SOCIAL PROFILE AND RECRUITMENT PATTERNS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES: EXAMPLE OF ISTANBUL KURTULUS CONGREGATION

Barış Başaran

Makale detayları

SOCIAL PROFILE AND RECRUITMENT PATTERNS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES: EXAMPLE OF ISTANBUL KURTULUS CONGREGATION

Yazarlar:

Barış Başaran

Yayıncı:

Pamukkale University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sosyoloji

Dergi:

Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi Issue 59, pp.45-60

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

11/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304005

pISSN:

1308-2922

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Jehovahs Witnesses are one of a few western religious groups that can show consistent worldwide growth both in Turkey and worldwide with their peculiar understanding of religious worship. Witnesses first arised around protestant religious movements in United States with the name Bible Students. Although they were initially seen as a christian sect in time due to peculiar doctrines they display they began to be considered as a new world religion. In the first part of this study, the demographic profile and patterns of religious recruitment of Istanbul Kurtulus congregation will be analysed together with data from previous studies on congregations in other countries and ways and forms of recruitment for an ordinary Jehovahs Witnesses in Turkey to the new religion will be discussed extensively. The pool of data our work relies is obtained through field notes of the services we have attended for three years, data from informants of the congregation and semi structured interviews with 21 members. First and key finding of our research is that religious conversion patterns in our sample be much closely in congruence with social network theory than the cases of other countries. Additionally gender is identified as an important factor of mediation for conversion with networks of kinship playing an active role. In the second part of this study based on these insights we will offer two basic types of recruitment orientation, we call as Accomodation and Pioneering. These two orientations seems to correspond to two different social motives and needs in our sample. In the last part of this study conversion experiences of two interviewee will be elaborated as representing these two motives.

 Jehovahs Witnesses are one of a few western religious groups that can show consistent worldwide growth both in Turkey and worldwide with their peculiar understanding of religious worship. Witnesses first arised around protestant religious movements in United States with the name Bible Students. Although they were initially seen as a christian sect in time due to peculiar doctrines they display they began to be considered as a new world religion. In the first part of this study, the demographic profile and patterns of religious recruitment of Istanbul Kurtulus congregation will be analysed together with data from previous studies on congregations in other countries and ways and forms of recruitment for an ordinary Jehovahs Witnesses in Turkey to the new religion will be discussed extensively. The pool of data our work relies is obtained through field notes of the services we have attended for three years, data from informants of the congregation and semi structured interviews with 21 members. First and key finding of our research is that religious conversion patterns in our sample be much closely in congruence with social network theory than the cases of other countries. Additionally gender is identified as an important factor of mediation for conversion with networks of kinship playing an active role. In the second part of this study based on these insights we will offer two basic types of recruitment orientation, we call as Accomodation and Pioneering. These two orientations seems to correspond to two different social motives and needs in our sample. In the last part of this study conversion experiences of two interviewee will be elaborated as representing these two motives.

 Jehovahs Witnesses are one of a few western religious groups that can show consistent worldwide growth both in Turkey and worldwide with their peculiar understanding of religious worship. Witnesses first arised around protestant religious movements in United States with the name Bible Students. Although they were initially seen as a christian sect in time due to peculiar doctrines they display they began to be considered as a new world religion. In the first part of this study, the demographic profile and patterns of religious recruitment of Istanbul Kurtulus congregation will be analysed together with data from previous studies on congregations in other countries and ways and forms of recruitment for an ordinary Jehovahs Witnesses in Turkey to the new religion will be discussed extensively. The pool of data our work relies is obtained through field notes of the services we have attended for three years, data from informants of the congregation and semi structured interviews with 21 members. First and key finding of our research is that religious conversion patterns in our sample be much closely in congruence with social network theory than the cases of other countries. Additionally gender is identified as an important factor of mediation for conversion with networks of kinship playing an active role. In the second part of this study based on these insights we will offer two basic types of recruitment orientation, we call as Accomodation and Pioneering. These two orientations seems to correspond to two different social motives and needs in our sample. In the last part of this study conversion experiences of two interviewee will be elaborated as representing these two motives.

 Yehovanın Şahitleri özgün ibadet anlayışları ve Hristiyanlık yorumları ile Türkiyede ve dünya çapında istikrarlı büyüme sergileyebilen az sayıdaki Batı kökenli dini topluluktan biridir. Şahitler 19ncu yüzyılda Amerika Birleşik Devletlerinde Protestan dini hareketler arasında Kutsal Kitap Öğrencileri adıyla ortaya çıkmış, ilk başlarda Hristiyanlık kökenli bir tarikat olarak görülürken, zamanla genel kabul gören Hristiyan inançlarından ayrışan öğretiler sergilemeye başlamalarıyla yeni bir dünya dini olarak değerlendirilmeye başlanmışlardır. Bu çalışmanın ilk bölümünde, İstanbul Kurtuluş Cemaati üzerine yapılan saha araştırmamızda tespit ettiğimiz demografik profil ve üye kazanma kalıbı diğer ülkelerdeki cemaatler üzerine yapılan araştırmalardaki bulgularla birlikte ele alınacak, Türkiyeli ortalama bir Yehovanın Şahidinin hangi biçim ve yollarla cemaatlere kazandırıldığı ayrıntılı olarak tartışılacaktır. Çalışmamızın dayandığı veri havuzu yaklaşık üç yıl boyunca katılım gösterdiğimiz toplu ibadetlerde tutulan alan notları, kaynak kişilerden edinilen bilgiler ve 21 cemaat üyesi ile yapılan yarı yapılandırılmış mülakatlardan temin edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucu elde edilen bulgulardan ilki örneklemimiz içerisindeki Yehovanın Şahitlerinin din değiştirme konversiyon kalıplarının diğer ülkelerdeki örneklerden çok daha belirgin bir biçimde Sosyal Ağ kuramı ile örtüşme sergilediğidir. İlave olarak toplumsal cinsiyetin din değiştirmeye aracılıkta önemli bir etmen olduğu özellikle akrabalık ağlarının ise etkin rol oynadığı tespit edilmiştir. İkinci bölümde bu bulgulardan hareketle, ilkini bağdaştırma ikincisini öncülük olarak adlandırdığımız iki temel biçim üye kazanma doğrultusu önerilecektir. Bu iki doğrultu, araştırma örneklemimiz içerisinde iki farklı sosyal arayış ve ihtiyaca tekabül eder görünmektedir. Çalışmanın son bölümünde bu iki arayışı temsil eden iki görüşülenin din değiştirme tecrübesi üzerinde ayrıntılı durulacaktır.

Makale detayları

SOCIAL PROFILE AND RECRUITMENT PATTERNS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES: EXAMPLE OF ISTANBUL KURTULUS CONGREGATION

Yazarlar:

Barış Başaran

Yayıncı:

Pamukkale University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sosyoloji

Dergi:

Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi Issue 59, pp.45-60

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

11/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304005

pISSN:

1308-2922

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Religious Growth

Religious Conversion

Social Network Theory

Gender and ReligiousityYehova’nın Şahitleri

Dini Büyüme

Din Değiştirme

Sosyal Ağ Teorisi

Toplumsal Cinsiyet ve Dinsellik

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Barış Başaran

Yayıncı: Pamukkale University

Ana Başlıklar: Sosyoloji

Dergi: Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi Issue 59, pp.45-60

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 11/2023

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001304005

pISSN: 1308-2922

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Barış Başaran

Yayıncı:

Pamukkale University

Ana Başlıklar:

Sosyoloji

Dergi:

Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi Issue 59, pp.45-60

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

11/2023

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001304005

pISSN:

1308-2922