‘the Relationship Between Religious Beliefs, Religious Organisations and Social Groups Is Complex and Diverse. Different Groups Have Different Needs and Priorities.’ to What Extent Do Sociological Arguments and Evidence Support This View?

Compared to men, women are more likely to express a greater interest in religion, to have stronger personal faith and belief in live after death, and have a stronger personal religious commitment. Also to involve themselves more in religious rituals and worship e.g. they are more likely to attend religious services and they participate more in religious life generally. Bruce also found that women join or involve themselves with new religious movements and new age movements. Religion and religious ideology plays a part in maintaining the male domination over women that is found in many aspects of social life, achieved by religious ideas

In fact, Census (2013) shows that in Australia, 15% of the population claimed they had no religion within 2001, this has risen to least 22% today. An influence which has been addressed is that, the wealthier nations are becoming more content and assured as they have developed progressively indifferent to religious morals. Despite wealth being a catalyst of the decline of religion in Australia, CBC News (2012) asserted that the one of the main factors for the deterioration of religion in the Western society is ‘existential security’ meaning that individuals live in a somewhat unchanging, democratic society. This has resulted to countries such as Australia alongside having a solid social security having the least religious individuals (CBC News, 2013). These concepts are generally supported in the survey findings with most respondents claim that Australians see organized religion as "out-dated" in Australia and not needed in the society. In addition to this, another factor argued to the reason why religion is declining is the age. In fact, the investigation specified earlier which showed that age thought to be a vigorous stimulus in faith in God (by National Opinion Research Center, 2017). This has been further supported to surveys claiming that “in the society that majority of people who believe in an organized religion are elderly and less teens.” This establishes that there are various other influences of decline in religion within Australia despite of the countries’ separation from religious

While he supports the idea that the level of religiosity in a given society would be a helpful statistic to examine, an accurate measurement of this statistic proves virtually impossible. He goes on to present several traditionally-utilized benchmarks in determining how religious an individual is, including church attendance, prayer, and the study of theological texts (Babbie, 58). While going to church, praying, and reading the Bible (or another holy book) might make someone seem to be religious, there are exceptions on both sides of the spectrum. To this end, Babbie provides the cases of a church-going, lying, cheating, and generally corrupt politician and a bed-ridden, devout individual who does not attend church services simply because they are not able to.

Most religions argue that there is equality between sexes within their religious groups but there is further evidence to question this. In religious organisations they are mainly male dominated. In Orthodox, Catholism and Judaism women are all forbidden to

Two forces which gathered strength in the last half of the twentieth century now dominate the world religions at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The first is the globalization of religions and their resulting encounter with each other, and the second is the need to redefine attitudes toward gender as women have stepped forward to insist that their full humanity be acknowledged in the religious as well as the social realm.

Shown in recent statistics, is that younger people, who are over 15 (as children under this age are usually forced by parents), do not participate in religious activity as much as the older generation – excluding the over 65s group, this is usually because they cannot get to church easily due to ill-health and disabilities. Brierley supports the idea of an older generation by showing that the average age of church goers in 1979 was 37 which increased to 49 in 2005, clearly showing a trend towards an older congregation. Heelas also found that those involved with the New-Age Movements were mainly middle-aged or older; again supporting the recent trend.

Women in this time had to be more religious than men. They were religious because being religious was easy for woman because it helped them stay in their domain which was their home. The woman can pray and speak of Christ without ever leaving their home or going to church. As well as teaching themselves about God's work, they were also entitled to teach those who lied in the house as well. They

Thousands of years ago, the Goddess was viewed as an autonomous entity worthy of respect from men and women alike. Because of societal changes caused by Eastern influence, a patriarchical system conquered all aspects of life including religion. Today, the loss of a strong female presence in Judeo-Christian beliefs has prompted believers to look to other sources that celebrate the role of women. Goddess religion and feminist spirituality have increasingly been embraced by men and women as an alternative to the patriarchy found in traditional biblical religion.

More women (51 percent) spoke about their faith than those who choose not to (31 percent).

Their first changes in gender ideology came with the Christian missionaries. Before this arrival, women were able to take on leadership roles in their spirituality. In Christianity, there is a male dominated “authority, not just in religion but in all areas of life. ”(85) Man dominated the new and booming fur trade.

Religion is powerful in that it controls followers’ behaviours and beliefs throughout their entire lives; it is a form of social control. Catholicism is one of the most widely known religions influencing more than 2 billion people around the world (Ross). Within Catholicism not everyone are seen as equals; men have greater privilege than women. The bible and church are from a male’s point of view (Christ 86) and passages within the bible are used to enforce a sexual hierarchy. In fact, the oppression of women begins with the first story in Genesis about creation, which portrays females as being inferior to men and even of an evil nature. This one passage is the main source of justification of oppression of woman in the church (Daly 13).

Throughout our Women and Religion Course, we have analyzed how women’s lives have been shaped by religious affiliation, or lack thereof. Religious obligations and ideals have historically placed women in a patriarchal box that has required the submission or obedience of women in order to be a true follower. This ideology has created a movement within different religions for a more progressive understanding of the modern woman and her ability to increase participation and visibility for similar women; who may be experiencing the same plight. Women, who speak out about the emotional, sexual, and physical abuse that pervades certain religions, as well as the lack of respect, provide a voice for woman who may otherwise never have their stories

Compared to previous generations, Millennials are significantly less religious (Twenge, Exline, Grubbs, Sastry & Campbell, 2015). Since 2010, 12th grade adolescents were seventy-five percent more likely than adolescents of previous generations to say religion was not important to them. Cultural shifts toward higher individualism and materialism has provided a possible correlation to this decline in religious significance. Surveys conducted since 1972 showed incremental increases in the number of American adults claiming no religion at just eight percent, but since 1990 there has been a sharp and steady increase to 20 percent as of 2012 (Hout, Fischer & Chaves, 2013). With each new generation, there has been a decline in support for traditional

Religion is a social institution composed of a unified system of beliefs, symbols, and rituals that guides human life, including behaviors and values. I agree with the claim that the sociological study of religion makes one’s religious faith stronger in societies and communities because the more knowledgeable you are of your religion, the more you follow and practice its beliefs. Reading the books of the religion of your choice allows you to choose the lifestyle you live and control your beliefs. Sociologically studying one’s religion cannot damage religious faith unless you are sociologically studying a religion other than yours. Your devotion to your religion has been given to you at birth, and normally children follow their parents before anyone else.

When talking about religion and gender, sociologists are interested in how the roles of both men and women differ from one another across many different religions. As with many aspects of the world, women generally are at a disadvantage, especially in the religious realm. Sex segregation plays a role in religion and gender. Women and men often hold positions of very different amounts of power.