Functionalist Theories of Religion Flashcards
Outline the function of religion
Religion creates and maintain value consensus and social solidarity
Outline Durkheim’s view on the key feature of religion
- The key feature of religion wasn’t a belief in Gods or supernatural, but a fundamental distinctions between the sacred and the profane found in all religions
- Religions also involves definite rituals in relation to the sacred and these rituals are collective (performed by social groups)
What is meant by sacred?
These things unite believers into a single moral community and inspire feelings (e.g. Bible)
What is meant by profane?
Things that have no special significance, are ordinary and mundane
Describe the importance of sacred things in religion
- Sacred things evoke powerful feelings as they’re symbols representing something of great power.
- Durkheim believes that as society is the only thing powerful enough to command such feelings, when they worship sacred symbols, people are worshipping society itself
- Although scared symbols vary between religions, they all preform the function of uniting believers into a single moral community
Describe Durkheim’s study on totemism
- Durkheim studied aboriginal societies and saw their religion to be the most basic (Totemism)
- Aboriginal societies divided themselves into clams (similar to large extended). Each of these clans has a totem (representative symbol) which they worship. these totems represent society and God.
- He concluded that by these clans worshipping these totems which represent society and God, society is the key object to religious worship. (also creates social solidarity)
What is the collective conscience?
- Durkheim argues the sacred symbols represent society’s collective conscience
- This is the shared norms, values and beliefs that make social life and cooperation between individuals possible, without these society would disintegrate
How is the collective conscience reinforced?
- Regular shared religious rituals reinforces it and maintain social integrations. Being part of shared rituals binds people together and reminds them they’re part of a single moral community. Rituals also reminds the individuals of the power of society, to which they owe everything
- So, religions also performs an important function for the individuals, By making us feel part of something greater, religion strengthens us to face hardships.
Describe the cognitive functions of religion
- Durkheim sees religion as a source of our intellectual or cognitive capacities (ability to reason and think conceptually)
- Religion is the origin of the concepts and categories we need for reasoning, understanding the world and communicating. e.g. religion provides basic categories such as time, with ideas about a creator at the beginning of time. So, religion is the origin of human thought and reason
Outline the psychological functions of religion
Malinowski agrees with Durkheim that religion promotes solidarity, but in his view, it does so by performing psychological functions for individuals, helping them to cope with emotional stress that would undermine social solidarity.
What are the 2 types of situation where religion performs a psychological function?
- Where the outcome is important but is uncontrollable and thus uncertain
- At times of life crises
Describe a situation where the outcome is important but is uncontrollable and religion performs a psychological function
- Malinowski contrasts fishing in the lagoon and fishing in the ocean.
- Lagoon fishing is safe and uses a successful method, when islanders fish in the lagoon there’s no ritual.
- Ocean fishing is dangerous, rituals are used to ensure a safe expeditions. This people a sense of control which eases tension, reinforcing social solidarity.
Describe a situation where there’s life crises and religion performs a psychological function
- Events such as birth, puberty and death mark a disruptive change in social groups
- Religion minimises disruption, e.g. funeral rituals reinforces solidarity among the survivors and the notion of immortality gives comfort.
What are the other 2 essential functions of religion outlined by Parsons?
- It creates and legitimates society’s central values
- It is the primary source of meaning
Describe how religion creates and legitimates society’s central values
- By sacralising society’s basic norms and values.
- e.g. In the US, Protestantism has sacralised them and the core American values of individualism, meritocracy and self-discipline, which promotes value consensus
Describe how religion provides a source of meaning
- It answers ‘ultimate’ questions about the human condition, such as why the good suffer etc.
- Such events defy our sense of justice and make life appear meaningless which may undermine our commitment to society’s values. Religion provides answers which enables people to adjust to adverse events and helps maintain stability
What is a civil religion?
- Bellah argues it’s a belief system that attaches sacred qualities to society itself, which helps unify people in multi faith societies
-e.g. America civil religion involves loyalty to the nation-state and a belief in God, both of which create a true American, creating social solidarity between many different ethnic and religious backgrounds
What are the functional alternatives to religion?
- These are non-religious beliefs and practices that perform similar functions to those of organised religion, such as reinforcing shared values
- e.g. communities such as football brings people together.
Give evaluation for functionalist theories of religion (evidence against totemism)
- Worsley notes that there’s no sharp division between the scared and the profane, and that different clans share the same totems,
- And even if Durkheim is right about totemism, this doesn’t prove that he has discovered the essence of all other religions
Give evaluation for functionalist theories of religion (ignores the negative)
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 of the poor or women
Give evaluation for functionalist theories of religion (religion can lead to conflict)
It ignores religion as a source of division and conflict, especially in complex modern societies where there’s more than 1 religion (e.g. Northern Ireland). Where there is religious pluralism (many religions), it is hard to see how to can unite people and promote integration
