A Lecture on Religion As a Group Phenomenon was delivered to students of Sociology in the class of Sociology of Religion supervised by Mr.Inam-ul-Haq Lecturer Sociology at UMT by M.USAMA MANSOOR

1. Religion as a Group
Phenomenon
Lecture by
M.USAMA MANSOOR
For
Students of Sociology of Religion, UMT, Lahore

2. What is a Group?
• Two or more people who interact with one
another, share similar characteristics, and
collectively have a sense of unity. For Example:
JUD members wear similar types of clothes
and have similar religious beliefs.

3. Characteristics of Group
• There are five characteristics of a Group
• Share common goals or aims that stem from common
problems and desire to resolve them; (Cognitive
understanding of accidents, death, thunder, so forth)
• Agree upon a set of norms that they hope will help
them to achieve their common goals; (proper worship
and ritual activity)
• Combine Certain norms into roles that they expect
persons within the group to fill and carry out in the
interests of the group; (techniques of prayer or magic)

4. Characteristics of Group
• Agree (often only implicitly) on certain status
dimensions and distinctions, on the basis of which they
rate one another; (Zionists, Calvinists) and
• Identify with the groups and express or exhibit some
degree of commitment to the group, what it purposes
to do, and how it purposes to do it. E.g. Tehreek-e-
Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Whose member blast himself or
kill innocents to show their commitment to their
group.
• Deconstruct Peshawar incident

5. Group Leader Election
• As soon as the group agrees on a certain norms that
the group will follow the elect their group leader. Its
title varies according to the religion
• Priest in Christianity (Baptism)
• Shaman in Shamanism ( entering Spirituality by
performing special tactics such as, healing)
• Rabbi in Judaism (teacher on the matters of Judaism)
• Guru in Sikh Religion and Pandit in Hindu Religion
• Prophet in Islam
• Pastor (Biblical English word for Priest)

6. Religion and the Five Functional
Prerequisites of Group Life
• Recruitment and Reproduction
• Socialization
• Producing Satisfactory Levels for Goods and
Services
• Preserving Order
• Maintaining a Sense of Purpose

7. Recruitment and Reproduction
• Every group must pay attention recruitment and
reproduction to replicate those members who died, or
become handicapped.
• E.g. Two centuries after the death of Gotama Buddha
(Royal Family, Thought Truth or Dhamma), the Indian
emperor Asoka come up the throne in 273 B.C and sent
his missionaries to spread Buddhism as far as Egypt an
Greece by reproduction. but has failed to do so. But in
240 B.C his son Mahenda sent his missionaries to
spread Buddhism and became so successful that the
official religion of Sri Lanka till now is Buddhism.

8. Socialization
• It is the responsibility of every group to train
and educate their members especially the
children, new converters.
• Socialization is the major task of every
religion.
• E.g. the full time teacher in the religion
Judaism is called “rabbi”
• In Islam the full time teacher is called “Ulema”

9. Producing Satisfactory Levels of
Goods and Services
• Existence of all groups, is the production and
distribution of a level of goods and services that
will satisfy at least the minimal requirements or
demands of their members. such as food, shelter
and clothing. Finke defined it as, “Religious
Economies”. Which according to him, “consists of
a market of current and potential followers
(demand), a set of organizations (suppliers)
seeking to serve that market, and the religious
doctrines and practices (products) offered by the
various organizations.” E.g. Religious Tourism
(Tableeg and Yatra)

10. Preserving Order
• This involves coordinative and supervisory roles, but
above all it means motivating members to pursue
group goals while employing and abiding by group
norms. Think about three major types of church
government established to reach organization’s goal
• Episcopal type (Episcopal and Roman Catholic Church),
authority lies to higher-ranking clergy popes or bishops
• Presbyterian type (authority rests with clergy
committee or church's committee)
• Congressional type (in which the ultimate local power
resides with the member of the church that meets
annually, periodically over convictions or assembly)

11. Maintaining a Sense of Purpose
• Maintain a sense of purpose among it
member. Sense of Identification and
commitment among group members. E.g. JUD
members at the time of sanction remained
committed and haven’t changed their
identities.

