RELIGION

Religion is a social institution that answers questions

and explains the seemingly inexplicable . Religion
provides explanations for why things happen and
demystifies the ideas of birth and death . Religions
based on the belief in a single deity are monotheistic
Those that encompass many deities are polytheistic .
ANIMISM
Animism refers to the belief in innumerable spiritual beings concerned with
human affairs and capable of helping or harming human interests ,
Animistic beliefs were first competently surveyed by Sir Edward Burnett
Tylor in his work Primitive Culture ( 1871 ) , whom is owed the continued
currency of the term . While none of the major world religions is animistic
( though they may contain animistic elements ) , most other religions – eg ,
those of tribal peoples are . For this reason , an ethnographic
understanding of animism , based on field studies of tribal peoples , is no
less important than a theoretical one , concerned with the nature or origin
of religion . The belief that all objects have spirits is animistic .
POLYTHEISM

Polytheism is belief in , or worship of , multiple gods or

divinities . The word comes from the Greek words poly +
theoi , literally “ many gods . “ Most ancient religions were
polytheistic , holding to pantheons of traditional deities ,
often accumulated over centuries of cultural interchange
and experience . Present – day polytheistic religions
include Hindu ism , Shinto , some forms of Wicca , Vodun ,
Asatru .
Monotheism

Monotheism refers to the belief in the existence of one

god , or in the oneness of God ; as such , it is distinguished
from polytheism , the belief in the existence of many
gods , and from atheism , the belief that there is no god .
Monotheism characterizes the traditions of Judaism ,
Christianity , and Islam , and elements of the belief are
discernible in numerous other religions .
Types of Religious Groups

According to Sociologist there are three groups

categories of religious organization.

•CHURCH
•SECT
•CULT
Types of Religious Groups
•Church •Sect •Cult
The church is a religious The sect is a religious The cult is a religious group that
group integrated with groups that sets Itself is outside the standard cultural
apart From society as a norms , typically centered on a
society. charismatic leader .
whole.
Example: Example:
Example:
The People’s Temple , a cult that
The Roman Catholic The Amish of emerged in the late 1970s , was
Pennsylvania are a classical led by a man named Jim Jones ,
church is Well integrated sect. Jones started his cult in San
In the society in Spain. Francisco , and then convinced
several hundred followers to
move with him to Jonestown ,
Guyana . He claimed to be a god
and insisted on strict loyalty . In
1978 , he and 913 of his
followers committed mass