functionalist theory of religion (conservative) Flashcards
Religion as a conservative force
- Upholding traditional beliefs about how society should be organised, defending traditional customs, institutions, moral views, roles etc.
- It functions to conserve or preserve things as they are. It stabilises society and maintains the status quo.
Durkheim (what he thought religion was)
-had no foundation bc of the different types of relig
-relig is a set of myths constructed by human beings in order to bring abt social order
How is the world divided?
-the sacred= spiritual (symbols etc)
-the profane= everyday ordinary things
totenism
-Durkheim looked at Australian aborigines and each clan had a totem which distinguished them from another
-totem was sacred w/ divine properties it brought clan together in collective rituals
-totem represented god and society thus they are the same thing, by worshipping God we are rlly worshipping society
religion and the collective conscience
group worship through religious ceremony brings members of society together and creates group identity and solidarity. The worship of God therefore in Western societies is the recognition that society is more important than the individual.
secondary agent of socialisation
-religions main function is to socialise society’s members into value consensus
Religion inhibiting change
- Investing values with a sacred quality – certain values are set apart by religion and infused with religious symbolism and special significance. These values become moral codes which shape society and control our behaviour
- Encouraging collective worship – people come together with other like-minded people and feel a sense of belonging to the same group or society, i.e., social solidarity
How does religion form the collective conscience?
-religious rituals reinforce collective conscience and maintain social integration
-makes people think they are a part of a moral community/ smth greater than ourselves and reinvigorates us to face lifes challenges
What is religion the source of?
-of our intellectual or cognitive capacities
-religion is the origin of human thought
-e.g.idea of a creator bringing the world into being
ETV of Durkheim
-his evidence for totemism came from secondary sources
-easier to apply to small scale societies with a single religion
-Mestrovic= can’t be applied to modern society bc there’s no longer a single shared value system for religion to reinforce
Malinowski
-psychological functions= help w/ stress that would otherwise undermine social solidarity
two psychological functions (Malinowski)
> times of life crisis: religion functions appease stress/ anxieties caused by life crises e.g. death. Relig rituals e.g. funerals minimise potential social disruption
outcomes are uncontrollable/ uncertain= Trobriand islanders. Rituals give sense of control etc and solidarity. ‘God of gaps’
trobriand islanders
-fishing in lagoon is calm so there’s no ritual
-fishing in ocean is dangerous/ uncertain so perform magic canoe rituals
God of gaps
-makes humans think we have control over the world
-if fishermen died at sea it was interpreted as the will of the gods
-whenrational/ scientific reasoning isn’t available so use spiritual reasoning to explain
Parsons
-1:promotes/ legitimises society’s central values= guidelines for behaviour as moral/ immoral
-2:psychological= means to adjust to events out of our control
-3:primary source of meaning= meaning to events that ppl think shouldn’t happen e.g. suffering. Events may make life seem meaningless but religion answers questions
functionalism (overview)
-role of religion to socialise and promote social solidarity
-preserve status quo, not promote social change
-conservative force as maintains social order
etv of functionalism (neg)
-emphasises positives of religion
-neglect how religion has been dysfunctional for society e.g. conflicts
-exaggerate importance of relig in modern christian societies (has been declining)
etv of functionalism (pos)
-Durkheim anticipated decline of religion bc ppl would exp anomie where there is confusion abt their religion
-Many ppl in Br see themselves as Christian and Br society as christian so both God and being Br must come from same source. So God= society. Civil religions, all societies have overarching belief system
Bellah (neo-functionalist)
-secular belief systems have incorporated religious aspects into their rituals thus participation in these is similar to that of a religious group (civil religions)
-e.g. American patriotism ‘God bless America’. What unifies America is this overarching civil religion
ETV of Bellah
-civil religions are methodologically vague= little empirical evidence that national ceremonies are seen as sacred
-only assumed ceremonies help w/ social integration
Davie (neo-functionalism)
-Vicarious religions= ppl pay taxes for church etc even if not religious bc it’s a source of comfort in event of national crisis
-religion reinforces values
-‘belonging w/out believing’, relig ppl take spiritual burden
-e.g. Norway
