Sociology of Religion: Analysis of Readings on Religion and Society

This assignment solution delves into the sociology of religion, analyzing provided readings to explore contemporary issues. It examines the evolving role of Catholic women pastors, highlighting the impact of increased female participation in the labor force and higher education. The assignment also addresses the cultural wars surrounding homosexuality, emphasizing the shift towards greater acceptance and the evolving perception of LGBTQ+ individuals within families and religious communities. Furthermore, it discusses strategies for navigating the conflict between sexuality and religion, including the emergence of LGBTQ+-affirming congregations. Finally, the assignment touches upon the trend of civil marriages in France, contrasting it with the religious recognition of marriages in the US, and can be found with other such assignments and study tools on Desklib.

Sociology of Religion

Contents
Question 1...................................................................................................................................................3
Answer 1.....................................................................................................................................................3
Answer 2.....................................................................................................................................................3
Answer 3:....................................................................................................................................................4
Question 2...................................................................................................................................................4
References...................................................................................................................................................5

Question 1
Answer 1
In this given reading 15, the focus is on the stuck out of new leadership role: Catholic women
pastor.
 The external demographics have been affected by the immense participation of the labor
force. The rates of college attendances have been increased, and the rate of enrollments in
the postgraduate degree is high. All this positive consequence has been generated to form
a new role of the Catholic Church (pp. 120).
 Women are headed to many new roles, such as eleven of the parishes are headed by the
nuns, among which eight women were married and one of them was not married
(Monahan, Mirola, and Emerson). According to me, women should be given equal
opportunities in order to explore their positive side rather than suppressing them to
explore their capability irrespective of age, culture, and cast (pp. 119).
Answer 2
In this given reading 20, it describes the cultural wars: the challenge of homosexuality in this
reading has struck me. The following are the key points that shake me most:
 Making discrimination of the individual those who are homosexual is offensive.
Although different people have a different perception and stereotyping thinking, there is a
new vision of the family which describes that “lesbian and the gay men are no more a

threat to the family anymore (pp.186)” but they are considered to be a vital part of the
family (Monahan 186).
Answer 3:
We all are the children of God. God created men as a protector and women as a nurturer. To
navigate the conflict between sexuality and religion they have taken the following strategies:
 Some of the Protestants have welcomed the lesbian, gay and bisexual. One church is for
black lesbian and other was for white heterosexual and other classes (Monahan 210).
 The access to the different resources, power and the meanings are leading to navigate the
conflict between the sexuality and religion (Mirola 211).
Question 2
In the provided reading 7, I have found the information about many people in France who marry
civilly for only getting legally recognized rather than religious ceremony. In the case of US, they
may marry legally but if the marriage is being done by religiously than it is accepted by the
entire state (pp. 39).

References
Mirola, William A. "From A Community Of Believers To An Islam Of The Heart:
"Conspicuous" Symbols, Muslim Practices, And The Privatization Of Religion In
France*." Sociology of Religion 68.3 (2011): 36-44. Web.
Monahan, Susanne C, William A Mirola, and Michael O Emerson. Sociology Of Religion. 2nd
ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, (2011):118-124. Print.
Monahan, Susanne C. "Modern Christianity, Part Of The Cultural Wars. The Challenge Of A
Homosexuality." Religions 10.5 (2019): 185-187. Web.
Monahan, Susanne C. "We Are God's Children, Y'all:" Race, Gender, And Sexuality In Lesbian-
And Gay-Affirming Congregations." Social Problems 56.1 (2011): 209-226. Web.