Sociology

Topic 6: ASSESS SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS FOR THE INCREASING NUMBER OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL ORGANISATIONS AND MOVEMENTS IN SOCIETY TODAY. (33 marks.)

Since the 1960s there has been massive growth in the number of sects and cults and the number of people belonging to them. For example there is an estimated to be over 800 new religious movements and half a million individuals belonging to these and other non-mainstream Christian churches in the UK. Sociologists have offered three key explanations for this trend; marginality, relative deprivation and social change.

Troeltsch had noted sects tended to draw members from the poor and the oppressed. Similarly, Max Weber argues sects arise in groups who are marginal in society. Such groups feel they’re disprivileged. They don’t believing they’re receiving their economic rewards or social status. Weber argues that sects offer a solution to this problem by offering members a theodicy of disprivilege – a religious explanation and justification for their suffering and disadvantage. This can explain their misfortune as a test of faith, for example while holding out the promise of rewards in the future for keeping the faith.

Historically many sects as well as millenarian movements have recruited from the marginalised poor. For example in the 20th century the Nation of Islam recruited among disadvantaged oppressed blacks in the USA. However since the 1960s the sect world rejecting new religious movement the Moonies have recruited from more affluent groups of young, well-educated middle class whites. However Wallis argues this doesn’t contradict Weber’s view as many of the individuals were already marginal in society. Despite their middle class background most were hippies, drug users and drop outs.

Relative deprivation refers to the subjective sense of being deprived.  This is where someone who in reality is privileged feels deprived or disadvantaged compared to others. Thus although middle class people are economically...