theories of religion

Question 1

Who are the 3 key figures for functionalism in religion?

Answer 1

Durkheim
Malinowski
Parsons

Question 2

What are Durkheim’s 2 main concepts of religion?
What are the 2 functions of religion according to Durkheim?

Answer 2

The sacred and profane + totemism
Social solidarity + cognitive

Question 3

What is the difference between sacred and profane?
What does Durkheim argue about this? (2)

Answer 3

Sacred=connected with a God, inspires feelings of awe
Profane=not sacred
Sacred symbols represent great power=society (only society can command such feelings)
Sacred symbols unite believers into a single moral community

Question 4

What is totemism?
How does this relate to religion?

Answer 4

Relationship between humans and animals/plants/objects (symbols)
These symbols are sacred in religions

Question 5

How did Durkheim investigate totemism?
What did he find?

Answer 5

Investigated research into the Australian Aboriginal tribe
One of their totems are crocodiles, performing rituals (cutting their skin)
Shared rituals reinforced the groups solidarity (collective consciousness) as it brings them together>community>owe loyalty>shows power of society
*religion also plays a part for individual, not just society, as they’re part of something great>boost morale

Question 6

According to Durkheim, what do the sacred symbols represent ?
What does this mean?

Answer 6

Society’s collective conscious
=Shared norms, values, beliefs and knowledge that make social life possible, without this, society would disintegrate

Question 7

What does Durkheim argue about the cognitive function of religion?
Give reasoning

Answer 7

In order to think and share thoughts, we need categories e.g. time
Religion is the origin of the categories we need for reasoning e.g. creator bringing the world into being at the beginning of time

Question 8

One criticism of Durkheim’s functionalist view of religion is that the evidence to totemism is flawed
Explain (4)

Answer 8

-Sociologists argue that there is no clear division between the sacred and profane, and that different clans share the same totems
-Even if Durkheim’s totemism was right, he still hasn’t discovered the nature of all other religions
-His theory may explain social integration within communities, but not the conflicts between them
-Instead, Durkheim’s theory would apply better in small-scale societies with a single religion, less conflict>easier to apply

Question 9

Postmodernists argue that Durkheim’s views cannot be applied to a contemporary society
Explain

Answer 9

Increasing diversity has fractured the collective conscience
No longer single shared value system for religion to reinforce

Question 10

What are Malinowski’s 2 main arguments about religion?

Answer 10

Life crises
Controlled and uncontrolled outcomes

Question 11

What does Malinowski argue about religion and life crises?
Explain 1 example

Answer 11

Religion helps individuals deal with emotional stress from crises e.g. death, marriage, puberty
Death is socially disruptive as it removes an individual from society>tension for those close, may not be able to function adequately

Question 12

What does Malinowski argue about religion and control?
Explain 1 example
*‘canoe magic argument’

Answer 12

Religion helps society deal with uncontrollable/predictable situations
E.g. fishing in Trobian Islands
In the Inland Lagoon=calm, predictable
Beyond barrier reef=dangers, unpredictable
To deal with unpredictable, islanders engage in religious rituals for favourable outcome

Question 13

What are Parson’s 3 functions of religion?

Answer 13

Life crises (same as Malinowski)
Legitimates central values
Provides source of meaning

Question 14

What does Parson argue about religion legitimising central values?

Answer 14

Religion makes societys values sacred
E.g. protestants sacrredislised the American value of individualism

Question 15

What does Parson argue about religion providing a source of meaning?

