CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL A LEVEL SOCIOLOGY (9699)

PAPER 4 — RELIGION

COMPLETE DEFINITIONS NOTES

RELIGION

Religion

• System of beliefs and practices relating to the sacred or supernatural.

Belief System

• Organised set of beliefs and values about life and society.

Sacred

• Things regarded as holy, spiritual or deserving special respect.

Profane

• Ordinary aspects of everyday life not considered sacred.

Worship

• Religious acts showing devotion to a deity or spiritual power.

Ritual

• Formal symbolic action performed in religious ceremonies.

Collective Worship

• Religious worship carried out in groups or communities.

Collective Conscience

• Shared beliefs and moral attitudes uniting society.

Collective Effervescence

• Emotional unity experienced during collective religious rituals.

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia (AYLOTI), World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 11 World Records and 7 Distinctions, Educate A Change.

TYPES OF RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS

Church

• Large formal religious organisation integrated into society.

Denomination

• Established religious group tolerant of society and other beliefs.

Sect

• Small exclusive religious group often opposing mainstream society.

Cult

• Loose spiritual group focused on individual beliefs and experiences.

New Religious Movement (NRM)

• Recently developed religious or spiritual movement.

World-Accommodating Sect

• Sect attempting to revive spiritual commitment without rejecting society completely.

World-Rejecting Sect

• Sect strongly opposing mainstream society and values.

World-Affirming Sect

• Group focusing on personal development rather than rejecting society.

Charismatic Leader

• Influential leader attracting followers through personal qualities.

RELIGION & SOCIETY DEFINITIONS

Social Cohesion

• Unity and solidarity within society.

Social Control

• Processes encouraging conformity to social norms.

Ideology

• Set of beliefs supporting particular interests or social systems.

False Consciousness

• Situation where oppressed groups accept beliefs against their own interests.

Patriarchy

• Social system where men hold dominant power.

Fundamentalism

• Strict adherence to traditional religious beliefs and practices.

Religious Fundamentalism

• Movement insisting on literal interpretation of sacred texts.

Religious Pluralism

• Existence of many religions within one society.

Civil Religion

• Shared national beliefs and rituals creating social unity.

Liberation Theology

• Religious movement linking Christianity with social justice and political activism.

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia (AYLOTI), World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 11 World Records and 7 Distinctions, Educate A Change.

SECULARISATION DEFINITIONS

Secularisation

• Decline in religious influence within society.

Disenchantment

• Replacement of religious explanations by rational and scientific thinking.

Rationalisation

• Increasing reliance on logic and science over tradition or religion.

Believing Without Belonging

• Having religious beliefs without participating in organised religion.

Religious Decline

• Reduction in religious belief, attendance or influence.

Religious Revival

• Renewed growth or interest in religion.

Privatisation of Religion

• Religion becoming personal rather than public.

Spirituality

• Personal search for meaning or connection beyond organised religion.

Postmodern Religion

• Flexible and individualised forms of religious belief in postmodern society.

MARXIST RELIGION DEFINITIONS

“Opium of the People”

• Marx’s idea that religion comforts oppressed groups while maintaining inequality.

Ruling Class

• Powerful social group controlling economic and political systems.

Hegemony

• Cultural dominance maintained through consent rather than force.

Ideological State Apparatus

• Institution spreading dominant ideology and maintaining social order.

WEBERIAN RELIGION DEFINITIONS

Protestant Ethic

• Weber’s idea that Protestant values encouraged capitalism.

Asceticism

• Lifestyle involving self-discipline and avoidance of luxury.

Calvinism

• Protestant belief system linked by Weber to capitalist development.

Predestination

• Belief that salvation is predetermined by God.

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia (AYLOTI), World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 11 World Records and 7 Distinctions, Educate A Change.

GLOBALISATION & RELIGION DEFINITIONS

Religious Globalisation

• International spread and interaction of religions.

Religious Diaspora

• Religious community living outside original homeland.

Global Religious Movement

• Religious movement operating internationally.

Religious Nationalism

• Strong connection between religion and national identity.

Cultural Defence

• Use of religion to defend cultural identity against outside influence.

Cultural Transition

• Use of religion to help groups adapt to social change.

RELIGION & GENDER DEFINITIONS

Religious Patriarchy

• Male dominance within religious institutions and beliefs.

Feminist Theology

• Reinterpretation of religion from feminist perspective.

Gender Role

• Social expectations linked to gender.

Symbolic Violence

• Cultural domination making inequality appear normal.

RELIGION & ETHNICITY DEFINITIONS

Ethnic Identity

• Identity based on shared culture, history or ancestry.

Diaspora Community

• Group living outside ancestral homeland while maintaining identity.

Cultural Identity

• Shared traditions, beliefs and practices shaping group identity.

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia (AYLOTI), World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 11 World Records and 7 Distinctions, Educate A Change.

POSTMODERN RELIGION DEFINITIONS

Consumer Religion

• Religion chosen and consumed like products in modern society.

Religious Market

• Competition between religious organisations for followers.

Religious Fragmentation

• Breakdown of one dominant religion into diverse beliefs.

Hyperreality

• Situation where media representations become more influential than reality.

Network Society

• Society organised through digital communication networks.

Religious Individualism

• Focus on personal spiritual choices rather than institutional authority.

SCIENCE & RELIGION DEFINITIONS

Science

• Systematic study based on evidence and observation.

Positivism

• Belief that valid knowledge comes from scientific observation.

Empirical Evidence

• Information based on observation or experience.

Scientific Rationality

• Use of logic and evidence to explain phenomena.

RELIGION & POWER DEFINITIONS

Legitimation

• Process making authority appear justified or acceptable.

Authority

• Legitimate power accepted by society.

Domination

• Control exercised by one group over another.

Social Change

• Transformation of society over time.

Conservatism

• Support for maintaining traditional values and institutions.

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia (AYLOTI), World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 11 World Records and 7 Distinctions, Educate A Change.

EXAMINER KEYWORDS

IMPORTANT TERMS:

• Secularisation

• Fundamentalism

• Social cohesion

• Social control

• Ideology

• Patriarchy

• Spirituality

• Collective conscience

• Rationalisation

• Consumer religion

• Religious pluralism

• Cultural defence

• Cultural transition

FINAL GOLDEN RULE

RELIGION DEFINITIONS MUST:

• Be sociological

• Use precise terminology

• Link to theories where possible

• Avoid storytelling

• Match examiner wording closely

Written and Compiled By Sir Hunain Zia (AYLOTI), World Record Holder With 154 Total A Grades, 11 World Records and 7 Distinctions, Educate A Change.