Religion Flashcards
Substantive definitions of religion
Focus on the substance of religious belief (what they actually believe or do)
Functionalist definitions of religion
Define religion through its social or psychological functions
Uniting force and comfort people with the idea of life after death
Social constructionist definitions of religion
Argue that the definition of religion depends on the believers themselves and how they define their own beliefs
Emile Durkheim
Functionalists sociologist who argued that religion represents society and binds people together
Sacred and profane objects
Sacred objects and rituals evoke such powerful feelings because they represent society itself, unite us together into a single moral
Profane objects are simply things we use or do
The Arunta
Tribe from Australia
Rituals involved the worship of a sacred totem usually animals or plants
Represents the power of the group which without each individual would be helpless
Collective conscience
Shared norms, values, beliefs and knowledge that make co-operation possible
Cognitive functions of religion
Make sense of time, space, cause and classification in order to make sense of the world
Religion helps us to explore these concepts
Malinowski
Religion helps individuals cope with stress that would otherwise undermine social solidarity
Trobriand Islanders
Malinowski studied these they poisoned the lagoon, ocean was dangerous
‘Canoe magic’ involves a series of rituals designed to keep the canoe safe
God of the gaps
Malinowski sees rituals as a ‘god of the gaps’, making us feel as though we are in control
Parsons
Religion makes sacred objects society’s norms and values
E.g. the US have ‘American values’ which are also promoted as ‘Christian values’ these promote social stability
Parsons and arbitrary life
Religion provides meaning when life seem arbitrary and unfair
Bellah
Society’s values are a religion in themselves
The way Americans venerate the Stars and Stripes, the way they pledge their allegiance to the flag and the constitution by singing the national anthem
‘Civil religion’
Religion as a conservative force
Functionalists argue that religion stabilises society by resisting change and upholding the status quo
Religion and social consensus
We all charge values and people who do not conform are ‘sinners’
Gives us a collective identity
Weber
Calvinism caused the emergence of capitalism
Calvin and predestination
PREDESTINATION - that God already knows who will go to Heaven or Hell
Divine transcendence and salvation panic
DIVINE TRANSCENDENCE - that it was impossible to know Gods will
SALVATION PANIC - even though they asked for forgiveness they could not truly know whether God had forgiven them to go to Heaven
Protestant work ethic
Calvinists believed that God called them to live in the world and glorify Gods name through their work
Hard working and disciplined they were very successful and acquired significant wealth
Asceticism
Calvinists believed they should not spend money on themselves so instead they made businesses which became wealth therefore they kept putting money into the business
This bought about modern capitalism
Bruce
Considers the American Civil Rights Movement as an example of religiously motivated social change
Taking the high moral ground
They shamed whites into changing the law because they used the values of the whites own religion to point out the unfairness of the system
Channelling dissent
Providing a way to express feelings of injustice or anger
