Modern Religion. Whats your thoughts?

JajaD

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society and our questions can be along the lines as "Why do people turn to Religion in times on need" "Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?" "Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

All of these type of questions have been done and im looking for people to give me ideas. What would you recommend?

Mark Hamill

JajaD wrote: »

"Why do people turn to Religion in times on need"

Easy answers. The promise of something better, after you die.

JajaD wrote: »

"Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?"

Easy way to get into religiously run schools (>90% schools in ireland are religiously run and can discriminate based on religion)

JajaD wrote: »

"Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

Peer pressure, from the spouse, parents or parents-in-law.

Gregor Samsa

I take it you're looking for suggestions for an angle for your thesis, not answers to the questions you mentioned?

antiskeptic

JajaD wrote: »

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society and our questions can be along the lines as "Why do people turn to Religion in times on need" "Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?" "Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

All of these type of questions have been done and im looking for people to give me ideas. What would you recommend?

What's the title of the thesis? Is it neutral or atheistically slanted?

FoxT

Related discussion on why non-religious parents bring up their children in the RCC is here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2056060507

Quote:
Originally Posted by JajaD
"Why do people turn to Religion in times on need"

I read Erich Fromm's 'The art of loving' ages ago... he raises some good points on this. Might be worth looking up.


of course, apart from your questions , there are broader questions of Religion in society - but I dont know if they fall under the scope of your work or not. For example

- What role does religion play in areas of conflict ( Northern Ireland - RCC vs protestant, Middle east - Jew/Christian vs muslim) These are not of course solely religious conflicts - but religion may well play an important role in polarising the protagonists.

- Religion & its influence on popular culture?

- Religion & sexual norms/mores in society?

You could write a book, i am sure!

Good luck with it,

FoxT

Mark Hamill

phutyle wrote: »

I take it you're looking for suggestions for an angle for your thesis, not answers to the questions you mentioned?

:oWoops:o Should have realised that before I answered the questions....

Mark Hamill

JajaD wrote: »

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society and our questions can be along the lines as "Why do people turn to Religion in times on need" "Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?" "Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

All of these type of questions have been done and im looking for people to give me ideas. What would you recommend?

OK, upon actually understanding what you are asking (:o), one thing I would suggest is asking people how much they think they know about their religion. A lot of people in this country like to call themselves catholics, despite not knowing (or even believing) a lot of the doctrine that catholics are supposed to. You might have some example questions to see how mush they know (maybe like this online survey), and then could question them on why they label themselves whatever they do if they dont actually know a lot about it.

I realise that on a one to one interview basis, this wouldn't be too hard, but it would be damn near impossible to do with a handed out, autonomous survey, how will you be interviewing/giving out the questions?

Zillah

What course are you doing? This would be approached extremely differently depending on whether its Psychology, Sociology, Theology etc.

antiskeptic wrote: »

What's the title of the thesis?

OP: Hey guys, could you help me choose a thesis title?
You: First you must tell me your thesis title.

legspin

antiskeptic wrote: »

Is it neutral or atheistically slanted?

Lovely bit of spin there

liamw

antiskeptic wrote: »

Is it neutral or atheistically religiously slanted?

FYP

Dades

JajaD wrote: »

All of these type of questions have been done and im looking for people to give me ideas. What would you recommend?

JajaD, can you be more specific as to what you want recommendations for?

Otherwise this thread will storm forward without you like a drunken sailor.

Gary L

I'm working on the idea that you want title idea's, correct me if I'm wrong.

Is religious belief based mainly on cultural loyalty?
Do religious institutions have a monopoly on cultural rites of passage?
Can religion survive without the indocrination of children?
Is religion the best root of morality?

Very 'atheistically slanted' I'll admit.

JajaD

Mark Hamill wrote: »

Easy answers. The promise of something better, after you die.


Easy way to get into religiously run schools (>90% schools in ireland are religiously run and can discriminate based on religion)


Peer pressure, from the spouse, parents or parents-in-law.

Yeah i am not looking for answers..Im just looking for another question that would be a good question for a thesis

JajaD

Zillah wrote: »

What course are you doing? This would be approached extremely differently depending on whether its Psychology, Sociology, Theology etc.



OP: Hey guys, could you help me choose a thesis title?
You: First you must tell me your thesis title.

Thats why i started this thread...to find the title. Its on Religion in Society and i can come up with whatever question i want. The questions i put up at the start are examples of what other people in the class have done in previous years but i was hoping that people here could help me find a more original question. Something that hasn't been asked already. Might get me more marks.

JajaD

legspin wrote: »

Lovely bit of spin there

Im doing a degree in sociology so it can be either neutral or religious based once it relates to Irelands society today.

mikhail

JajaD wrote: »

"Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?"

There have been a great many threads on boards where a non-practising or non-believing parent asks for advise about whether they should baptise to help their kids access the local school(s). They should be a fairly handy source for the basic arguments presented on the subject, though be careful of assuming that the division of opinions here is representative of society.

