RELS 108 1nd Edition Lecture 9 Outline of Last Lecture II Spirituality and Ritual continued a Rites of Passage b Birth Rituals c Rituals of Initiation III Ritual Promotes 4 Purposes IV Videos Watched in Today s Class Outline of Current Lecture V Sacred Community VI Religious Communities and Social Resistance VII Spiritual Community as Refuge VIII Heresy Schism Division Current Lecture Sacred Community Spirituality as communal activity or communal response to the sacred Emile Durkheim The Elementary Forms of Religious Life o Main point There is an inescapable social dimension to religious faith Religious Communities and Social Resistance Difference between Church and Sect o Church indicates a community of some social standing that invites members to take part in its activities EX Methodist Baptist Lutheran etc o Sects demand more conformity amongst members Exclusive outlook Retreat from the dominant mode of culture society thought EX The Islamic State IS ISIS the Quakers the Amish etc Cult o Characteristics that are unique to cults Charismatic Leader Through this sole person the religious message is delivered New Revelation Perfects or changes an older tradition or gives more life to an old tradition These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Viewed with extreme suspicion More established religious communities view cults with suspicion Dominant religious traditions regard the message of cults as being heretical and blasphemous o Cults can sometimes turn into sects Sometimes a sect can turn into a church Depends on how history plays out o Example of cult that became a church is the Mormon Church Spiritual Community as Refuge Refuge from threat perceived or imagined Heresy Schism Division The Sacred Canopy Religion is the establishment through human activity of an allembracing order Form of shelter from chaos or destruction The harsh realities of this world are too hard to bear for many so religion as a sacred canopy gives some insight to these life events