Religious Experience: Sociological

Question 1

Karl Marx: capitalism

Answer 1

• everything in a society is determined by the economic superstructure of that society (capitalism, bourgeoise and proletariats)
  => everything is determined to support the capitalism and the bourgeoisie
• religion of every capitalist society is the “opium of the people” - makes proletariats feel ok despite their economic inequalities, wounded by capitalism and religion is a short-term drug that makes everything ok

Question 2

Durkheim’s view

Answer 2

• believed earliest form of religion was a totem religion (symbol for a group of people)
• God is an idea that exists in social context
• as the communal aspect of religion is incredibly important the totem becomes a symbol of solidarity
• D viewed it as useful to have an RE as it helps bind you to society and societies that do cooperate are healthy otherwise they will breakdown
• believed national ideologies will replace religion

Question 3

Explain Arunta tribe and its importance to explaining an RE

Answer 3

• different villages each have different totems of high symbolic value
• totem gives a focus point, round which rituals can be performed to celebrate the totems
• rules/morals arise as a result
• RE can be explained as when you pray to a totem, you are praying to society as all the rituals are coming from the social group that you are in

Question 4

Evaluate Durkheim’s view

Answer 4

• undermines aspect of people experiencing a divine power
  + provides an explanation for the origin of religion and why we have an inclination to be a part of a religion
• Paul on the road to Damascus: this experience made him move from an anti-Christian Jew society to become a Christian => going against his original society, why would he do this?
  + All religions are valid as he is not interested in the content of them
• not very nuanced understanding of them => can’t explain why Paul would convert religion

Question 5

Karl Marx: society leads to RE

Answer 5

• RE is then a social illusion/mass hallucination

- proletariats want to have an escape and therefore they induce an experience and a belief

Question 6

Evaluate Karl Marx’s view

Answer 6

\+ takes into account the hierarchal structure, unlike Durkheim, and looks at the content of religion itself  
- class division are now becoming increasingly blurred/capitalism has become so different from when Marx was writing that it has now become increasingly blurred