12. The effects of Increasing Group Size
• Census Decline
• Increased Deviance
• Increased Formalization of Norms
• Increased Role Specialization
• Greater Need for Coordination

13. Census Decline
• As groups increase in size, the degree consensus
among members concerning goals, and especially
norms, declines. The basic problem includes
communication and interactions. Since the norms
influence behavior, the intro. of diverse or
conflicting norms results in deviance E.g. TTP
being unified have performed batter but ASAP
they scattered into groups the had a great set
back from armed forces of Pakistan because they
cannot have greater interactions and
communications for planning.

14. Increased Deviance
• As groups increase in size, the degree
consensus among members concerning goals,
and especially norms, declines. The basic
problem includes communication and
interactions. Since the norms influence
behavior, the intro. of diverse or conflicting
norms results in deviance E.g. a religious
group may have explicit norms defining
alcoholic beverages as devils tool of
destruction.

15. Increased Formalization of Norm
• The smaller the Groups the greater the interaction in
an informal way with the leader and other member in
an informal way. But as the group increases the gap
between the members of the group and even between
the leader and the member increases. E.g. when
Tableeg started in Pakistan the Moulna Tariq Jameel its
leader had talks and discussions with everyone but a
the tableeg spread out and the membership increased
to an immense level the members cannot meet its
leader and discuss their issues freely in an informal
way. They have to discuss it in the written form.

16. The Increased Role Specialization
• As the group grows the roles tends to become
more specialized and part time role tend to
become full time roles. E.g. Priest of the church
was firstly given importance in their relevant
territories but after the Development of the
Church of Rome and the Leadership is defined
with the entitlement of the “Pope” head Priest
his specialized role has increased to guide the
follower of his religion. Similarly, Mufti-e-Azam
has same increased specialized role in Islamic
world.

17. Greater Need for Coordination
• As the role has increased specialization there
is a greater need for the coordination to
ensure the sequenced running of the assigned
roles. Like, President of Wafaq ul Madris is
Hazrat Maulana Saleem Ullah Khan Sahib, he
has the complete authority to take decision on
behalf of the Madaris affiliated with Wafaq ul
Madaris but it his key responsibility to
coordinate with member Madaris to take
unanimous decision.

18. The Bureaucratization of Religion
• The Process
• Outcomes
• Iron Law of Oligarchy
• O'Dea's Five Organizational Dilemmas

19. The Process
• In the preceding section we have stressed
upon the greater need for Coordination. Let us
consider the Bureaucracy. In which the people
are ranked in hierarchy of Authority. The idea
that greater efficiency can be achieved
because someone is organizing activities for
others in the group. E.g. In the Roman Catholic
Church the hierarchy of authority passed
down through pope, archbishops, bishops,
and priests.

20. Outcomes
• The boards, agencies and commissions assume
some measure of authority and independence
and in return gain influence over the
congregation. E.g. The Mufti has great
importance in Islam. He is considered at home in
religion and the things related to it. He can be
asked to give FATWA on any issue in the light of
Qur’an and Sunnah. As he lays the verdict in the
light of Qur’an and Sunnah his verdict is
considered as authority. E.g. Allama Tahir ul Qadri
has given FATWA on terrorism compromising of
600 pages.

21. Iron Law of Oligarchy
• This refers to the tendency, as responsibilities
and authority are transferred to leader (a
process seemingly inherent and investable in
group life), for number of development in
combination to lead oligarchy (power and
control becoming vested in small no. of
leaders) E.g. at home in skill and progressives.
He can manage things, issues and matters
related to the office and members.

22. Symbolic
Dilemma
Dilemma of
Mixed
Motivations
O'Dea's Five
Organizational
Dilemmas
Dilemma of
Administrative
Order
Dilemma of
Declamation
Dilemma
of Power
O'Dea's Five Organizational Dilemmas
• Dilemma of Mixed Motivations
• Symbolic Dilemma
• Dilemma of Administrative Order
• Dilemma of Declamation
• Dilemma of Power