defining religion Flashcards
what are functional and inclusivist defintions
-broad defintion and covers a range of beliefs to which people give a religious quality but doesnt always involve belief in a super natural being e.g football exmaple
what does durkheim define religion as
-set of unified beliefs and practices relative to sacred things
-durkeheim believed anyhting could have scared qualities to it
what does sacred mean
-beliefs and practices related to scared things -set apart and forbidden
what does profane mean
-everyday, mundane world
what does substantive and exclusivist defintions mean
-narrower and focuses on religion actually is and involves supernatural beliefs of some kind
what did max weber say in terms of substantive
-see religion as a belief in supernatural power that cant be scientifically explained
-doesnt agree js anything can be sacred
-definiton fits with conventional rleigions e.g christinaity and non conventional e.g wicca
what is social constructionist defintions
-focuses on the meanings people attach to religion
(interpretivist approach)
what does berger claim
-not possible to produce a single defintion of religion as it means diff things to diff people
what do social construcutionists suggest
-dont assume religion always involve a belief and system such as believing in God or the supernatural or that relgion performs simialr fucntions for all in society
what is the aim of social constructionists approach
-aims to find the meanings that people themselves asscoiate w religion
-e.g those who follow scientology see it as there religion
-others view it as a cult and some countries have denied its legal status as a religion.
