Perspectives on religion Flashcards
What do functionalist believe about society?
That it has basic needs that need to be met in order to survive
Who are these needs met by?
Different institutions with each one performing a different function
What is societies most basic needs according to functionalists?
The need for solidarity so its members can operate
What idea does Durkheim develop?
That religious institutions play a central part in creating and maintaining value consensus and solidarity
What does Durkheim believe about the key feature of religion?
That it is not to have a belief in God or the supernatural, but the key feature is that shows a clear distinction between the sacred and the profane that is found in all religions
What is the sacred?
Things that are set apart and forbidden, and that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder and are surrounded by taboos
What is the profane?
Things that have no special significance and are ordinary
What did Durkheim study and what did he find?
Studied the Aruna which was a Australian tribe with a clan system which performed religious rituals such as worshiping their sacred totem, which is a symbol that represented their origin or identity and he found this reinforced a sense of belonging and solidarity.
What does Durkheim believe sacred symbols represent?
Societies collective conscience and without this society would disintegrate.
What role does religion perform for the individual?
It allows the individual to feel part of something greater then themselves and this motivates them to overcome things that would usually defeat them.
What are the criticisms of Durkheims study and theory?
- His theory can only small scale communities because in large scale ones there is more of a chance of 2 or more religious groups which will then lead to conflict and his theory does not take this into consideration
-Worsley criticises Toteism and argues that there is no division between the sacred and profane and that different clans worship share the same totem
-post modernist Mestrovic also argues his theory cannot be applied to a contemporary society because of increased diversity which ensures that their is no single shared set of values for religion to reinforce.
What does Malinowski agree with Durkheim about?
That religion promotes solidarity, but he says it does so by performing psychological functions for individuals which helps them cope with emotional stress.
According to Malinowski what are the 2 types of situations religion performs this role in ?
1- Where the outcome is important but uncontrollable
2- At times of crisis such as birth and marriage and funerals where it creates solidarity
What is Parsons view on religion?
That it helps individuals cope with events with uncontrollable outcomes
