The political engagement of the major world religions. Religion: Not Quite “The Opium of the Masses.”
| dc.contributor.advisor | De Jager, Nicola | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Augustyn, Hein | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-02-16T13:05:29Z | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-04-09T06:55:33Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-02-16T13:05:29Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-04-09T06:55:33Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2018-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2018. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The world is becoming more religious, not less as was previously expected. However, the world’s religions differ and do not have the same teachings and values. At the same time it is important for democratic societies that their citizens engage actively with politics. It is thus important and useful to understand how the followers of the world’s major religions engage politically. The role of religion in politics has often been overlooked. With some - such as Karl Marx who called it "the opium of the masses” - being contemptuous of religion, it is to be expected that religious people would be less politically engaged. This study investigates this expectation. Using a cross-sectional research design this study analyses secondary survey data from the World Values Survey to examine how the world’s major religions engage politically. Two secondary questions it sets out to answer are whether belonging to a religious faith makes you more or less likely to engage in politics, and also whether some religious groups are more positively disposed to the use of violence. The study finds that there are considerable differences in the extent that the world’s major religions engage with politics. Buddhists seem to be the most interested in politics and to attach the most importance to it. All the religions seem to keep well informed, mainly by watching television. Jews seem to vote more than the other groups in both local and national elections. When it comes to positioning themselves on the political scale, the two Asian religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, tend towards the left, whereas the three Christian strands of Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism are clustered around the centre. Catholics tend the furthest towards the right among all the groups. Protestants seem to be significantly more engaged in civil society organisations than any of the other groups. They also seem to participate more in the signing of petitions and boycotts than any other group. Jews seem to take more part in peaceful and lawful demonstrations and other political action than other groups. With regards to unconventional political action, Protestants and Jews seem to participate more in unofficial strikes than other groups. All the groups recorded a very negative attitude towards violence against other people. However, Jews seem to be the most positively disposed towards it, followed by Hindus. Orthodox Christians seem to be the most negative towards violence. Some groups thus seem to be slightly more positively disposed towards violence against other people than others. The religiously unaffiliated seem to engage actively in conventional protest action, only moderately in unconventional political action and poorly in civil society organisations. Although they seem to be politically more engaged than groups like the Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Orthodox Christians, they do not appear to be more engaged than Jews or Protestants. It thus seems that religion, as a whole, cannot be considered to be “the opium of the masses” since various religious groups have frequently been shown to be more engaged in politics than those who are religiously unaffiliated. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die wêreld is besig om godsdienstiger te word en nie minder, soos te wagte nie. Nogtans verskil wêreldgelowe en het nie eenderse leerstellings of waardes nie. Terselfdertyd is dit belangrik vir demokratiese gemeenskappe dat hul burgers aktief deelneem aan politiek. Dit is dus belangrik en nuttig om te verstaan hoe die volgelinge van die wêreld se grootste gelowe aan politiek deelneem. Die rol van godsdiens in politiek word gereeld oor die hoof gesien. Omdat baie – soos Karl Marx wat dit die “opium van die menigtes” genoem het – godsdiens minag, is dit te wagte dat godsdienstige mense minder aan politiek sal deelneem. Hierdie studie ondersoek hierdie verwagting. Deur gebruik te maak van ‘n dwarssnit navorsingsmodel analiseer hierdie studie sekondêre data van die “World Values Survey” om te ondersoek hoe betrokke die wêreld se groot gelowe is by politiek. Twee sekondêre vrae wat die studie poog om te beantwoord is of jy meer of minder geneig is om aan politiek deel te neem omdat jy aan ‘n geloof behoort, asook of sommige godsdienstige groepe meer positief gesind is teenoor geweld. Die studie het gevind dat daar aansienlike verskille is in die omvang van hoe die wêreld se groot gelowe met politiek omgaan. Boeddhiste blyk die meeste geïnteresseerd te wees in politiek en die meeste belang daaraan te heg. Dit wil voorkom asof al die gelowe goed ingelig bly, hoofsaaklik deur televisie te kyk. Dit blyk dat Jode meer as die ander groepe in beide plaaslike en nasionale verkiesings stem. Op die politieke skaal neig die twee Asiatiese gelowe, Hindoeïsme en Boeddhisme na links, terwyl die drie Christelike groepe, die Katolieke, Ortodokse Christene en Protestante, rondom die middel bondel. Katolieke neig die verste na regs van al die groepe. Dit wil voorkom asof Protestante aanmerklik meer betrokke is by burgerlike samelewingsorganisasies as enige van die ander groepe. Dit wil ook lyk asof hulle meer deelneem aan die teken van petisies en boikotte as enige ander groep. Dit skyn asof Jode meer deelneem aan vreedsame en wettige betogings en ander politieke aksies as enige ander groep. Met betrekking tot onkonvensionele politieke aksie wil dit voorkom asof meer Protestante en Jode aan onoffisiële stakings as ander groepe deelneem. Al die groepe het ‘n baie negatiewe houding teenoor geweld teen ander mense aangeteken. Nietemin blyk Jode die positiefste teenoor geweld te wees, gevolg deur die Hindoes. Ortodokse Christene blyk die negatiefste teenoor geweld te wees. Dit wil dus voorkom asof sommige groepe ‘n bietjie meer positief gesind is teenoor geweld teen ander mense, as ander. Dit lyk asof die groep van ongodsdienstiges aktief deelneem aan konvensionele protesaksies, slegs matiglik aan onkonvensionele politieke aksie en swak aan burgerlike samelewingsorganisasies. Alhoewel dit voorkom asof hierdie groep meer polities aktief is as groepe soos die Boeddhiste, Hindoes, Moslems en Ortodokse Christene, lyk dit nie asof hulle meer polities aktief is as die Jode of Protestante nie. Dit lyk asof godsdiens, as ‘n geheel, nie gesien kan word as die “opium van die menigtes” nie, aangesien herhaaldelik gewys is dat verskeie godsdienstige groepe meer betrokke by politiek is, as dié wat godsdienstig onverbonde is. | af_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | xiii, 145 pages : illustrations | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/103411 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_ZA | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Religion and state | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Religion and politics | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Religious denominations -- Political participation | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.title | The political engagement of the major world religions. Religion: Not Quite “The Opium of the Masses.” | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |