Beliefs- Theories of Religion

Question 1

Why is the definition of religion very hard to pin down?

Answer 1

Some definitions can either exclude belief systems commonly thought of as religion, or fail to distinguish between religious and secular organisations

Question 2

What is the substantive definition?

Answer 2

The substance or content of a religion- belief in God or a higher power

Question 3

What is a problem with the substantive definition?

Answer 3

They exclude belief systems such as Buddhism which do not worship a God

Question 4

What is the functional definition?

Answer 4

Based on what the religion actually does, either for an individual or for society as a whole

Question 5

What does the functional definition focus on?

Answer 5

The idea of community and integration

Question 6

How can problems arise from the functional definition focusing on community?

Answer 6

An organisation that gives a sense of community isn’t necessarily a religion

Question 7

What do social constructionists concentrate on?

Answer 7

How individual members of society define religion

Question 8

What is good about the social constructionist attitude?

Answer 8

It is very inclusive

Question 9

What is bad about the social constructionist attitude?

Answer 9

It makes it virtually impossible to come up with a general or universal definition

Question 10

How do functionalists see religion?

Answer 10

As something that inhibits change and helps keep society as it is

Question 11

What did Durkheim suggest after studying Aboriginal society?

Answer 11

That the sacred worship of totems was equivalent to worshipping society itself and sacred religious worship encourages shared values

Question 12

What did Malinowski look at?

Answer 12

How religion deals with situations of emotional stress that threaten social order

Question 13

What did Malinowski say?

Answer 13

Unpredictable or stressful events like births and deaths create disruption and religion manages these tensions and promotes stability

Question 14

What did Parsons write?

Answer 14

That religion provides guidelines for human action in terms of ‘core values’ and religion helps to integrate people into a value consensus and allows them to make sense of their lives

Question 15

What does Bellah suggest?

Answer 15

The idea of Civil Religion which is when secular symbols and rituals create social cohesion in a similar way to religion

Question 16

What can bring about some kind of collective feeling that generates order and stability?

Answer 16

Flags, famous political figures and even royal deaths

Question 17

What does functionalism ignore?

Answer 17

Dysfunctional aspects of religion, religious conflicts all over the world, religion can be a source of oppression, religion can bring about change

Question 18

How is a woman’s role as primary caregiver seen as important by traditional religion?

Answer 18

It’s the job of a mother to raise her children to believe in God and worship God

Question 19

Why are women seen as distractions from worship?

Answer 19

Because they’re sexually attractive

Question 20

How are women treated in many religious organisations?

Answer 20

They are excluded from power

Question 21

How do feminists view religious texts?

Answer 21

They transmit messages to readers through stories that reflect and uphold a patriarchal society

Question 22

What does the patriarchal ideology say?

Answer 22

Women are part of the profane and imperfect- maintains conformity and submission of women

Question 23

How did Beauvoir see religion?

Answer 23

As exploitative and oppressive towards women

Question 24

What did Beauvoir think?

Answer 24

That religion promotes the idea that if women suffer in their present lives, they’ll receive equality in heaven, which allows women to put up with being treated as inferior to men in the hope of gaining in the afterlife

Question 25

How is there a bigger picture of religion transmitting patriarchal ideas?

Answer 25

Other social and cultural influences contribute towards the creation of patriarchal society too

Question 26

How may some women actively resist religious oppression?

Answer 26

By fighting oppression against the limitations it places on them

Question 27

What did Marx say?

Answer 27

In capitalist society there was a conflict of interests between the ruling class and the working class because the ruling class exploit the working class to get the most profit out of them

Question 28

What’s stopping the working class from uniting and overthrowing the ruling class?

Answer 28

The working class are in a state of false consciousness so they’re not aware of how unfair society is

Question 29

Why is Marx very critical of religion?

Answer 29

He says it’s one of the things that keeps the working class in a state of false consciousness

Question 30

What does it mean when religion is described as ‘the opium of the people’?

Answer 30

It dulls the pain of oppression like opium but doesn’t take away the oppression

Question 31

How does religion justify social inequality? (4 points)

Answer 31

1. People have the afterlife to look forward to if they’re good, so they don’t break the rules and don’t challenge the capitalist system
2. Religion consoles people with the promise of life after death and so they put up with their suffering here on Earth more easily
3. Religion often tells people that their position is decided by God and this encourages false consciousness by blaming God instead of blaming capitalism
4. If God is all-powerful he could do something about the suffering if he wanted to but he doesn’t do anything so people think this is how society is meant to be

Question 32

What does Marxism say that religion does?

Answer 32

Passes on beliefs that oppress the working class and argues that religion is a conservative force that prevents revolution

Question 33

How is religion neat social control?

Answer 33

It keeps things the same- the rich stay rich and the poor stay working

Question 34

Why are there problems with applying the Marxist view to today’s society?

Answer 34

Fewer people go to a place of worship than in the past- if people don’t go to worship it’s hard for them to be duped by formal religious ideology