JajaD wrote: »

"Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

It seems the most common reason is that their other half is religious and they concede to a church wedding in order to keep them happy. Sometimes there is also pressure (assumed or explicit) from relatives, particularly parents.

The other reason is cultural - when people think of a wedding, they think of a church wedding. I guess this more applies to people with an extremely passive Christianity or atheism (like Dara O'Brian jokes, "I don't believe in God. Still Catholic of course.")

EDIT: Oops, just read this.

JajaD wrote: »

Yeah i am not looking for answers..Im just looking for another question that would be a good question for a thesis

Off the top of my head:
Religion and politics - see particularly the US - religion is a conservative force (opposed to changes in marriage law (including divorce), gay rights, sex education, etc.)

Religion and social support structures. Are religious people more charitable with their time and money? Churches (and parish centres) may provide logistical and organizational support and free or cheap venues for charities and community events. What happens in areas where there is little church activity (e.g. I think there are a few parishes in Dublin and some isolated rural areas with no full-time priest - but maybe volunteers fill in), and does this present a challenge for government?

Religion and education. Transition to more secular schools, questions of science teaching, questions of sex education...

Gary L

This is a lovely thread.

Does religious fervour expand and recede in correlation with the strength of secular society?
Areas of inquiry; The spanish inquisition
Moral law
The intelligent design fiasco

Does specific religious indoctrination constitute child abuse?

Does the presence of mutually exclusive creation myths and dogma's in the global theatre constitute a permanent obstacle to world peace?

-Does it have to be phrased as a question? If not;

An exploration of the concept of an omnipotent god and this concepts effect on human development.

An investigation into the effect of faith on creativity and intellectual/social progress.

The theory of memetics and its use in explaining religious belief

Could do this all day

bnt

Another place for ideas: Ask The Atheists. This kind of question gets asked a lot, there, and there are lots of answers. You do have to understand, however, that atheists by definition are the ones who say "I don't get religion", while theists "drank the Kool-Aid", so you might want to look at e.g. anthropological sources too.

legspin

JajaD wrote: »

Im doing a degree in sociology so it can be either neutral or religious based once it relates to Irelands society today.

Yes but that isn't what he said.

jobee

JajaD wrote: »

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society and our questions can be along the lines as "Why do people turn to Religion in times on need" "Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?" "Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

All of these type of questions have been done and im looking for people to give me ideas. What would you recommend?

MY thoughts on religion "nice little earner".

liamw

Gary L wrote: »

The theory of memetics and its use in explaining religious belief

Reminded me of this quote:

"The meme for blind faith secures its own perpetuation by the simple unconscious expedient of discouraging rational inquiry." - Richard Dawkins

JajaD

Gary L wrote: »

This is a lovely thread.

Does religious fervour expand and recede in correlation with the strength of secular society?
Areas of inquiry; The spanish inquisition
Moral law
The intelligent design fiasco

Does specific religious indoctrination constitute child abuse?

Does the presence of mutually exclusive creation myths and dogma's in the global theatre constitute a permanent obstacle to world peace?

-Does it have to be phrased as a question? If not;

An exploration of the concept of an omnipotent god and this concepts effect on human development.

An investigation into the effect of faith on creativity and intellectual/social progress.

The theory of memetics and its use in explaining religious belief

Could do this all day

Wow thats great help Gary thanks.. if ya have more keep them coming

philologos

Gary L wrote: »

Does religious fervour expand and recede in correlation with the strength of secular society?

I think this is an excellent topic to explore. Although determining what a secular society actually is is challenging enough in itself.

An interesting book that I've had a look through on Amazon page view is this one about the role of Christianity at universities. I'm not in entire agreement with everything I read from it, but it seems a good summation determining the environmental factors that influence the role of Christianity in a university context:
http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754665205

It has a lot to do with the question that Gary has put here except in a more focused environment.

Gary L

JajaD wrote: »

Wow thats great help Gary thanks.. if ya have more keep them coming

Ask and you shall recieve :P

Is religious belief rooted in the inability to accept death?

Can the concept of eternal damnation be reconciled with the notion of an omnibenevolent God?

The metamorphisis of God; From Abraham to Thomas Aquinas

Can religion only take root in intellectually underdeveloped societies?

Is christianity based on the anti-thesis of the teaching of Jesus?
(ref: the anti christ- Friedrich Neitzsche)

Neuro-biology and God: Are humans inherently inclined to concieve of a mind behind the universe?

JajaD

Gary L wrote: »

Ask and you shall recieve :P

Is religious belief rooted in the inability to accept death?

Can the concept of eternal damnation be reconciled with the notion of an omnibenevolent God?

The metamorphisis of God; From Abraham to Thomas Aquinas

Can religion only take root in intellectually underdeveloped societies?

