Topic Summaries

Religious organisations

A-Level > Sociology > AQA > A Level Sociology Topic Summaries > Beliefs in society > Religious organisations
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Exam overview
  • Churches: (👤 Troeltsch, 1931) large, bureaucratic, and often state-linked organisations claiming a monopoly on truth.
    • Religious pluralism undermines these traits.
  • Denominations: (👤 Niebuhr, 1929) smaller, less formal than churches, without universal appeal or monopoly.
    • More adaptable than churches, but less influential.
  • Sects: (👤 Weber, 1904): exclusive groups, often led by a charismatic leader, appealing to the deprived. 👥 Stark and Bainbridge (1985) outline a sectarian cycle leading to denominationalisation.
    • Many sects dissolve quickly or lose their radicalism.
  • Cults: (👥 Stark and Bainbridge, 1985) loose, individualistic groups offering worldly benefits. Can range from audience to client to cultic movements.
    • Often dismissed as trivial, but can be commercially and culturally significant.
  • New Age Movements: 👤 Heelas (2000): focus on self-spirituality and detraditionalisation. 👤 Wallis (1976) classifies New Age Movements into world-rejecting, world-accommodating, and world-affirming types.
    • Critics argue many New Age practices are commodified forms of spirituality.

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