Answer 15

Religion answers big questions
E.g. ‘why do good people suffer?’
These questions make life meaningless
But religion gives answers e.g. they suffer but will go to heaven

Question 16

What does Bellah argue about civil religion?
Explain 1 example

Answer 16

Belief system that doesn’t rely on a God, but still inspires a passionate response
Nationalism e.g. nazism, royal family in the UK
These movements provide a path to a ‘better life’ through obeying moral codes>unites people

Question 17

One criticism of Durkheim’s view is that the ethonography is produced by someone else
Explain

Answer 17

Malinowski was the one who observed the people of the Trobian Islands
Durkheim is an interpretation of an interpretation

Question 18

One criticism of Malinowski’s view is that it overemphasises canoe magic
Explain

Answer 18

Ignores rituals and ceramonies

Question 19

One criticism of civil religion is that it assumes everyone in a society/county is united

Answer 19

Not everyone will agree with nationalist views

Question 20

One criticism of functionalists in general is that it’s too positive
Explain

Answer 20

Assumes all religions are united and worship collectively, not the case
E.g. in Islam Sunni and Shia muslims share conflict e.g. Syrian civil war
Muslim totem=amulet

Question 21

What is the difference of how functionalists and Marxists see religion?

Answer 21

Functionalists- unifies society
Marxists- divides society (capitalists and WC)

Question 22

What does Karl Marx argue about ideology ? (3)

Answer 22

Ideology is a belief system that distorts the WCs perception of reality, to serve the interest of the capitalist class
Religion is used as an ideological weapon to justify the suffering of the poor as something inevitable
This misleads the poor>maintains ‘false class consciousness’, this prevents poor from acting to change their situation

Question 23

What does Marx argue about alienation?
What does this lead to?

Answer 23

Alienation>religion
Under capitalism workers are alienated as they don’t own what they produce and have no control (alienation)
Religion acts as a ‘social opium’, drug to mask the hardship of alienation and exploitation

Question 24

How does religion promote poverty?

Answer 24

Religious suffering is ok after a death because you’re promised a place in heaven

Question 25

Why do Marxists believe religion doesn't benefit the WC?

Answer 25

Believe God created people in the position that they are, rich or poor More likely to get into heaven if you have worked hard Idealogical control

Question 26

Does religion cause conflict? Does religion cause social change? Who is this supported by? MARXISM

Answer 26

No, as it drugs people to not cause conflict NO, stops this change by stopping WC fighting the capitalists Althusser

Question 27

What does Althusser call relgion?

Answer 27

Idealogical state apparatus (e.g. church) used to legitimise the capitalist class WC are brainwashed by religion to accept their position in society>false class conciousness

Question 28

How do functionalists, postmodernists and feminists critise the marxists?

Answer 28

Functionalist- Ignores positive functions of religion e.g. social solidarity Postmodernists- society has become more secular so all religious meaning has been lost anyway Feminists- ignores roll of women

Question 29

What do feminists argue about religion?

Answer 29

Religion is patriarchal- maintains inequality by a men-dominated society Religion acts as a patriarchal ideology, that legitimises the oppression of women

Question 30

What does Beauvoir argue about the patriarchy?

Answer 30

Religion is oppressive to women, used by men to control women Religion compensates women for their 2nd class status, false belief they'll be rewarded in heaven Women are told they are equal to men, but are not treated equally

Question 31

What does Saadawi argue about the patriarchy?

Answer 31

Religion is not oppressive itself, it is the male dominance of religion that's the problem This is because of monotheistic (1 god e.g. islam, christianity) religions which are male dominated, scriptures written by men for power

Question 32

One criticism of the feminists view on religion is that it's not always patriarchal Explain

Answer 32

Sociologists argue that religion can be used for when to gain freedom e.g. the hijab Hijab is a symbol against oppression, liberating, eliminates 'male gaze' *RELIGIOUS FORM OF FEMINISM

Question 33

What 4 evidences are there of patriarchy in religion?

