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
