Now that Religion has Refused to Die

Transcription

1 Now that Religion has Refused to Die Third Age Learning KW Winter 2015 Lecture Series January 15, 2015 RIM Park, Manulife Financial Sportsplex, Waterloo David Seljak, PhD St. Jerome s University

2 Secularization theory: Religion was supposed to die off Modern people are And religion is rational (scientific and technological) materialistic egalitarian self-determining irrational and superstitious other-worldly hierarchical (e.g., sexist) authoritarian and paternalistic

3 Religion was supposed to have disappeared by now August Comte: Religion Philosophy Science Friedrich Nietzsche: God is dead Karl Marx: Religion as alienation Sigmund Freud: Religion as psychological immaturity

4 Secularization theory As societies modernized (became more industrialized and democratic) Membership fell off Attendance and participation declined People stopped believing Religion lost prestige Religion lost public power Religion was privatized

5 A beautiful theory, but was it true? In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is. --Yogi Berra

6 A beautiful theory, but was it true? In theory there is no difference between theory and fact. In fact there is. --David Seljak

7 Religion has refused to go away In 2010, Pew Research Center s Forum on Religion & Public Life did a survey of 230 countries and territories. 84% of the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion was religiously affiliated. That is 5.8 billion religiously affiliated adults and children. Pew Research. The Global Religious Landscape: For the full report:

8 Religion around the world in billion Christians (32% of the world s population) 1.6 billion Muslims (23%) 1 billion Hindus (15%) Almost 500 million Buddhists (7%) 14 million Jews (0.2%)

9 Religion around the world in million people (6%) practice various folk or traditional religions (African, Chinese, Native American, Australian aboriginal religions, etc.). Another approx. 58 million people (about 1% of the global population) belong to other religions Baha i faith, Jainism, Sikhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Wicca and Zoroastrianism, etc.

10 Size of the Major Religious Groups

11 Geographic distribution of religious groups

12 Majority or Minority

13 Majority Religion, by Country

14 Young or Old?

15 Christians

16 Muslims

17 Unaffiliated

18 Hindus

19 Buddhists

20 Folk religion

21 Jews

22 Religion is important around the world Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. "Among Wealthy Nations: U.S. Stands Alone in its Embrace of Religion." er19- Religious_Belief_across_Countries.pdf. Table 1. Percentage of Population Saying That Religion Was Very Important by Country, 2002

23 Rich v. Poor

24 Secularization theory was wrong. For example All Harry Potter books together have sold 350 million copies in 64 languages. The bestselling copyright book of all time: World Records Sold over 100 million copies. magazines/best_selling_copyright_book.aspx Over 100 million copies of the Bible are bought or given away every year. It is available in 2,426 languages. The Battle of the Books, The Economist, December 22, 2007, p. 80. Approximately 5 billion copies worldwide since 1800s.

25 Secularization theory was wrong The great tragedy of Science: the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact. --Thomas Henry Huxley

26 Where did we go wrong? Western perspective v. global perspective Our definition of religion

27 Oh boy! A section on definitions! WHAT IS RELIGION?

28 Attacks on Charlie Hebdo 12 dead, 11 wounded Attackers knew journalists by name Shouted Allahu Akbar (God is great!) The Prophet has been avenged! Charlie Hebdo: known for satirical attacks on Islam; portraits of Mohammed, etc. Not just Islam, but all religions, and all political parties

29 Was this religion? YES: Islam is an inherently violent religion. The Quran instructs Muslims to kill all infidels. YES: But the attackers had a warped sense of Islam, an understanding of Islam rejected by most Muslims.

30 Was this religion? NO: Islam is a religion of peace. These attackers hijacked religion for political, economic and social goals. NO: Even if the thought they were acting out of religious motivations, their real motives were political, economic and social gains.

31 Was this religion? YES Religion is inherently irrational, tribal, and violent Yes, but, this was an irrational, tribal and violent interpretation of one religion NO Religion is inherently peaceful. Violence is a distortion of true religion Even if the actors THINK their motives were religious, they were really political, etc.

32 Substantive definitions What is religion? The sacred as real The essence of religion Provides normative standards

33 Functional definitions What does religion do? Durkheim: religion as social glue. Marx: religion as opiate Freud: religion as illusion Geertz: religion as culture

34 Stipulative Definition of Religion Stipulative definition: a declaration of a meaning that is intended to be attached by the speaker to a word, expression, or symbol and that usually does not already have an established use in the sense intended. In other words, give a definition for religion: For our purposes, and then define and defend your purpose. Because definitions are not true or false, but useful or not Peter Berger.

