I. Introduction: ReligionII. Theories of Religiona. Marxi. Religion is the “opiate of the masses.”ii. It supports the status quo.b. Durkheimi. Durkheim, Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912)1. Sacred: those things regarded as part of the supernatural and inspiring awe, reverence and respect2. Profane: the ordinary, the familiar, the mundane3. Definition of religion: the socially organized pattern of beliefs and practices concerning ultimate meaning that assumes the existence of the supernaturalii. Functionalism: “Society is God and God is society.”c. Weberi. Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904)ii. Relation between economics and religioniii. Calvinism1. Protestant ethic2. Predestinationd. Religious Economye. Religion, Modernity and Secularizationi. Secularization: the social process by which religious influences on thought and behavior are reduced and/or relegated to a separate sphere of influenceii. Fundamentalism: belief in the timeless nature and universal application of sacred beliefsIII. Types of Religious Organizationsa. Church: a formal religious organization that is well-integrated into the mainstream of society.i. Ecclesia: a religious organization that claims to include most of all of the members of a society and is recognized as the national or official religion.ii. Denomination: one of two or more well-established relatively tolerant religious organizations that claim allegiance of a substantial portion of the population.b. Sects: exclusive and uncompromising religious organizations; often split from a denomination for doctrinal reasonsc. Cults: loosely organized religious movements independent of the religious tradition of the surrounding society. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY3cx3U0gYE d. New Religious Movementsi. World-affirming movementsii. World-rejecting movementsIV. Gender and Religiona. Religious imagesb. The Role of Women in Religious Organizationsc. Women and IslamV. World Religionsa. Christianityb. Islamc. Judaismd. Hinduism VI. Religion in the United Statesa. Civil Religion: any set of beliefs and rituals, related to the past, present,and/or future of a people (nation), which are understood in some transcendental fashion.b. Trends in Religious Affiliationi. Protestantism and growing conservatismii. Catholicismiii. Other religious groupsc. Religion and Statusd. Secularization or religious revival?e. Resurgent EvangelicalismVII. Globalization and Religiona. Liberation Theologyb. Religious nationalismc. Islamic nationalismVIII. Summary and