Functionalism Flashcards
What are the four functions of religion?
Religion unites people- durkheim
Religion answers ultimate questions - parsons
Religion provides comfort - malinovski
religion integrates society - bellah
Ao1 religion unites people
For Durkheim religion was not a belief in God, the spirits, or the supernatural, but a distinction between the sacred and profane found in all religions
He studied the practice of totemism
And this is a practice of worshipping, a sacred object, known as totem, which is religion represented in its most basic form
When worshipping the totem, people are really worshipping society
By sharing beliefs, it ties, identity, commitment and belonging, which is referred to as collective conscience
Which means they think as one.
This helps bind society together, therefore religion acts as a conservative force
Ao3 religion unites people
This theory lacks contemporary relevance
Today we have multi faith societies so his theories may not apply and different religions and values can tear people apart and may pose as a threat to social order and stability
Ao1 religion answers ultimate questions
It is the primary source of meaning and it answers the ultimate questions about the meaning of life
In particular, it answers ultimate questions about the human condition, such as why the good die young and these events defy our sense of justice, making life appear meaningless, which may undermine our commitment to societies values
Ao3 religion answers ultimate questions
Marxist and feminist criticise this as a rose tinted view of religion
They argue that religion passes on the norms and values of the dominant group not those of everyone and religion is used to keep the subordinate group passive
Ao1 religion provides comfort
Malinowki argued that religion, performs positive functions for both the individual and society as it provides a sense of certainty and comfort in 2 situations
He found that, when studying the trobriand islanders they survived on fish
However times, the ocean was unpredictable and could be unsafe to gain a sense of control that islanders performed a ritual called Canoe magic
They believed when they performed this ritual they got a sense of control in an uncontrollable situation
And at times of life crisis, religion can provide a source of comfort, explanation and meaning for individuals. An example of this is funeral services where friends and family are comforted by beliefs and sayings of religion.
Ao3 religion provides comfort
Like durkheim study, it is based on a single faith society and it also assumes that religion is the most significant ideological influence to provide certainty, but today many people just turn to science
For example, when setting out to a journey you haven’t made before many use a satnav to ensure they get back safely rather than a religious ritual
Ao1 religion integrate society
Bellah is interested in how religion, unifies society, especially a multifaith society like America
She argues that civil religion, integrates society in a way that individual religions cannot while non-of the many individual churches and denominations claimed the loyalty of Americans the civil religion can
American civil religion involves loyalty to the nation, state, and belief in God, and this together binds Americans from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds
Ap3 religion integrates society
Bellahs civil religion does apply to multi faith societies and therefore has contemporary relevance
And her work answers criticisms of Durkheims work