35 Kline s definition Religions are systems of discourses, practices, communities, and institutions that draw on human and suprahuman powers to provide adherents access to ultimate meaning. (p. 13) Fernand Dumont: religions provide an ultimate horizon

36 Charlie Hebdo attacks: Was this religion? YES Religion is inherently irrational, tribal, and violent Yes, but, this was an irrational, tribal and violent interpretation of one religion NO Religion is inherently peaceful. Violence is a distortion of true religion Even if the actors THINK their motives were religious, they were really political, etc.

37 Each is valid because the definition depends on your purpose. YES Religion is inherently irrational, tribal, and violent Yes, but, this was an irrational, tribal and violent interpretation of one religion NO Religion is inherently peaceful. Violence is a distortion of true religion Even if the actors THINK their motives were religious, they were really political, etc.

38 The Power of Religion An unseen order that is higher, deeper, more real, superior, better: transcendent. Renders ordinary topics extraordinary Renders natural phenomena supernatural Renders conditional issues unconditional or absolute

39 A definition of religion in four parts From Bruce Lincoln, Holy Terrors: Thinking about Religion after September 11, (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2003), 5-7.

40 1. A Discourse A discourse whose concerns transcend the human, temporal, and contingent and that claims for itself a similarly transcendent status. It is about something ultimate, transcendent, higher It presents itself as more important than other discourses.

41 2. Practices A set of practices whose goal is to produce a proper world and/or proper human subjects, as defined by a religious discourse to which these practices are connected. No practices are inherently religious. Ritual practices: worship, prayer, meditation, charitable giving, etc. Ethical practices: morality, sexual prohibitions, community relations, etc.

42 3. Community A community whose members construct their identity with reference to a religious discourse and its attendant practices. Recognize each other as sharing horizon United by memory (Hervieu-Leger: chains of memory) Share symbols and stories

43 4. Institutions An institution that regulates religious discourse, practices, and community, reproducing them over time and modifying them as necessary, while asserting their eternal validity and transcendent value. Institutions are necessary if a tradition is to transcend local space (village) and time (carry on past current generation)

44 Not always a neat fit Discourse and practice may be closely coordinated or badly out of synch. Community and institution may cooperate closely or may be locked in power struggles. Institution may value discourse over practice and community just the reverse.

45 SOME MYTHS ABOUT RELIGION

46 All religions are the same (the plurality of religion) Different religions emphasize different elements: Discourse Practice Community Institution

47 Religions are internally monolithic (internal diversity of religion) There is no one authority or tradition Disagreement is normal in any religious community. Experience of leaders vs. experience of followers Experience of men vs. experience of women Experience of marginalized groups (based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.) vs. privileged groups Normal religious difference

48 Religious traditions are unchanging over centuries (dynamism of religion) All religions evolve or die. Change is normal. Tradition: means elasticity and potential for growth and development. Changes are seen as positive (renewal, evolution, purification, etc.) or negative (decline, betrayal, dissipation, etc.).

49 Religion is separate from society and culture (openness of religion) Religions are always connected to societies Religious thought, values, attitudes, and practices are always open to influence by surrounding culture Religion also acts on surrounding culture and helps to shape it.

50 The actions of religious actors can be reduced to other motivations (autonomy of religion) Religion cannot be reduced to other social processes (cf. Marx, Freud, etc.) Religion often influences culture and changes society Religious people and communities often act for religious reasons

51 Religion is the root of all evil/good (ambiguity of religion) Religion can be oppressive and liberating Religion can oppress women or women can find liberation through religion Religion can serve good and evil

52 But all religions Centre on ultimate concerns, questions, practices, etc. Have doctrines and myths Organize time and space Regulate bodies and behaviour

53 Because religion has refused to die January 22. The New Face of Canadian Christianity Scott Wall, University of Waterloo January 29. The Ambiguity of Religion David Seljak, St. Jerome s University February 5. Religion in Films Today Douglas E. Cowan, University of Waterloo

54 February 12. Understanding the Canadian Foreign Fighter Phenomenon Amar Amarasingam, Dalhousie University February 19. Islam Today Meena Sharify Funk, Wilfrid Laurier University February 26. Mindfulness, Inc., Religious Practice Beyond Religion Jeff Wilson, University of Waterloo March 5. Religion, Multiculturalism and Canadian Society David Seljak, St. Jerome s University