The sociology of religion
What are monotheistic religions?
Monotheistic religion – Religions that believe in one god.
What are the major world religions?
Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism (& non-affiliated)
What are gender-typed jobs?
Gender-typed jobs – Jobs perceived to be more appropriate for either men or women, but not for both.
What is the division of labor?
Division of labor – System in which people specialize in particular jobs and rely on one another for other items they need.
What is money?
Money – A method of recording value in a particular society.
What is religiosity?
Religiosity – Degree of active participation in religious activity, usually defined by religious attendance.
Name a US supreme court case that has been affected by religious beliefs
Roe v. Wade
What is the U.S. Census Bureau?
U.S. Census Bureau – Federal organization that conducts a census of all households every ten years and sets key definitions such as the poverty line.
What is the poverty line?
Poverty line – Official U.S. measure of the amount of money needed to provide a minimally-sufficient level of food and shelter.
What is a corporation?
Corporation – A group of people organized together by business owners in order to generate a profit.
What is secularization?
Secularization - Religion’s loss of social and cultural significance in a society.
List some “family values issue” from the textbook
Homosexuality, contraception, abortion
What is the human capital theory?
Human capital theory - That income is based on a worker’s skills.
What is the college premium?
College premium – Extra money earned by those with a college degree.
What is a fiat currency?
Fiat currency – Coins or other items that a government declares is money.
What is the plausibility crisis?
Plausibility crisis – When people begin to question the plausibility of the core belief of their religion.
Which US president invoked “The Muslim Ban” and who revoked it?
Donald Trump and Joe Biden
What is social closure?
Social closure – Efforts to exclude members of other groups from desirable jobs.
What is statistical discrimination?
Statistical discrimination – Employers pay less to all members of a group because that group is on average less productive.
What is an open system?
Open system – An organization with loose boundaries that allow people and ideas to enter or leave.
What is religious competition theory?
Religious competition theory– the more religiously diverse a country is, the more active religious individuals are because religions compete for followers.
Where did Berger think secularization would happen the fastest and why?
In places with religious pluralism, or in many different religions because it would create a plausibility crisis for all religion.
What is taste-based discrimination?
Taste-based discrimination – Employers or customers treat members of one group better than others, regardless of their productivity.
What are black codes?
Black codes – Laws that banned newly freed slaves from entering desirable jobs (social mobility).
Compare formal institutions with informal institutions.
Formal institutions are governed by official laws and written policies about what members are allowed to do, whereas informal institutions are guided by unwritten rules (norms) on what is expected of its members.