Isidore E. Sharpe
Dr. John H. Walker
RSO 101: Sociology of Religion
7 February 2017
Summary Paper
Week 5
Hunter argues that religious responses to human sexuality generally and homosexuality specifically are rooted in diverse moral understanding of the as the appropriate context for sexual behavior. So, sexuality could be experienced, as well as, expressed in various ways, which includes thoughts, fantasies, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviors, practices, roles, and relationships. It is believed that sexuality is the focal point or main point of interest in the family. So society places sexuality at the center of family. People will put personal sexual intimacy before carrying out their responsibility of raising their children as
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Without any doubt, the gay community has imposed their ways upon society. The homosexual movement represents the most grossly immoral attack against the traditional family and it values. I believe that the attack is so strong, that the church in some ways, has forgotten how to combat this sin. The body of baptized believers (the church) has to take a stand. This homosexual movement is causing a potent threat to the traditional family; not only are traditional family is threaten, but other parts of society as well.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force declares that gays and lesbians are not the threat to society, it is those persons which goes right wings; the one who establishes the lifestyle of in the dark or what done behind closed doors. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force believe that the threat is not only sexual, the threat is also from the right wing’s manipulation of ignorance, bigotry and economic injustice (Monahan, page 186). Within the policy arena, homosexuality is just as authentic as, any other traditional
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Religion has faced many challenges to sustain its influence in secularization. Secularization use a traditional model to measure religion; when religion seem to be in a down spiral that is evident that the test model is working right. Although, modern social system seem to have no space for the idea of ultimate salvation, as today’s religious perceptions share an uneasy and a shrinking frontier with rational percepts (Monahan, page 236). In the way that society is headed, religion face rational demands to survive against certain secular organizations. Religion is surely declining significance as a result of human involvement with primarily local association. Since colonial days, religion has been the balancing role that has sustained socioeconomic inequalities. Regardless of all the changes that has happened in our society, religious people and groups are at the center. Religion is the very glue that binds society together, with beliefs and principles; and it shows no patterns of decay. Instead religion is increasing vigorous, with commitment on individual
The United States is commonly thought to be on an inevitable march towards secularization. Scientific thought and the failure of the enlightenment to reconcile the concept of god within a scientific framework are commonly thought to have created the antithesis of religious practice in the rise of the scientific method. However, the rise of doubt and the perception that secularization is increasing over time has in actuality caused an increase in religious practice in the United States through episodic revivals. Moreover, practice of unbelief has developed into a movement based in the positive assertion in the supplantation of God by the foundations of science, or even in the outright disbelief in God. The perception of increasing secularism in the United States spurs religious revivalism which underscores the ebb and flow of religious practice in the United States and the foundation of alternative movements which combines to form the reality that the United States is not marching towards secularism but instead religious diversity.
In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people have dedicated themselves in fighting for
middle of paper ... ... onclusion then we can say that sociological accounts of the role and functions of religious institutions and movements in contemporary society have, of necessity had to be modified to take into account the many changes which religion is undergoing in the twenty-first century. Traditional Functionalist theories emphasising the cohesive function of religion are as outdated as classical Marxist perspectives portraying religion as the ally of the ruling classes and a means of oppressing the working-class. Clearly society has moved on and the certainty of early, deterministic perspectives of religion (namely functionalist and Marxist) have been challenged by the apparent variety in contemporary social life - including the extent to which individualism and diversity is presenting a challenge to sociological Grand theory.
The secularization paradigm Bruce argues ‘is a set of associated explanations rather than a single theory’ (Pg.43). To build on this argument Bruce provides us with a diagram of the secularization paradigm with 22 key contributing factors; some showing the religiosity of societies i.e. the protestant reformation and monotheism, some exploring other factors which have contributed towards secularization such as Industrial Capitalism, Technological Consciousness and Social Differentiation and he provides an explanation of these concepts in order to provide the reader with an analysis of these themes. This can however be problematic in the sense that the terminology of the paradigm may well be understood by individuals studying or in the field of sociology but for individuals who are looking to develop their knowledge on the debate of secularization and religion can make this difficult. Bruce argues that modernization is one of the main causes of secularization. ‘‘Modernization brought with it increased cultural diversity in three different ways. First populations moved and brought their language, religion and social mores with them in a new setting. Secondly, the expansion of the increasingly expansive nation state meant that new groups were brought into the state. But thirdly…modernization created cultural pluralism through the proliferation of classes and class fragmentation with increasingly diverse
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
“Sex and religion? Those two don’t really go hand in hand,” commented by a freshmen student from UF. Like this student, numerous people around the world believe this misconception to be true. Whether people argue for or against the importance of sex in religion, more than just what goes on the bedroom has been heating up lately. Many debates have sparked due to the negative connotation associated with sex when confronted about its position in religious cultures. A study done had proven a direct relationship between religiosity and sexual attitudes in college student, but to what extent are their spiritual values influential in their sexual beliefs and what are the reasons behind this (Beckwith, n.pg.). Either way, there is to some extent an influence on sexual behavior, whether it is by gender, ethnicity, or religion. After extensive research and several interviews, I’m determined to find the truth about sex and its importance in religious cultures, its effects on spirituality, and the roles it plays in religion.
