beliefs in society Flashcards
functionalist view on the role of religion
names of sociologists
durkheim berger bellah malinowski parsons
durkhiem
functionalism
interested in the distinction between the sacred and the profane
sacred- things that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder
profane- things that have no special significance - ordinary and mundane
done a study on arunta tribe- totemism - worshiping a sacred object - totem pole - acts as a social glue = value consensus and promotes social solidarity. all members of society are binded together through their shared worship.
evaluation:
durkheim and berger fail to acknowledge that religion can create more conflict than consensus. an example of this is shown of christianity which has created conflict between protestants and catholics.
berger
addition to durkheim
functionalist
creates value consensus
religion is a sacred canopy, which everyone in society is welcome to come and join- the more people under the canopy, the more cohesive society becomes
bellah
functionalist
americanism
all religions coincide in america due to not favouring one religion as they use terms such as god bless america and one nation under god.
people can put religious differences aside to show commitment to their country - creating a social solidarity for the love of their country
evaluation:
not all religions are part of the civil religion e.g. muslims when trump was in power he openly promoted islamophobia - when you dont like muslims
malinowski
functionalist
trobriand islanders
religion has a psychological function- helps individuals deal with anxious and stressful situations
unpredictable events can cause instability and disruption in society - so religion helps to stabilise society
evaluation:
due to secularisation, religion is losing its role of helping people to cope with stressful situations. even religious funerals are now less popular - 80% decline
parsons
functionalist
religion sacralises the laws of society. people do not break laws such as murdering people as religion reinforces that this is a bad thing to do through the ten commandments of thou shall not kill. it is illegal and immoral in society so people may face backlash from society and legal punishments so creates an incentive not to commit it
evaluation:
religion no longer has the impact of sacralising laws as the majority of people are not religious.
feminism and religion
2 sides
radical feminist view- always and will always be patriarchal
liberal feminist view- less patriarchal and is starting to be gender equal
armstrong
feminist
women do not reach the highest job roles in religious organisations
for example catholicism forbids women from become priests
they can work their way up but eventually they hit a glass ceiling and feminists refer to this as the stained glass window.
evaluation:
some religions are becoming less patriarchal. in the church of england the first female bishop was appointed to libby lane in 2015 which is the highest position a women has ever reached in the church
aldridge
feminist
religious texts are patriarchal - bible, prayers, hymns
for example in religious texts they are refer to male gods, prophets saints and heros, whereas women are depicted to be bad as eve was the one who tempted adam.
evaluation:
however, religion is becoming less patriarchal as women are no longer told to obey their husbands in the wedding ceremony, and texts are now being changed to gender neutral language to promote equality.
burchill
feminist
islamic laws and customs are patriarchal
women have to wear burquas and hijabs to cover up and not be seen by anyone who isnt their husband and in some cases women are forced into genitalia mutation where their clits are removed so that only the man can enjoy the sex which is patriarchal.
evaluation:
watson found that women actually use religion as a way to gain freedom and respect, the hijabs and buruquas allows women to enter public places without losing their cultural identity, and it prevents them recieving lecherous stares from men based upon what they look like.
nawal el sadaawi
feminist
religion is patriarchal
men have reinterpreted religious beliefs and manipualted them to benefit themselves meaning that they can serve their own interests through people following the religion
marxist sociologists on religion
lenin
marx
lenin
marxist
religion is spiritual gin which proletariats drown their human shape and claims to a decent life. religion is like a intoxicant given out to create a state of false class consiousness for the proletariat as religion acts as a coping mechanism and keeps them unaware of the true harsh realities of the capitalist society
for example in the hymn all things bright and beautiful it states that the rich man is in his castle and the poor man is at his gate, god made them high and lowly and ordered their estate. this encourages the idea of social class divide between bourgeoisie and proletariat as religion states that god made society how it is and that people should accept their place in society and not go against it or they are going against god.
evaluation: religion no longer maintains false class consiousness for the proletariat as there has been a huge decrease in the amount of people that follow religious teachings.
marx 1
marxist
religion is the opium of people
its like a drug that dulls the pain of oppression and exploitation
makes life bearable
the promise of heaven ensures the proletariat return to work week after week so that they please god
evaluation:
millaband argues that religion was once the opium of the people but it has now been replaced by the media. the media is the new opium of the people. seeing celebrity lifestyles distracts the proletariat from their own lives and leads them to keep going back to work to get the celebrity lifestyle
marx 2
marxist
religion lets proletariat used the idea of alienation
on earth, people are a long way from god, so distant that they contract him. humans have no power over gods decision.
this is similar to the proletariat in the workplace, they are kept distant from the profits of the business. the proletariat accept this as they see the idea of being far away as normal and they dont try to work their way up closer to the profits as they dont want to upset god.
evaluiation:
alienation is seen as an outdated concept workers are no longer alienated from profits as they can do things like earn shares in the business that they work for.
