religion Flashcards
religion
unified system of beliefs and practices relative to the sacred; collective activity; involves interactions with others; formal expression of internal conviction
sacred
elements beyond everyday life that inspire awe, respect, and even fear
profane
includes the ordinary and commonplace
faith
orientation of the self, relates to internal conviction, associated beliefs and attitudes; not necessarily religion, if not formally expressed
religion as social institution
Develops in certain historical context and concerned with existential questions that are mediated by class, gender, race, and age; beliefs celebrated in a set of practices; has manifest functions: defines spiritual world & gives meaning to divine and latent functions: provides meeting group for unmarried members
role of religion
regulate procreation
socialization
to provide benefits to members
preserves order-motivates to pursue group goals
helps maintain sense of purpose
social support: gives us a way of facing difficulties
questions of concern differ based on class, gender, age
poor are less likely to seek answers for purpose of life, more likely concerned with material questions; women largely subordinates in religion; meaning of religion different for different ages
first evidence for religion
50,000 B.C.
humans shown to have started burying their dead-evidence for belief in afterlife
Functionalism
social functions of religion: legitimate social arrangements encourage social unity
provide sense of meaning promote sense of belonging
Legitimate social arrangements
tells us why some people have power and other’s dont; ideas of sacred represent society-when people think of their souls, really thinking about the social element within themselves; religion explains nature of social life and imperfect world (used to justify male superiority)
Promotion of social unity
glue that holds society together; however, also provokes societies to fragment; can both unite and divide
sense of meaning
provides meaning beyond day to day life; marks important events in life (birth, marriage, death), gives significance to earthly existence
sense of belonging
gives opportunity for people to share commonalities, provides group identity
Conflict theory
social structure determines ideas and beliefs, economic structure of society determines nature of religion; religion supports social hierarchy; serves ruling elites by legitimizing status quo & diverting attention from social inequalities; system of beliefs becomes binding force that people must conform to in religion, act as if their created beliefs are outside their control; close relationship between dominant class and the church; leads people to believe those with more are more deserving; elite attribute poverty and misery to God’s will-suffering is purposeful for ultimate reward
symbolic interactionism
“there are no atheists in foxholes”- what meaning does religion hold for people?; gives sense of purpose to life; serves as reference to help people define themselves; ex. terrorists can infuse suicidal behavior into meaning of life; people may endure troubled marriages because of commitment to religious beliefs
