commitment
- Cults are usually led by 'therapists' and its members are more like customers
- Usually world affirming, claiming to improve life in this world
Cathedrals to cults
- Bruce (1996) argues that Troeltchs idea of a church as having a religious monopoly only applies to the Catholic Church before the 16th century Protestant Reformation when it has religious monopoly over society, symbolished by its massive and impose cathedrals
- Since then,…

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