THEORIES OF RELIGION-FUNCTIONALISM

Question 1

Durkeheims theory-Role 1

Answer 1

-Durkheim didn’t believe in the supernatural,relgious beliefs are a man made creation
Role 1:religion provides people wit sacred symbols which unite communities
Sacred symbols:visual representation of a persons beliefs in the supernatural
-religious belief systems revolve around sacred symbols
-bring people together to maintain social order
-concept of god and religion was made to help people make sense of the world around them
example:Totemism
-communities divided into clans
-each clan represented by a spirit animal or plant
-worship their image by carving It into a totem pole
-He believe the totem pole is what binds people together

Question 2

Durkheim role 2

Answer 2

Role 2:religion has a functional role in promoting conseus and integration
Value consensus:shared agreement about norms and values
-most societys values are based on ‘traditional’ religious beliefs
example:moral codes and laws of western societies with christian origin can be connected back to the bible
Social integration:belonging to a wider society
-achieved with sacred symbols and values to reinforce their membership of a faith community
-integration starts in early childhood as parents socialise their children into accepting and following the teachings of their faith
-Durkheim believed the combination of consensus and integration leads to collective conscience:everyone within the same faith group will be taught to follow and believe in the same things

Question 3

Durkheim role 3

Answer 3

Role 3:relgion contributes towards the cognitive abilities of individuals
-didn’t believe God and religion was real but that it was created to help people make sense of the world
For example the creationism story as an attempt to explain how the world started
-Religion is the first original source of knowledge
-Challanges the scientific and social developments that have developed over time
-Plays an active role in debates, keeping peoples ability to discuss and argue with one another

Question 4

Evaluation of Durkheim

Answer 4

can be dysfunctional for society-examples of religion acting as negative forces
other social institutions create value consensus and social integration
not everyone who shares a religion follows rules in the same way

Question 5

Malinoskis theoy

Answer 5

The psychological role of religion:
-helped people to cope with the stresses caused by major life events.Too much stress has the potential to cause wider social problems.So its important for people to be offered support and comfort during difficult times
Evidence:
-conducted a participant observational study on people of the Trobriand islands
-believed their fate and experiences were determined by spirits
-Prior to any fishing expedition the islanders did some rituals-canoe magic
-purpose of this was it gave people confidence when fishermen went on expeditions as safety was out of their hands.Also helped retain a sense of order if anything was to happen to the fishermen
-bring them together in a shared sense of loss but also acceptance
evaluation
when bad things happen they don’t question religion but reinforce their commitment to it

Question 6

Parsons theory

Answer 6

Religion provides people with a source of purpose and meaning to life:
-religion is an important tool in helping people make sense of difficult life events and also can be a source of comfort for people
-it outlines to them central values which they should follow.Provides people with guidelines to follow
-helps people make sense of things which at face value seem illogical
-religions helps people understand things in a way which maintains stability
evaluation:
people no longer need religion to make sense of situations-other ways of doing this