Sociology and psychology of religion Flashcards
who influenced Marx and what was his view on conflict
Hegel - each instance of conflict can be understood as the attempt of the mind (all encompassing consciousness) to get to know itself and overcome alienation
thus history must be understood dialectically - the resolution of conflict represents a moment in history where there was progress, as the mind got to know itself better
Young hegelians
believed that religion is the source of alienation
What does Feuerbach argue about god
god is nothing but the projection of man’s ideal qualities, magnified and projected onto a heavenly screen
in this way god is nothing but the ideal human
Feuerbach and why religion alienates us; what is atheism for him?
- makes us focus on the afterlife
- teaches us to negate the physical world
Affirmation of our humanity
What did Marx add to Feuerbach’s thoughts on religion?
Asked why people feel the need for religious faith
Two influences of Marx’s idea of labour
Locke - justifies person’s natural right to private property, because they devoted labour into it
Adam Smith - the more labour went into something, the more value it holds
Why is capitalism alienation
alienates the worker from his labour - profit motive is exploitative
what are the base and superstructure
base - economic realities of a society (relations of production and divisions of labour)
superstructure - the ideology (religion, politics, art, philosophy)
explain Marx’s ideology
The hidden ideas that sustains the status quo and conditions of the base society, by pacifying the worker The ruling class and others alike are enchanted by it
give examples of christian teachings that act as superstructure
‘blessed are the poor for the will inherit the kingdom of god’
–>to Marx, this is telling the poor to be happy with what they have and not try to change their positions
why is charity a superstructure
it does nothing to address the exploitative conditions that create poverty
Summarise Weber’s view on sociology of religion
Argues the teachings of Protestantism are responsible for the emergence of capitalism
what are the features of weber’s traditional societies
- rulers of society did so because they received authority from god
- convention and tradition dictated most aspects of life
- once born into a position, remain there
- prior to reformation, religion dictated by tradition -Catholic Church authority was largely accepted
what changes did the reformation bring
- Luther and Calvin emphasis on individual salvation - individual can go straight to god rather than seeing a priest
- traditional roles were questioned
- Calvin’s idea of election, and its consequent outward signs of election characterised by hard work, but not spending this money because of a belief in the decadence of consumption
what are the three key features of weber’s rationalisation
- calculability - calculating the best result e.g. how to get the most profit
- methodical behaviour - focusing on rational type of work e.g. factory production is efficient
- reflexivity - reflecting on why we do what we do
in whose work does weber identify the spirit of capitalism
Benjamin franklin - profit spend is profit wasted because it should be continually reinvested; time spent idle is time wasted
to weber what are the risks rationalisation
people get caught in an ‘iron cage’ of bureaucratic, teleological efficiency
–>only concerned with calculating end results - just a cog in a machine, leading to loss of common values, individuality, autonomy
Durkheim’s distinction between the sacred and the profane
profane - everyday activities like hunting
sacred - set apart, powerful, forbidden - totem is the symbol of the entire group
what is collective effervescence
when aboriginal clan met on rare occasions in the vicinity of the totem, which caused great excitement
to Durkheim, what is worship of god equivalent to? what are rituals? religious experiences?
worship of the society; rituals are a way of producing and sustaining group solidarity; RE are experiences of social forces
For Durkheim, what kind of force is religion, and what is the soul?
‘conservative moral force’; the soul is the effect of the sacred gathering of the group
–>memory of collective effervescence and anticipation pop next group meeting means the individual always carries the clan with them - this reinforces the values of clan during profane times
Durkheim’s anomie
breakdown of traditional values and morals - this happens as religion wanes in western society
Which two taboos is the totem associated with for freud
- taboo against killing/eating totem - eventually turns into murder taboos
- symbolises taboo against sleeping with your father’s wife, becoming a taboo against incest
where did freud find evidence for the oedipus complex
in primal societies, young men in the community instead of being thrown out, banded together and killed and ate dominant men and took their wives for themselves
