functionalist theories of religion Flashcards
substantive definitions
focus on the content of religious belief , such as the belief in god or the supernatural
weber - defines religion as belief in a superior or supernatural power that is above nature and cannot be explained scientifically
draw a clear line between religious and non religious beliefs
conform to a widespread view of religion as a belief in god, however, defining religion in this way leaves no room for beliefs and practices that perform similar functions but do not involve a belief in god
accused of western biased because they exclude religions such as buddhism which do not have the western idea of a god
functional definitions
durkheim - defines religion in the terms of the contribution it makes to social integration, rather than any specific belief in god or the supernatural
yinger - identifies functions that religions perform for individuals, such as answering ultimate questions about the meaning of life and what happens when we die
inclusive - no bias against non western religions
just because an institution helps integrate individuals into groups, it doesn’t make it a religion
constructionist definitions
take an interpretivist approach that focuses on how members of society define religion, arguing that it’s not possible to produce a single, universal definition of religion to cover all cases
interested in how definitions of religion are constructed. aldrige - shows how for its followers, scientology is a religion, whereas several governments have denied it legal status as a religion and sought to ban it
do not assume that religion always involves a belief in god, their approach allows them to get close to the meanings people give themselves to religion
makes it impossible to generalise about the nature of religion due to differing views
functionalist theories of religion
see society as a system of interrelated parts which work together to form a whole
society has basic needs, such as social order and solidarity so that its members can cooperate
what makes order possible is value consensus, without this, individuals would pursue their own selfish desires
durkheim - the scared and the profane
the key feature of religion is a fundamental distinction between the sacred and the profane
a religion is never simply a set of beliefs. it also involves definite rituals or practices in relation to the sacred and these rituals are collective, performed by social groups
the fact that sacred things evoke such powerful feelings in believers indicates to durkheim that this is because they are symbols of something representing great power - this can only be society itself since it is the only thing powerful enough to command such feelings
when the symbols are worshipped, people are worshipping society itself - unites people into a single moral community
totemism
durkheim believed that the essence of all religion could be found by found by studying its simplest form - used studies of arunta, an aboriginal australian tribe
arunta clans consist of bans of kin who come together periodically to perfom rituals involving worship of a sacred totem (the clan’s emblem) such as an animal or plant, that symbolises the clan’s origins or identity. this reinforces the group’s solidarity and belonging
when clan members worship their totem, they are really worshipping society, even though they are not aware of this
the collective conscience
sacred symbols represent the collective conscience, the shared norms, values, beliefs and knowledge that make social life possible
regular shared rituals binds individuals together and maintains social integration, reminding them that they are part of a single moral community to which they owe their loyalty. such rituals remind the individual of the power of society
religion also performs and important function for the individual. by making us feel part of something greater than ourselves , religion reinvigorates and strengthens us to face life’s trials
cognitive functions of religion
durkheim sees religion as our intellectual and cognitive capacities - our ability to reason and think conceptually. in order to think at all, we need categories such as time, space, cause, substance and number.
to share our thoughts, we need to use the same categories as others
religion is the origin of the concepts and categories we need for reasoning, understanding the world, and communicating
evaluation of durkheim
the evidence on totemism is unsound. worsley - there is no sharp division between the sacred and the profane, and that different clans share the same totems
may apply better to small scale societies with a single religion. his theory may explain social integration within communities, but not the conflict between them
mestrovic - durkheim’s ideas cannot be applied to contemporary society because increasing diversity has fragmented the collective conscience, so there is no longer a shared value system for religion to reinforce
religion can be dysfunctional for society
psychological functions
malinowski - agrees with durkheim that religion promotes solidarity, but he believes it does so by performing psychological functions for individuals, helping them cope with emotional stress that would undermine social solidarity.
two types of situations where religion performs this role:
- where the outcome is important but is uncontrollable and thus uncertain - study of trobriand islanders, malinowski contrasts fishing in the lagoon and the ocean.
-> lagoon fishing is safe and uses the predictable and successful
method of poisoning. no ritual
-> ocean fishing is dangerous and uncertain and is always
accompanied by canoe magic - rituals to ensure a safe and
successful expedition. this gives the islanders a sense of control,
which eases tension, gives them confidence to undertake
hazardous tasks and reinforces solidarity. serves as god of the
gaps - it fills the gaps in human beings control over the world
- at times of life crises - events such as birth, puberty, marriage and death mark major disruptive changes in social groups. religion helps to minimise destruction. funeral rituals reinforce solidarity among survivors, while the notion of immortality gives comfort to the bereaved by denying the fact of death
parsons - value and meaning
sees religion as helping individuals to cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes
identifies two other essential functions that religion performs in modern society:
- creates and legitimates society’s central values
- it is the primary source of meaning
religion creates and legitimates society’s basic norms and values by sacralising the. in the usa, protestantism has sacralised the core american values of individualism, meritocracy and self discipline. this serves to promote value consensus, thus social stability
religion also provides a source of meaning, it answers ultimate questions about human condition such as why the good suffer and why some die young. such events defy our sense of justice and make life appear meaningless, and this may undermine our commitment to society’s values
religion provides answers to such questions, for example, by explaining suffering as a test of faith that will be rewarded in heaven - allows people to adjust to adverse events and helps maintain stability
civil religion
bellah- interested in how religion unifies society, especially in multi faith societies
what unifies society is and overarching civil religion - a belief system that attaches sacred qualities to society itself
civil religion integrates society in a way that america’s different churches and denominations cannot. american civil religion involves loyalty to the nation state and a belief in god, both of which are equated with being a true american
it is expressed through symbols and beliefs such as the pledge of allegiance to the flag and singing the national anthem which sacralises the american way of life and binds many people together from different backgrounds
functional alternatives
non religious beliefs and practices that perform functions similar to those of organised religion such as reinforcing shared values or maintaining social cohesion
although in america civil religion involves a belief in god, bellah argues that this doesn’t have to be the case. some other belief system could perform the same functions. nazi germany and the soviet union had secular political beliefs and rituals around which they sought to unite society
evaluation of functionalism
emphasises the social nature of religion and the positive functions it performs, but it neglects negative aspects such as religion as a source of oppression for the poor or women
ignores religion as a source of division of conflict, especially in complex modern society where there is more than one religion - northern ireland
the idea of civil religion overcomes this problem to some extent, by arguing that societies may still have an overarching belief system shared by all but is this really religion?