The dominance of the marital structure in Western society has contributed to a male dominated society, distinguishing the way in which men and women must conduct themselves sexually. As stated in The Unclean Motion of the Generative Parts, social relations have been democratized through sexuality (Connell & Dorset 283). This democratization of sex creates a difference in power between men and women allowing men to dominate women in the private life (Connell & Dorset 275). Rather than solely being about pleasure, sex has become something to overpower women. The sex power inequality is an outcome of Christianity and a marriage dominated society, encouraging women to remain below that of men.
If during the second half of the last century there was much talk about a "secular society" where religion was no longer a factor of consideration, scholars today speak of a "post-secular society", in which the reality of Religion, in many different ways, is not only a cultural but also a geopolitical force that must be considered. Today, the community of nations and individual nations are increasingly becoming multi-religious civil
From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.
Religious Fundamentalism is not a modern phenomenon, although, it has received a rise in the late twentieth century. It occurs differently in different parts of the world but arises in societies that are deeply troubled or going through a crisis (Heywood, 2012, p. 282). The rise in Religious Fundamentalism can be linked to the secularization thesis, which implies that victory of reason over religion follows modernization. Also, the moral protest of faiths such as Islam and Christianity can be linked to the rise of Religious Fundamentalism, as they protest the influence of corruption and pretence that infiltrate their beliefs from the spread of secularization (Heywood, 2012, p. 283). Religious Fundamentalists have followed a traditional political thought process, yet, have embraced a militant style of activity which often can turn violent (Heywood, 2012, p. 291).
For thousands of years, religion has exerted a great influence over economic and political life. Even today religion is called upon to support rulers, contacts and other legal procedures.
Secularization is a controversial form of social change in modern day society. Secularization is a concept derived from a Latin word meaning “the present age,” the term is generally associated with modern, technologically, and advanced societies. “Secularism is a political tradition that has been evolving for eighteenth centuries. It shares important relationships with other traditions, sustaining complex ties with Judeo-Christianity, and maintaining a long-standing relationship with Islam” ( Hurd, 2004). The term secular has taken on many different meaning through history. The earliest references can be traced to the 13th century, when the notion of the saeculum arose in reference to a binary opposition within Christianity. Priests who withdrew from the world (saeculum) formed the religious clergy, while those living in the world formed the secular clergy (Casanova, 1994). The notion of the ‘secular’ has taken on a range of different meanings over the past eighteen centuries. In today society, the world secular is used to describe a world thought to be in motion, the moving away from religious influence in everyday life.
The study of sexuality and religion has been developing over the years. I was first exposed to this field of study as a freshman in college; it’s been several years since this experience, and it has developed my academic and personal skills. I aspire to have this same influence on my prospective students. At the end of this course, my students will be able to identify religious influences in society (i.e., gender roles, politics, race), evaluate and compare sex positive and sex negative societies, analyze the evolution of heteronormativity throughout cultures, and critically examine religious texts.
These questions arise from our own desires as Christians to reflect a biblically sound attitude towards sexuality and relationships. That same desire to act according to biblical scriptures is subject to opposition from today’s culture and views about sexual relationships, gender, and roles. A new definition of marriage, sexual orientation, and sexual practices is challenging our relationship with God and our view of human sexuality. Bishop John Spong defines sex and its impact on relationships: “Sex can be called at once the greatest gift to humanity and the greatest enigma of our lives. It is a gift in that is a singular joy for all beings and enigma in its destructive potential for people and their relationships.” (Spong, 1988)
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.