Dissent as Deviance: Sociological Observations on Structural Conflicts in Church

Over the past century, dissent has become increasingly apparent with regard to many institutional norms of the Roman Catholic Church, including the doctrinal, moral, and legal norms that determine behavioral expectations within the church as an institution. In the legal field, dissent often manifests as deviance, behavior which opposes or undermines the ecclesiastical norms. In my contribution, I explore dissent as deviance with regard to the current social structure of the church in the light of sociological considerations on anomie. To do this, I have divided my study into three steps. First, I refer briefly to the recent symptoms in church which reveal the deterioration of institutional norms. Second, I endeavour to identify the structural reasons that might be responsible for causing this effect by studying sociological findings on deviance and anomie, foremost among them Robert Merton’s strain theory. Third, I apply these considerations to recent phenomena in church to gain a better understanding of why the current social structure of the church is inducing certain groups to turn to deviant behavior. I conclude by linking these sociological observations with theological thought to show how a theory of non-reception might help the church to learn from deviance and improve its structure.