By 2006, Pentecostal churches were the fastest-growing Christian group in the UK, with almost 1 million members (compared with over 20 million in the USA). The movement began among the poor and disadvantaged in the USA and has now spread to the poor of South America and Africa. Worship is very informal and participants may show their emotions by clapping, shouting, dancing and entering … [Read more...]
Fundamentalism and Cosmopolitanism
In pairs, discuss the elements of cosmopolitanism suggested by Giddens, summarised in the table below. Suggest examples from modern Britain to illustrate all of the points listed in the table. Then compare your examples with those produced by your fellow students. Cosmopolitan Fundamentalist A term describing people or societies which are tolerant of the views of others as … [Read more...]
Political Religion
Jeff Haynes (1998) uses the term ‘political religion’ to describe religions that engage with socio-political issues and achieve change. Religions vary in the extent to which they engage with socio-political issues. Examples in the chapter would include the Catholic Church supporting democratic movements in Latin America and Eastern Europe Using newspapers and items from TV news, collect … [Read more...]
Religion in a Global Context Answers to QuickCheck Questions
The Hindu belief that India is superior to other nations because of its Hindu values. Strict literal adherence to scripture; tradition; compulsory, unquestioning lifestyle. Religion spread by colonial conquest; evangelical and fundamentalist religion driven by mass following. Abortion; gay marriage; gender equality; secular education. Resistant identity is the response of … [Read more...]