View source for Organized religion

{{Short description|Religion with formalized beliefs and rituals}}
[[File:Priesterweihe in Schwyz 2.jpg|thumb|Priests lay their hands on the ordinands during a [[Holy orders in the Catholic Church|Roman Catholic rite of ordination]]. The [[Catholic Church]], the largest [[Christian denomination]], is an example of an organized religion. ]]'''Organized religion''', also known as '''institutional religion''', is [[religion]] in which [[belief system]]s and [[ritual]]s are systematically arranged and [[Formal organization|formally established]], typically by an official [[doctrine]] (or [[dogma]]), a [[hierarchical organization|hierarchical]] or [[bureaucracy|bureaucratic]] [[leadership]] structure, and a [[Religious law|codification]] of proper and improper [[Religious behaviour|behavior]].

==Definition==
Organized religion is distinguished from the broader idea of [[religion]] especially in [[anthropology]], [[sociology]] and [[philosophy]]. American philosopher [[William James]] considered organized religion to be distinct from and secondary to religion in and of itself, stating that "out of religion in the sense in which we take it, theologies, philosophies, and ecclesiastical organizations may secondarily grow".<ref name="james 1902" /> James further comments that the essential elements of "institutional religion" are "[[worship]] and [[sacrifice]], procedures for working on the dispositions of the deity [''i.e.''] [[theology]], and [[ceremony]] and [[Clergy|ecclesiastical organization]]".

Organized religion is widely assumed by anthropologists to have gained prevalence since the [[Neolithic|Neolithic era]] with the rise of wide-scale [[civilization]] and [[History of agriculture|agriculture]], presumably as a way to alleviate new tensions that emerged as certain societies became settled and then expanded in size.<ref>Mann, Charles C. (June 2011). "[https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/gobeki-tepe The Birth of Religion]". ''National Geographic''.</ref> Organized religions may include a [[state religion|state's official religion]], or [[state church]]. However, most political states have any number of organized religions practiced within their jurisdiction. Due to their structured, standardized, and easily proliferated form, organized religions comprise many of the world's [[major religious groups]].{{citation needed|date=June 2017}}

Still, [[anthropologist]]s, [[Theology|theologians]], scholars, and ordinary usage often conflate religion with organized religion specifically. Examples of this are found in the definition provided by anthropologist [[Clifford Geertz]], who defines religion as a "cultural system."<ref name="geertz 1966" /> Furthermore, sociologist [[Max Weber]]'s prominent definition of a religion includes the idea of a '[[Classifications of religious movements#Church and ecclesia|Church]]', not necessarily in the [[Christianity|Christian]] formulation, but insisting on the notion of an organized hierarchy constituting a palpable religious body.<ref name="weber 1993" />

==Examples and non-examples==
The [[Abrahamic religion]]s are all largely considered organized (including [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], [[Judaism]], and the [[Baháʼí Faith]]). 

Religions that are not organized religions, or only loosely so, include several [[Eastern religions]] such as [[Confucianism]],<ref>Tu, Wei-Ming (1998). ''Confucius and Confucianism''. Confucianism and the Family, p. 3.</ref> [[Shinto]],<ref>Josephson, Jason Ānanda (2012). ''The Invention of Religion in Japan''. University of Chicago Press. p. 133. {{ISBN|0226412342}}.</ref> and some types of [[Buddhism]] including [[Secular Buddhism]].<ref>Finley, Wayne (2021). The New Dharma: A Select Bibliography of Secular Buddhism. Journal of Religious & Theological Information, 20(4), 123-137.</ref> Also generally excluded are [[indigenous religion|indigenous]] and [[folk religion]]s, such as [[animism]],<ref>Balonon-Rosen, Peter (2013). Out of this world: An ethnographic study of mystics, spirits, and Animist practices in Senegal.</ref> [[Korean shamanism]],<ref>Baker, Don. (2020). Religious Diversity in Korea. Education About ASIA, 25(1), p. 6.</ref> [[traditional African religions|African traditions]] like the [[San religion]],<ref>Wiebe, Donald (2013). The significance of the natural experience of a “non-natural” world to the question of the origin of religion. Origins of Religion, Cognition and Culture, 140-159.</ref> [[Native American religions]],<ref>McGregor, Sue L. (2004). The nature of transdisciplinary research and practice. Kappa Omicron Nu human sciences working paper series. p. 10.</ref> and [[Old Norse religion]],<ref>Martin, Chandler (2021). Ritual Wear of Nordic Pre-Christian Practices and Early Christian Iceland (Doctoral dissertation).</ref> as well as certain [[new religious movement]]s like [[modern paganism]]<ref>Sander, Christensen C. (2017). Ethnic religion in nowadays Europe: renaissance of the historical pagan beliefs or political Paganism? Exemplified by the Asatru in Denmark and the Mari native religion in Russia. Studia Humanitatis, (4), 16.</ref> and [[Rastafari]].<ref>Benard, Akeia A. (2019). Narratives of Transfer, Dependence, and Resistance: Rastafarian Perspectives on US Colonialism in the Virgin Islands. Anthropology of consciousness, 30(2), 117-131.</ref>