Answer 33

Within religious organisations Places of worship Sacred texts Religious laws and customs

Question 34

Explain patriarchy within religious organisations

Answer 34

They're mainly male dominated E.g. Female Christians cannot become priests Sociologists argue that the exclusion of women is marginalisation

Question 35

Explain patriarchy in places of worship

Answer 35

Women's participation is already restricted E.g. Islam, women menstruating cannot touch the Qur'an Sociologists argue that these restrictions devalue women in religion

Question 36

Explain the patriarchy of sacred texts

Answer 36

Stories often reject anti-female stereotypes and reinforce perceptions of women's character Sacred texts mainly feature the doings of male goods

Question 37

Explain the patriarchy of religious laws and customs

Answer 37

Women tend to have fewer rights than men Religion influences cultural norms>unequal treatment e.g. genital mutilation Many religions maintain the traditional role of a women e.g. Catholic Church bans abortion

Question 38

RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Question 39

What is a case study example of how religion inspired social protest Give context

Answer 39

American civil rights Eventhough slavery was abolished, African Americans were denied legal and political rights in Southern states, which enforced segragation e.g. separate bathrooms

Question 40

What started the civil rights movement? Who led the movement?

Answer 40

When Rosa Parks refused to sit at the back of the bus Dr Martin Luther King, part of the black clergy (Churchmen) -backbone of the movement according to Bruce

Question 41

What role did the Church play in the civil rights movement? Was it successful?

Answer 41

Provided a place to pray, sing hymns Clergy shamed White people into changing the law by appealing to their shared Christian values of equality Movement was successful as aims were achieved

Question 42

What is social change?

Answer 42

Changes in human interactions that transform social and cultural institutions

Question 43

What does Webber argue about social change?

Answer 43

Calvinism (Protestantism) helped bring out social change (capitalism) 'Spirit of capitalism'=modern capitalism where profit is for its own sake, rather than consumption

Question 44

What are the 2 key Calvinist beliefs? What does this lead to?

Answer 44

Predestination- God has already decided which souls would go to heaven or hell (opposite of the catholic 'waiting room' Asceticism- Self discipline, refraining from luxury 'Salvation of panic'- nobody could do anything to earn salvation (=redemption)

Question 45

How does the Calvinism ethic lead to capitalism?

Answer 45

Refraining from luxury, long working hours, money is invested and not spent>investing, working force, productivity Businesses prosper>capitalism

Question 46

One critism of Calvinism is that capitalism hasn't been developed in every country where there were Calvinists Explain

Answer 46

Scotland has a large Calvinist population but they were relatively slow in developing capitalism

Question 47

One critism of Calvinism is that they weren't the first capitalists because of their beliefs, but that they had been excluded Explain Counter

Answer 47

E.g. by law, politics and other professions They turned to business as one of the few alternatives open to them Other religious minorities were excluded, but didn't become successful capitalists

Question 48

What are the 2 features of Neo-Marxism? *What is neo-marxism?

Answer 48

Gramisci Liberation theology *How class conflict and inequality influence revolutionary change

Question 49

What is Gramisci interested in? What is hegemony? Explain what Gramisci argues about this

Answer 49

How the ruling class maintain their control over society through the use of ideas Domination of society (by the ruling class, manipulating culture) Culture institutions e.g. religion is intertwined into peoples perception of the social world Religious beliefs represent a way of thinking about the social world, that can be exploited by the ruling class

Question 50

According to Gramisci, how do you break hegemony? Explain

Answer 50

Intelligentsia (e.g. academics, priests) to lead the WC against the ruling class via revolution Church could be a vanguard of revolution as priests are intelligent enough to undermine the hegemony of the ruling

Question 51

What is the liberation theology movement? What led to this?

Answer 51

1960s Latin America Catholic Church, strong commitment to the poor and opposition to the military dictatorships Poverty, human rights abuse

Question 52

What was the aim of liberation theology? E.g. How did this change?

Answer 52

To change society E.g. priests helped the poor establish support groups 1980s Pope dissaproved liberation theology because it resembled Marxism Marxists believed the poor and oppressed should start a revolution

Question 53

What are 2 criticisms of liberation theology?

Answer 53

Little evidence that religion has led to social change Religion itself can be exploiting the poor