Beliefs Flashcards
How can and can’t religion be harmful?
+ people can pick and choose which parts to believe and follow
+ followers can become exploited by their leaders
- brings people together and motivates them to be good people
substantive definition of religion
in order for a religion to be a religion it must believe in a God or supernatural being
Weber - substantive definition
- religion is only a religion if there is a belief in a superior power that cannot be explained scientifically
evaluation of substantive definition
- some religions have numerous or no Gods eg. atheism
functional definition of religion
a religion needs to perform functions in society
Durkheim - functional definition of religion
- The sacred and the profane are more important than a God. ‘Sacred’ - evoke feelings of awe and wonder eg. Christian cross. ‘Profane’ - ordinary things
- Totemism - The Arunta tribe worshipped a sacred totem - brings society together reinforcing social solidarity
- Collective conscience - shared norms/values/beliefs established through religious rituals eg. Sunday Mass helps people feel part of a community
- Cognitive function - intellectual abilities - without a God we wouldn’t think about time, space, matter, substance etc.
criticism of Durkheim view on religion
- Worsely - there is no clear division of the ‘sacred’ or ‘profane’, totemism doesn’t apply to all religions
- Mestrovic (postmodernist) - cannot be applied to contemporary society as it’s so fragmented, there is no single shared value system
Yinger - functional definition
religion performs functions such as answering existential questions eg. what happens after death?
constructionist definition of religion
focuses on how members of a society define their religion, why the followers believe the religion exists and why they follow it
focuses on the individuals - interpretivist approach
Aldridge - constructionist definition
Scientology is a religion but some government denied its legal status
evaluation of constructionist definition
- could be problematic as everyone has their own opinions and definitions of religion
- unreliable and ungeneralisable
Malinowski - functionalist view on religion
- agrees with Durkheim but religion also performs psychological function
- life events eg. birth, death, puberty can bring uncertainty/tension - religion eases this eg. Judaism has Bar/Bat Mitzvah for puberty
- Trobriand tribe - before dangerous ocean fishing they’d perform rituals to ease tension - if anyone died it was due to the ‘will of God’
Malinowski view on religion - criticism
Western society’s demonstrate how religion is not needed to perform this function
Parsons functions of religion
- socialises people into moral guidelines eg. priests, ministers emphasise moral codes ‘Do not kill’
- helps individuals adapt to change - during grief they provide emotional support through Holy readings etc. Can provide guidance for future eg. Christian marriages - priest offers guidance to be loving and caring
- provides meaning to life situations eg. why there is suffering and poverty - people questioning things can destabilise society, religion provides answers eg. Heaven/Hell
criticisms of Parsons view on religion
- scientific breakthroughs are answering existential questions making some lose faith but society is still stable
- society is diverse and people’s mindsets are changing so people may not agree with religious values
- negative aspects of religion exist - religious wars cause conflict
Bellah view on religion
- religion is being replaced with ‘civil religion’
- civil religion that includes cultural norms, values, beliefs help promote an identity based on the national way of life
- Those migrating to USA learn their culture through religious teachings
- Civil religions promote the ‘American way of life’
- USA promotes American values through religion eg. pledge of allegiance
criticism of Bellah view on religion
- this is not an example of religion but of nationalism
- this concept goes against the substantive definition
Marx view on religion
- ruling class control production industry as well as distribution of ideas through church, school, media etc.
- religion is ideological weapon used by ruling class to legitimate suffering of the poor
- misleads the poor into believing their suffering is virtuous and they’ll be rewarded in the afterlife - false consciousness
- religion is a product of alienation - under capitalism, workers are alienated as they don’t own what they produce, they have no freedom so turn to religion for a sense of belonging and hope
Lenin view on religion
- it is ‘Spiritual Gin’ given to the masses by the ruling class to confuse them and keep them in their place by creating a ‘mystical fog’
- religion legitimates the power of the ruling class by making it appear divinely ordained eg. in 16th century it was believed Kings were God’s representative