Religion as a conservative force (Functionalism)

Question 1

Durkheims roles of religion

Answer 1

1. provides people with sacred symbols which unite communities
2. Functional role in promoting consensus and integration
3. Contributes to the cognitive abilities of individuals

Question 2

Religion provides people with sacred symbols which unites communities

Answer 2

• Majority of objects people encounter are profane ie no special meaning
• sacred objects are special to religious followers as they represent their beliefs eg Holy books and places of worship
• Each religion has symbols
• They play a significant role in society as they are a visible representation of a persons belief in the supernatural (bring people together so maintain social order)
• People who believe they are worshipping god are in reality worshipping society
• In the past religion was created to help people make sense of the world but over time is has become a symbol of power and faith thus bringing communities together
• Created a comparison between Christianity and totemism
• Totemism split people in to clans with animals representing them
• Christianity performs the same roles

Question 3

Evaluation of Durkheim

Answer 3

• Symbols aren’t actually necessary to bring people together, shared values could also do the same
• Religion can be dysfunctional for society eg it has caused tension and conflict in NI
• Other social institutions eg education now create value consensus so religion isn’t necessary
• Western societies are becoming secular so religion has virtually no impact
• Not everyone who shares a religion follows it the same way

Question 4

Religion has a functional role in promoting consensus and integration (collective conscience)

Answer 4

• Religion has 2 functional benefits
  1. Reinforces the notion of value consensus = most key values tend to be based on traditional religious teachings eg the morals codes followed in Western Countries can be connected to the teachings of the bible eg theft, murder and adultry as unacceptable
  2. Social integration (belonging to society), done through providing symbols and through providing people with shared values and beliefs, tends to start at a young age through parents socialising their children in to accepting and following the values of their faith and making them part of that community
• Consensus and social integration can be referred to as collective conscience (everyone in the sam faith group is taught to believe and follow the same things)
• Makes cooperation easier and leads to a cohesive community

Question 5

Religion contributes to the cognitive abilities of individuals

Answer 5

• It actually helps people develop their cognitive/intellectual abilities
• Didn’t believe god or religion was real instead they were created by humans to make sense of the world eg creationism to explain the origins of the world
• Religion is the original source of knowledge (first belief system which encourages people to think about how the world works)
• Religion still challenges social and scientific developments that have emerged today eg same sex marriage
• It therefore plays an active role in debate helping people reason, discuss and argue with one another

Question 6

Malinowksi’s theory - Psychological role of religion

Answer 6

• Main function = psychological function (helps people in life crisis eg funerals and when individuals were facing the unknown)
• Conducted a study in to the Trobriand Islands in which there was an animistic faith system (fates determined by the spirits)
  The livelihood for these people was fishing which was dangerous so before any expedition they would participate in canoe magic (rituals of asking the spirits for safety)
  There were 2 purposes for this :
  1. It instilled confidence in the fishermen as safety was out of their hands
  2. Helped retain a sense of order and calm amongst those left behind as they accepted the fate of the fishermen had been determined so it helped the survivors come together in terms f bereavement

Question 7

Evaluation of Malinowski

Answer 7

• When bad things happen to good people they can lose their faith in religion and god
• There are mental health services that help people cope with major life events

Question 8

Parsons - Religion provides people with a source of purpose and meaning in life

Answer 8

• Gives lives a sense of meaning and purpose in 3 ways
  1. Religion helps people in difficult life events eg when people pass away Christians believe their loved ones have gone to heaven
  2. Religion outlines central values eg norms and values can be traced back to the bible (sets a path for people to follow)
  3. It helps people make sense of things that at face value seem illogical eg people question why there is suffering on earth which has the potential for disruption so Christians are taught suffering on Earth means rewards in heaven
• Prevents the collapse of social order

Question 9

Evaluation of parsons

Answer 9

• Science could also help us understand the difficult questions which life throws up
• Religion is no longer necessary to help us cope
• If we teach people that things are part of gods plan then this could create problems as people will believe there is nothing that can be done

Question 10

Bellah - Modern societies like the US are moving towards civil religion

Answer 10

• western societies have seen a rise in religious diversity and a decline in one dominant belief system
• people still like to have their behaviour regulated and controlled in a religion like manner
• Societies like the US have created a new type of religion called civic religion (sacred qualities have been applied to society)
• Key features : sacred days eg 4th July, main leader eg president and sacred symbols eg the eagle
• In US God is referred to as in charge but not necessarily in charge of a major religion + it gives Americans a sense of unity and keeps them bounded together

Question 11

Evaluation of Bellah

Answer 11

• It can be argued that American society is more divided than ever eg Trump vs Biden
• Not all members passively accept the symbols and rituals