functionalist view on religion

what did durkheim say about religion?

he stated that the main function of religion was to give everyone a sense of social solidarity and a value consensus

what is social solidaity?

the feeling of belonging to a group/community

what is value consensus?

the belief in shared values

how did durkheim say religion creates social solidarity and value consensus?

religion  has a fundamental distinction between the sacred and the profane

what does sacred mean?

things set apart and forbidden that inspire feelings of awe fear and wonder

what does profane mean?

things that have no special significance- things that are ordinary and mundane

what tribe did durkheim study and what did he discover?

he studied the arunta tribe where he observed that they would come together and perform rituals and worship a sacred totem- this totem reinforced the groups social solidarity and sense of belonging and community

what did bellah say about religion?

he said that the function of religion was to create social solidarity through ‘civil religion’ which is a belief system without God, but members still have high commitment- eg people in the USA all believe in the american dream despite being different cultures/ religions

what is a criticism of bellah?

it raises the question as whether it is really a religion as it is not based on belief in the supernatural