theories Flashcards
substansive def of religion
belief in god or supernatural
they draw a clear line between religous and no religous beliefs
functional def of religion
defines religion thru social or psychological it performs for individuals in society
social constructivist def of religion
- focuses on understanding of what religion means to the individual (micro level approach).
- it is not possible to produce a single universal definition, as in reality different individuals and groups have different perception of what religion is.
4 things Durkheim talks about for religion
- totemism
- collective conscience
- sacred vs profane
- cognitive functions of religion
explain totemism
kinship (relationship) system linking humans to powerful symbols presented in the natural world.
Within Aboriginal cultures- totem represents a clans identity and this reinforces the groups solidarity and sense of belonging.
explain collective conscience (durkheim)
- main function of religion is to create a collective conscience as it allows for shared values and moral beliefs to be reinforced in society.
- reinforced by collective worship allowing for social solidarity and the collective conscience to be strengthened.
sacred vs profane (durkheim)
Sacred: are things that are set apart and are forbidden and inspire powerful feelings
Profane: are things that have no special meaning or significance.
Cognitive functions of religion
-Religion provides the concepts and categories we need for understanding the world and communicating with others.
Example: concept of humanity, creationism -answers questions
malinowski on religion
functionalist
- is focused on the individual psychological function - Allowing people to cope with emotional stress
two ways:
- uncontrollable outcomes :uncertainity or danger they engage in rituals such as prayer
- life crisis
explanations for hard to explain events such as death and helps ppl cope
parsons on religion
religion provides guidelines for human actions – it provides core values that promote social solidarity.
- values and meaning:
maintains social order by promoting value consensus.
helps maintain social order in times of social change (such as death) and to help individuals make sense of unpredictable events.
bellah on religion
neo- functionalist
- studied how religion unified society - even multi faith ones
- america unified by civil religion - americanism - faith in way of life
- loyalty to nation state and belief in god
- eg, pledge of allegiance or national anthem
- ‘american’ god not a sepcific one
what 3 points does marx talk about
- an ideology that uses religion as a weapon to legitimise suffering (aftrelife)
- tool to cause alienation (wc have no control or freedom of expression - no ownership of production ) rleigion is an opiate to dull pain of this - masks underlying problem of exploitation
- promotes social inequality - legitimises power of upper class by making their position appear to be ordained and divine
eg hindu caste system
overview of what marx believes about religion
Religion divides society into 2 classes and alienates them.
Bourgeoisie exploits the working class through capitalist and predicted that the working class are under a false – class conscious.
false class consciousness
the proletariat, despite being exploited by the bourgeoisie, mostly accept bourgeois rule, seeming to consider it normal, unavoidable or even desirable.
eg. criminal law is there to defend the interests of the bourgeoisie, but most of the proletariat wrongly believe that it also protects their own interests.
criticism of totenism
evidence on totenism is unsound
Worsley - no sharp division between sacred and profane and diff clans share same totems
evaluation of Marx
- ignores positives of religion such as psychological adjustment to misfortune
- religion isn’t necessarily effective at controlling a population. in pre-capitalist society when christianity was major element of ruling class ideology, it had limited impact on peasantry.
4 pieces of evidence that show patriarchy in religion
- religious organisations
- places of worship
- sacred texts
- religious laws and customs
why do feminists argue religious organisations are evidence of the patriarchy
male dominated even tho women usually participate more
- Orthodox Judaism and catholics forbid women to be priests
why do feminists argue places of worship are evidence of the patriarchy
often segregate sexes (islam)
marginalise women (seating them behind screens while men occupy central and sacred places
- participation restricted (cannot read or preach)
- taboos of menstruation and pregnancy (menstruating women not allowed to touch quran)
why do feminists argue sacred texts are evidence of the patriarchy (3)
- feature doings of male gods and prophets etc
- written and interpreted by men
- reflect anti female stereotypes (eve)
why do feminists argue religious laws and customs are evidence of the patriarchy
-may give women fewer rights than men, for example access to divorce, how many spouses, decision making, dress codes
- religious influence on cultural norms can lead to unequal treatment - genital mutilation
- legitimate and regulate women traditional domestic role (Catholic Church bans abortion and artificial contraception)
Aldridge on religion
lib fem
treats men and women equally and this is referred to in multiple texts
in islam Muhammads wife has a job as a business woman