[[Hinduism]] is not an organized religion in certain senses,<ref>Dasgupta, S. D., & Johnson, A. J. (2015). Hinduism in Brief. Religion and Men's Violence Against Women, 372: "Hinduism is not an organized religion; thus, there is little compulsion of attending a place of worship, worshipping a particular god, reading specific texts, or even declaring oneself as a theist. An atheist can also be a Hindu, as Hinduism is based on lifestyle practices rather than the belief in any particular god/s.... Unlike other religions, the responsibility of priests is quite limited in Hinduism and is mainly confined to condcuting rituals and properly guiding the observant congregation to perform them. Priests do not influence individuals' decision making, offer counsel in crises, or provide emotional support in times of need".</ref><ref>Bhattacharyya, Harihar (2007). Federalism and competing nations in India. Multinational federations, 1(12), 22-39.</ref> particularly in its lack of a central power structure.<ref>Kim, Seon Mi, & Balgopal, P. R. (2013). Asian Americans: Overview. Encyclopedia of Social Work.</ref> However, this definition is disputable, since decentralization is not usually the only factor considered in defining organized religions. Hinduism is also complicated by the fact that many scholars consider it an umbrella collection of diverse spiritual traditions rather than a single unified religion.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brodd |first=Jeffrey |title=World Religions |publisher=Saint Mary's Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-88489-725-5 |location=Winona, MN|page=92|quote=Hinduism has neither a single founder nor a single sacred book. There is no single historical event that marks its birth. The history of Hinduism embodies both continuity and change. Having never had a sole central authority, Hinduism's fluid character has always allowed it to adapt to a variety of social and cultural contexts. This diversity has led many scholars to argue that Hinduism is not one religion at all but a constellation of many religious sects that share some common aspects.}}</ref>

==References==
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{{Reflist|refs=
<!--<ref name="top ten">{{Cite web |title=Top Ten Organized Religions of the World, 2005 |url=https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/religion/top-ten-organized-religions-world-2005 |access-date=2021-07-11 |website=www.infoplease.com |language=en |archive-date=2021-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711201532/https://www.infoplease.com/culture-entertainment/religion/top-ten-organized-religions-world-2005 |url-status=live }}</ref>  -->

<ref name="james 1902">{{Cite book |last=James |first=William |title=The Varieties of Religious Experience |publisher=[[Arc Manor LLC]] |year=1902 |pages=30–31 |chapter=Lecture II: Circumscription of the Topic}}</ref>

<ref name="geertz 1966">{{Cite book |last=Geertz |first=Clifford |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V86CXwAACAAJ&q=geertz+religion+as+a+cultural+system |title=Religion as a Cultural System |date=1966 |publisher=Tavistock |language=en}}</ref>

<ref name="weber 1993">{{Cite book |last=Weber |first=Max |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abS61el-VEMC&q=Weber+definition+of+religion |title=The Sociology of Religion |date=1993 |publisher=[[Beacon Press]] |isbn=9780807042052 |language=en}}</ref>
}}

{{Religion topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Socialscience&religion}}

[[Category:Sociology of religion]]