| A | B |
|---|
| religion | a unified system of beliefs and practices concerned with sacred things |
| sacred | holy; set apart and given a special meaning that goes beyond, or transcends, immediate existence |
| profane | nonsacred |
| legitimate | to justify or give official approval to |
| spirit of capitalism | the obligation to reinvest money in business rather than to spend it |
| protestant ethic | a set of values, norms, beliefs, and attitudes stressing hard work, thrift, and self-discipline |
| conflict theorist | elites use religion to manipulate the masses |
| functionalist | looks at contributions of religion to society |
| symbolic interactionist | people create symbolic meanings from their religious beliefs, rituals and ideas. |
| church | a life-encompassing religious organization to which all members of a society belong |
| denomination | one of several religious organizations that most members of a society accept as legitimate |
| sect | a religious organization that arises out of a desire to reform an existing religious organization |
| cult | a religious organization whose chracteristics are not drawn from existing religious traditions within a society |
| religiosity | ways in which people express their religious interests and convictions |
| secularization | process through which the sacred loses influence over society |
| fundamentalism | the resistance of secularization and the rigid adherence to traditional religious beliefs rituals and doctrines |
| Roman Catholic Church | Largest denomination in the United States |
| Italy | the most religious developed nation |
| United States | The second most religious developed nation |
