518 CHAPTER 15RELIGION AND SCIENCE15.1 What Is the Bible?
These are actual survey data from the General Social Survey, 1998.
Which of these statements comes closest to describing your feelings about
the Bible?Thirty percent of respondents felt that the Bible was the literal word of
God. Almost half believed it was God inspired, and 17 percent thought it was a
book of fables. Social class differences were significant; the higher one’s social
status the less likely one was to believe the Bible was the word of God.CRITICAL THINKING|DISCUSSION QUESTION
- Why do you think social class differences were so striking? What might lead someone from
the lower class, for example, to have stronger views on the Bible being literal than someone
from the upper class?
What
does
America
think?
KeyTerms
Advocacy research (p. 511)
BCEandCE(p. 494)
Buddhism (p. 497)
Charismatic leader (p. 489)
Christianity (p. 495)
Civil religion (p. 490)
Confucianism (p. 498)
Cult (p. 491)
Cultural universal (p. 489)
Denomination (p. 493)
Disinterestedness (p. 513)
Ecclesiae (p. 493)
Empirical verification (p. 488)
Fundamentalsim (p. 496)
Hinduism (p. 497)
Islam (p. 495)
Jihad (p. 496)
Judaism (p. 495)
Liberation theology (p. 508)
New Age (p. 507)
Objectivity (p. 511)
Profane (p. 489)Religion (p. 488)
Religiosity (p. 491)
Revelation (p. 488)
Rituals (p. 490)
Sacred (p. 489)
Science (p. 488)
Sect (p. 492)
Secularization (p. 498)
Syncretic religions (p. 497)
Third Great Awakening (p. 501)
World religions (p. 494)6.How does science function as an institution?There are
many types of science, but all are governed by scientific
norms such as objectivity, common ownership, and a
lack of personal interest in the outcome of research. Soci-
ologists look at scientists the way they look at any work-place. There are gatekeepers, which results in gender and
racial inequality within the disciplines. Sociologists also
look at the role of scientists in society, including their
sources of financial support from private foundations or
government.