Religion And Social Class Case Study

1. Identify what conclusions can be drawn regarding the association between religion and social class, race and gender.

It appears from the datasheets provided, that Protestants are about the same across all classes. It is the largest religion in the US, a slight difference as you go down the socioeconomic ladder the numbers get higher. Catholics are the second largest group with slightly higher numbers in the middle & working class. There are more Atheists than Jews it shows, with an overwhelming majority of Jews are in the upper class. (Data Sheets)

The same data reveals that Black people are almost all Protestants along with a majority of Whites. The majority of Catholic worshipers listed as other, I assume that means anyone who is not

fully Black, or White, no doubt this is due largely to Hispanics and Latinos. Catholic missionaries covered most of the islands and South America for centuries. Those of the Jewish faith are White as well but the numbers confuse me. (Data sheets)
When it comes to Gender Women are obviously the more faithful of the two. Those with no religion at all, men almost double the amount of women. (Data sheets)

2. Analyze the relationship between one’s religious preference and one’s social class.
Religion according to Durkheim is responsible for social cohesion.

He attributes “Social Solidarity” or “Collective conscience” to religion. He says it gives us our “Skeleton of thought” and affects the way we see our entire world time, space, cause and effect. (Conley 594) Weber gave us his “Iron cage” concept, attributed to Capitalist ideals of the Protestants. If one is a Protestant with a strong work ethic chances are he will be prosperous and be in a higher class. The networking involved in church life also can enhance one’s class. I propose that it is easier for one’s social class to determine their religion; than for their religion to determine their

class.
There is always an exception like the Hindu prince who became the original Buddha. There are those who are wealthy but take an oath of poverty; they are in a classification all alone. I suppose they would consider those individuals to be a sect. Many sects believe you cannot be rich and get to heaven, Jesus himself spoke of how difficult it is for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God. This has obviously fallen on deaf ears, Mega churches with operating budgets in the millions. (Conley 615)

3. Identify the greatest differences between white people and people of color in regards to religious affiliation.
First, 80% of blacks are Protestant, though the whites have a majority protestant base, there is more diversity. It is not a secret that many black churches are in poorer areas and even though Protestant in name it is a different style of worship. Like a “Party with God” atmosphere in many black denominational churches. Personal experience helps me to see the difference, you will not see anyone dosing off in a black church. It is festive and one cannot help but get caught up in it, religious or not. Black churches are also more active in their communities. (Conley 609)
4. With regard to men and women, identify whose religious attachment is stronger and explanations for why this is so in the US.
Women have a far greater religious attachment than men. (Data sheets) There is a stronger correlation between women with children and religion. Child rearing seems to play a role, religious women have more children than non-religious, and it appears the deeper the faith the more kids they want. (Conley609) Men are not as involved in church activities, women pray more and attend more services than men do.(Fig. 16.6 Conley) I believe this is higher in the US because of the culture. In many denominations they still adhere to a patriarchal system, many women are not working outside the home. This means also women will take kids to church groups, participate in functions and benefit from the spirit of community a church has to offer.

5. Using sociological theories and concepts develop an explanation for the various patterns presented in the data.
The fact that human beings feel the need to make sense of that, which makes no sense, is thought to be the need for religion by some.

For others it is the need to blame an evil entity for the bad things that happen; if you have evil you must have good as well. In modern times with all of our science, explaining many of what seemed miraculous in the past, one would think religion would be less popular. It seems however, religion is now more wide spread than ever before. Marx’s “Conflict Theory” lead him to believe that if workers could see the truth of how they were being dupped, they would rebel and over throw the oppressors. (Conley 590) Weber believed that the writings of Ben Franklin were the basis for the Protestant work ethic, saying it conveyed the “Spirit of Capitalism”. Protestants felt they must give God a good day’s work. Capitalism turned out not to need God, it worked just fine without the evolvement of religion. As he states in his “Iron cage” theory though Capitalism, once unleashed would keep us all trapped in the rat race gaining just to gain. (Conley 593) This is a good place to talk about the relationship between religion and class. The upper class would surely be the ones Marx thought workers would rebel against, since they are the owners of industry. Middle and working classes needed religion to give them something to look forward to in the afterlife. Women and minority groups have another reason altogether for religion in their lives. They too needed

the perk of a heaven but they need more, being