Types of religious practices: animism, monism, pluralism, sects, cults

Introduction

Religious practices include things like going to church, praying, wearing religious clothing or symbols, displaying religious artifacts, adhering to certain dietary restrictions, using preaching or other forms of religious expression, and refraining from certain actions.

An old Women on the banks of the holy Ganges river in Varanasi, India, praying and performing Hindu religious rituals. Photo taken on: October 27th, 2008.

Sociologists describe religion as a structured set of ethical precepts relating to sacred objects and laws governing the behavior of followers who make up a spiritual community. The motivation of the individual, not the nature of the activity, decides whether a practice is considered to be religious. This practice can be classified into animism, monism, pluralism, sects, and cults.

Animism

Animism is a certain type of religion that holds the man who can detect the presence of spirit in the things and ideas that surround him.

The idea of animism, which gave rise to religion in society, is regarded as one of the most primitive concepts, and as a religious idea, it is connected to primitive people. Numerous tribes, cults, and sects continue to this day to practice this concept as their religion.

Types of Religions

Description-Four religions—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism—account for over 77% of the world's population, and 92% of the world either follows one of those four religions or identifies as non-religious,

Contemporary Animist Traditions

Here are some examples of animist culture −

• Some Hindu organizations could be categorized as animists. In the coastal state of Karnataka, praying to spirits is traditional.

• Fairies and other natural spirits are commonly mentioned in the New Age movement as examples of animism.

Monism

Monism is the belief in a single quality, god, or spiritual concept. Its core ideology is the idea that there is only one god or that all existences are interconnected.

Islam is a monotheistic religion among contemporary religions since its adherents reject the existence of any deity other than Allah.

Pluralism

The belief that two or more religious views of the world are equally valid or acceptable is said to be religious pluralism. Religious pluralism depends on the mindset of “exclusivism,” the notion that there is only one authentic religion or method to know God, which recognizes that there may be more than one path to God or gods.

Sects and Cults

The primary attribute of a religious sect is that it is a voluntary association. It is a small religious community that split off from a more developed area. Sects and religions share several rituals and beliefs. However, they have diverged from and are distinguished by many doctrinal differences. A religious organization that has significant friction with the larger community but whose views are mostly conventional is sometimes referred to as a sect by sociologists.

A sect seeks to impose a strict code of acceptable behavior on its followers, but it prefers to be tolerated by society as a whole rather than changing it.

Characteristics of Sect

Some typical characteristics define a sect −

• A sect is a comparatively tiny religious organization. It is a group of people who are organized and who are forming a kind of religious consciousness as well as becoming significant opponents of traditional religion.

• Sects start to challenge the basic religion.

• Sects are closed communities that require lengthy initiation processes to join, making them mostly inaccessible to outsiders.

Origin of sect

According to Max Weber, marginalized groups are where sects are most likely to form. People who belong to groups that are not part of mainstream society frequently believe they are not getting the respect or financial rewards they deserve.

Other sociologists contend that to understand the sects, one must take into account the diversity of social backgrounds represented in their membership. Sects are not just found in the lowest classes.

Lifespan of Sect

Sociologists say that sects are transient. Sects, according to H. Richard Niebuhr must be transient for the following reasons −

• The members' fervor and dedication cannot be sustained past the first generation.

• The group may no longer be socially isolated and marginalized, which were key components in the sect's creation. Ascetic sects frequently amass wealth, allowing them to integrate into society on a more regular basis

Characteristics of Cult

• Although a cult also experiences significant conflict with the larger community, its ideals are novel and progressive in comparison to that civilization. Although it may aim to change society, it usually focuses on fostering positive group dynamics.

• Cults are revisionary rather than reactionary or revolutionary. The cult is not opposed to religion.

• Cults are more of an addition to religion than a rival.

• A cult may eventually transform into a sect, such as Calvinism becoming Protestantism.

Origin of Cult

New religious movements and “cults” have emerged throughout history. However, after the end of the war, these groups have been under significant public and scholarly examination. A conspicuous public worry over “cults” may have been influenced by the rapid social developments of the time, including wealth accumulation, the (allegedly) declining social power of institutional Christianity in Western nations, and the growing accessibility of other world religions and cultures.

In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that, although “cults” are a source of general apprehension, the majority of new religious movements are relatively unnoticed by their larger cultures and lack a violent past. Inform's files contained information on more than 1,300 current new religious movements as of the beginning of 2009.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have discussed religious practices and their types. As well as the origin of sects and cults with their characteristics, Sects are closed societies that are difficult for outsiders to enter because of their extensive initiation procedures and Cults are revisionary rather than reactionary or revolutionary. The cult is not opposed to religion.

FAQs

Q1. What is the importance of animism to culture and religion?

Ans. The term "animism" relates to a worldview that is consistent with a variety of religious rituals and beliefs, many of which may persist in more intricate and hierarchical faiths rather than a single creed or ideology.

Q2. Which religion is monotheistic?

Ans. Pantheists are "monists". In their view, there is only one Being and all other manifestations of reality are either mode (or outward manifestations) of it or the same as it. Monism and pantheism have a common belief that there is only one essence that can be referred to as the Universe, God, or Nature.

Q3. When did religion begin?

Ans. Before the Sumerian civilization, which developed writing between 3500 and 3000 BCE.