Beliefs in Society - Introduction Flashcards
What are beliefs?
Ideas about things we hold to be true
What are the three main sociological definitions of religion?
Substantive
Functional
Constructionist
What does the substantive definition of religion say?
Focus on what the content or substance of religion i.e. its belief
Substantive definitions are exclusive: they draw a clear line between religions and non-religious beliefs
What does Weber say about the substantive definition of religion?
Weber: religion has a belief in a supernatural power that is above nature and cannot be explained scientifically e.g. a God or Goddess
What are criticisms of the substantive definition of religion?
However, such beliefs are Western-biased and tend to exclude religions such as Buddhism, which doesn’t have a Western idea of a God
Also, they ignore practices that perform similar functions to religions but have no supernatural belief
What do functional definitions of religion say?
Focus on the function of religion
i.e. what religion does
What does Durkheim say about functional definitions of religion?
Durkheim: religion creates social solidarity by uniting society through shared beliefs and values
What are the criticisms of functional definitions of religion?
This definition is more inclusive than the substantive definition because it includes beliefs and practices that don’t hold a belief in the supernatural, which also avoids bias against non-Western religions such as Buddhism
However, it is very broad and may include activities that bring people together but aren’t a religion
What do constructionist definitions of religion say?
Take an interpretivist view to look at how members of society define religion
From this point of view there is no single definition of religion because religion means different things to different individuals and groups
What are the criticisms of constructionist definitions of religion?
This approach makes it impossible to generalise about the nature of religion
