Religious Organisations

• Church
• Denomination
• Sect
• Cult

Church

• Weber - six charcteristics,
• Large universal membership - majority of Christians in the UK.
• Inclusive membership - born into church, sense of identity.
• Bureaucratis structures and hierarchers - like large business organisations and tend to be bureaucratic.
• Professional clergy - salaried professionals.
• Tied to the state - accept the way wider society is organised.
• A monopoly of the truth - their theologies and belief system are superior.

Evaluation

• Bruce - this defintion is more relebant to pre modern Christian societies because religion became more fragmented after the industrial revelution and consequently modern society is now characterised by religious pluralism.
• Davie - churches are always conservative or connect to the state and ruling class.
• Some radical bishops are quite critical of the ruling class and the various typed of inequality that exist today.

Denomination

• Niebuhr - characteristics
• Large membership - more members from work classes.
• Inclusive membership - membership is involuntary.
• A bureaucracy - hierarchies.
• A professional clergy - employed full time or part time.
• An acceptance of wider society - do not usually conflict with wider social or cultural beliefs and values.
• Acceptance of religious diversity - reasonably happy to co exist.
• No monopoly of the truth
• A level of commitment is expected .

Sects

• A charismatic leader - David Koresh led the Branch Davidians.
• A small membership - fairly small in terms of the numbers
• No professional clergy or bureaucracy - depend on the authority of the charismatic leader for their theology and rules.
• Exclusive membership
• Total commitment and control - giving…