User:Ha Do Spring 2008

1. Objective I propose to edit the Wikipedia page on the Theory of religious economy. I have a particular intrest in how morals and fear relate to the growth of strict religions.

2. Interest I find this project interesting because more and more in societies around the world strict doctrines are becoming more prevalent. Islam and Fundementalist christianity have very strict doctrines and impact our society. I feel this topic can relate to sociological topics like conflict that arises from strict doctrines. The rise of conflict resulting from stirct doctrines is interesting to me and also how these secondary groups that have strict doctrines weaken the "strength" of their weak ties by excluding certain people that could have brought them information.

3. Background reading I will read wikipedia, the text, and also scholarly articles on the topics of: strict doctrines, conflict theory, "strength of weak ties", and also morals and values

4. General Plan My general plan so far is to collect as many articles as I can on the growth of strict religons and see if there is any connection with their use of morals and values to spur on the growth of their religion. I also am going to read the Wikipages on some strict doctrine religions and see if they have the same kind of appeal. I'm going to look at conflict theory (articles, text, and wiki) to see if it corresponds with strict doctrine ideals. I have a general idea of how to go about this, but the problem I am facing is how to narrow down my general plan to the point where I can edit a wikipedia page.

5. Collaborators I plan to work alone on this project.

Strict Regulations to enforce Strong Ties
Strict Churches are prevalent in the US and around the world and while people still question and debate their ascent, their ties are characteristically defined as being strong within the group with few weak ties branching outside to other groups. Strict churches arise from strict doctrines and can be in many forms such as large churches, sects, or cults but are not limited to these. Churches are most often known for their “cosmopolitan networks, while sects tend to consist of intense local networks,” while this may be true for “unstrict” doctrines this is not always the case for strict doctrines. Strong doctrines can arise from certain sects as various religions have done such as Orthodox Judaism, Islam, certain denominations of Christianity, or can include rather smaller cults or small sects. What all strong doctrines employ though, are formal controls to discourage free loading within the group and to keep the church strong and together. These controls can vary from church to church but all serve the same pupose of keeping group solidarity.

As commonly seen strict churches employ various means of keeping their ties in their church strong while limiting excessive access to other groups such as dress code, eating habits, and rituals that prevent mixing with other groups. The implication of these, “strict demands ‘strengthen’ a church in three ways; they raise overall levels of commitment, they increase average rates of participation, and they enhance the net benefits of membership.” Complying with these demands prevent the members of a church from free loading within the group and promote group solidarity. The strict rules that govern and regulate a church actually help and promote the strength of the ties within the group. Those who don’t comply with these strictures are screened out leaving only those who do comply and comply earnestly.” These strict doctrines and regulations serve to keep the church strong and together while screening out members that may actually harm the church unintentionally by be free loaders within the group.

--Ha Do Spring 2008 (talk) 01:11, 3 June 2008 (UTC)