religion and social change socioogists
weber
gramski
bruce
weber
social change
religion has created a social change from an agricultural society to a capitalist one.
calvinist religious group
- elected
- ascetic lifestyle
- salvation panic
- business growth due to ascetic lifestyle
- spirit of capitalist
evaluation:
tawney argues that weber completely overstates the role that calvinists played in the development of capitalist societies. tawney believes that it was the advances in technology which led to creation of new machinery and factories that created capitalism - not the calvinsts religious ideas and work ethic.
gramski neo marxist
social change
religion supports the bourgeoise but also helps the proletariat - religion has a dual character. some religious leaders act as organic intellectuals who help the proletariat develop a counter hegemony that goes against ruiling class ideology- helps them fight the oppression.
an example is father camilo tores who became a freedom fighter who said that we should take power from the privileged minorities in order to give it to the poor majority. he was fighting for a communist revolution.
evaluation:
due to secularisation religion is unlikely to have any impact in helping the proletariat to fight back against the bourgeoise in todays society social media has more of an impact.
secularisation sociologists
hadaway wilson weber parsons bruce berger stark + bainbridge norris + inglehart davie hervieu - leger lyon
secularisation facts
- only 5% of adult population attended church on a sunday in 2015
- people no longer believe that there is life after death or that jesus is the son of god
hadaway
secularisation
church attendence figures do not match on questionaires
people only say that they go to church because it is socially desirable
there is an 83% difference between people that say that they go to church and the people that actually go to church
wilson
secularisation
secularisation from within
religion is still popular because it is les religious itself
it is less strict and they have changed their teachings so that people will stay in the religion - people dont feel judged by the church when they take a more mordern way of life anymore.
weber
secularisation
rationalisation
people are more interested in science and rationality than the teachings of the bible and supernatural explanations
for example when people are ill they now seek a doctor rather than a priest as they would rather rational explanations
evaluation:
nandas study shows that rationalism does not always lead to secularisation. india has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and has become extremely rational with a technological world view but still remains highly religious.
parsons
secularisation
structural differentiation
the church has been replaced by new government support. religions now less important to people who seek help - people no longer need it
for example the gov now offer nhs (free health care) which would have traditionally been given by the church. they also give welfare benefits to the poor.
evaluation:
it is wrong to say that religion doesnt have a role to play in society today. religion plays a key role in hatching, matching and dispatching- christening, marriage and funerals
bruce
secularisation
social and cultural diversity
pre industrial times communities were collective and religion was the focal point of their bonding
the move to industrialisation has created loose knit urban areas shaped by individualism
religion is no longer needed as people no longer strive to be a community
evaluation:
this point doesnt apply to all social groups. the elderly still have a strong sense of collectivism. this nay help to explain why the majority of churchgoers are of an older age.
berger
secularisation
religious diversity
there are a large numbers of different religions and different beliefs- different people believing different things leads to people not knowing what the real truth is. so they chose not to follow any religion
this refered to as a crisis of credibility.
link to globalisation- immigrants bring different religions into the country
evaluation:
in a drastic change of heart berger changed his mind and argued that having a variety of different religions in society can actually make people more religious this is because it allows people to go spiritual shopping like pick and mix religion
stark and bainbridge
secularisation
religious market theory
religions compete to gain more believers, they provide people with different answers, advice and teachings so people are able to chose what religion they prefer
it is like the marketisation of religion
evaluation:
wallis disputes the idea that there isnt religious competition in europe. wallis claims there are as many as 25,000 new religious movements in europe
norris and inglehart
existential security theory
religion acts as a blanket of security for americans against no welfare state and natural disasters
relates to malinowski study of the trobriand islanders praying to god over fears of dangerous fishing
evaluation:
this theory doesnt explain why those who are secure still chose to turn to religion. for example wealthy people in the uk who have no fear of the welfare state or natural disasters
davie
secularisation - postmodernist
people believe without belonging- they can practice religion without going to church. it has become more privatised- people rather pray at home by themselves than as a community at church explaining the decline in church attendence
evaluation:
bruce argues that this shows that religious belief is still declining. if people cant be bothered to attend church then religion is clearly not that important to them.
hervieu - leger
secularisation - postmodernist
cultural amnesia- children are no longer born into a chosen religion. parents allow children to decide for themselves which allows children to take part in individual consumerism where by they pick and mix elements of different religions. this is referd to as spiritual shopping. this could actually lead to an increase in religious following as people are no longer restricted to one religions beliefs
evaluation:
critics argue that spiritual shopping is not a real form of religion and simply shows that religion is not taken seriously in todays society
lyon
secularisation - postmodernist
religion has been disembedded from the traditional walls of the church by the media,
religion isnt just in churches anymore. media has meant that its everywhere, people can watch church ceremonies on their phones or tvs now, and there are online versions of the bible
evaluation:
although religion now exists in different places it is only a token effort and does not symbolise the reemergance of religion