Is christianity based on the anti-thesis of the teaching of Jesus?
(ref: the anti christ- Friedrich Neitzsche)

Neuro-biology and God: Are humans inherently inclined to concieve of a mind behind the universe?

You came up trumps again there Gary thanks.. A good bit there to ponder over.

vincentdunne

'Is Richard Dawkins the new messiah?'

Gary L

Or the anti-messiah?

liamw

Is GaryL a brainstorming genius?

JajaD

Gary L wrote: »

Ask and you shall recieve :P

Is religious belief rooted in the inability to accept death?

Can the concept of eternal damnation be reconciled with the notion of an omnibenevolent God?

The metamorphisis of God; From Abraham to Thomas Aquinas

Can religion only take root in intellectually underdeveloped societies?

Is christianity based on the anti-thesis of the teaching of Jesus?
(ref: the anti christ- Friedrich Neitzsche)

Neuro-biology and God: Are humans inherently inclined to concieve of a mind behind the universe?

They are all great. I think i might do the first suggestion.. Is religious belief rooted in the inability to accept death. Although my thesis guidelines say that conceptual innovation is really important and i think that question might have been answered lots of times already.

I was thinking of doing something on secularization so do you have any ideas on that? Secularization on an individual, Organizational or Societal level.... any thoughts would be great. Im having trouble picking a question as i want to make sure i can get enough literature and theories on it and also want to make sure that i can interview/survey people on it too...

Improbable

Is secularization an effective tool against religious influence in government?

Could talk about not allowing gay marriages, policies for pupil selection in primary schools etc.

Muppet Man

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society

Does it have to be Irish Society?

Does it have to be a human Society?

You also mentioned that conceptual innovation is really important for the thesis... try thinking about societys not grounded in religion... try thinking about non-human societys and how they manage to survivie without religion, e.g. apes/mokeys - they have a clear social hirearchy but religion is not needed to show/receive love/empathy/kinship/morals etc. etc.

I'm sure there's a title there somewhere, but too tired to think of it, but I just said I would throw it out there. Some good suggestions already though above. Good luck with it!

Muppet Man

sensibleken

JajaD wrote: »

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society and our questions can be along the lines as "Why do people turn to Religion in times on need" "Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?" "Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

All of these type of questions have been done and im looking for people to give me ideas. What would you recommend?

People turn to religion in times of need because when you have difficulties its nice to have a hug, be told everything is going to be ok and that someone loves you unconditionaly. I do, but my girfriend does other things too.

Anyone i know who has baptised their kids has done so for the sake of the grandparents

People get married in a church usually due to tradition. the whole white wedding, blokes all wearing the same butt ugly grey tail coats and white cravates. some people have more of an imagination and theyre always a lot more fun

robindch

JajaD wrote: »

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society

If you're doing a Masters or PhD level thesis, then I'm going to recycle a recent post and recommend again either or both of the following books:

http://www.amazon.com/Darwins-Cathedral-Evolution-Religion-Society/dp/0226901343
http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Trust-Evolutionary-Landscape-Evolution/dp/0195149300

...which are solid, well-researched academic-level studies by university types into the classes, evolution, development and current state of a wide range of religions within their natural habitats.

If you're doing a term-paper or something similar, then the Journal of Religion and Society is worth a read, particularly the following fairly-focussed papers by Gregory Paul:

http://moses.creighton.edu/jrs/2005/2005-11.html
http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2006/2006-7.html

Enjoy!

gothicus

JajaD wrote: »

Im doing a thesis on Religion in Society and our questions can be along the lines as "Why do people turn to Religion in times on need" "Why do non-practising catholic parents baptize their children?" "Why do people say they dont believe in God yet they get married in a church?"

All of these type of questions have been done and im looking for people to give me ideas. What would you recommend?

Modern religion, or religion in modern times??? Tradition is whats makes non practicing religious people do the same thing their parents done. Religion as a whole doesnt offer the same warmth it did when we didnt have modern technology, so when questioned with an informative mind, religion simply doesnt answer the fundmentals, such as why are we really here and who put us here? so ineffect, religion has been outgrown.

Gary L

JajaD wrote: »

I was thinking of doing something on secularization so do you have any ideas on that? Secularization on an individual, Organizational or Societal level.... any thoughts would be great. Im having trouble picking a question as i want to make sure i can get enough literature and theories on it and also want to make sure that i can interview/survey people on it too...

Have you made your decision already or do you still need suggestions?

Pablo_

- is religion the attempt for people to learn to see the ego objectively?

- why does this generation see our society so different from all that came before and thus 'beyond' religion?

- Can the 'scientific generation' appreciate metaphors ( and the need to introspect ) in religious literature when it is educated to trust only objective logic?

- is religion as a private motivator better than a public motivator ?

- Is the 'training' of our new generation to be competitors in the market economy almost an antithesis to religious life?

hardly thesis titles but questions all the same

Morag

Modern Religion.
Shame that you didn't actually reference any of the new ones from the last 100 years.