A Level Sociology 9699 P4 Sociologists Religion

Emile Durkheim

Social solidarity - Viewed religion as a fundamental social institution that creates social cohesion, reinforces collective values, and provides a moral framework for social integration.

Robert Bellah

Religious beliefs and practices contribute to a sense of national identity and shared values.

If religion gradually loses its power to provide a collective conscience, other institutions develop to provide it. Bellah argued that such societies develop civil religions - a set of fundamental beliefs shared by the majority of people ina society.

Parsons

Religion provides normative guidance for individuals, shaping their behavior and moral values. Religious beliefs and practices often establish moral codes and offer guidance on how to live a virtuous and ethical life.

Nawal El Saadawi (feminist theory of religion)

Argues patriarchy influences & reshapes religion which allows men to reinterpret religious beliefs that encourage & promote patriarchy

Patriarchal systems of power have distorted religious teachings to maintain male dominance and control over women's lives.

She criticizes the use of religion as a tool to reinforce authoritarian regimes and maintain power imbalances, which often negatively impact women's rights and autonomy.

Sheila Jeffreys

Jeffreys criticizes various religious practices that she sees as perpetuating discrimination and violence against women. These include the exclusion of women from positions of religious leadership, the imposition of modesty codes and dress regulations, and the stigmatization of women who challenge traditional gender roles within religious communities.

Yasmine Mohammed

Islamic concepts like hijab are patriarchal and enforce purity culture.

Anthony Giddens

"Religion is a resolutely male affair" where God is the father/a male figure.

Jean Holm

1994

public sphere of religion- Male dominated= get public recognition and status eg: majority of clurgie are all male and therefore gain recognition

private sphere. of religion- female dominated= more likely to socialise their children into their religious views and faith. more likely to organise religion ceremonies and festivals. women do all the hard work and males get the recognition

Simone de Beauvoir

'For the Jews, Mohammedans, and Christians, among others, men is master by divine right; the fear of God will therefor repress any impulse towards revolt in the downtrodden female.'

Simone de Beauvoir theorized that religion oppresses women in much the same way as it oppresses the proletariat in Marxist theory.According to de Beauvoir, religion is used by men to oppress women and to compensate for them for the second-class status.

De Beauvoir argued that historically, men, who have traditionally controlled most institutions in society, also control religion. It is men who control religion beliefs, and they use God to justify their control of society.

Karl Marx

argued religion was used to keep workers from questioning their oppressed position in everyday life by promising them riches in the afterlife

opiate of the masses

Otto Maduro

He is a Neo-Marxist that believes religion can free people. He suggests that people will listen to, for example; archbishops, because they have enough power to cause change. Supports liberation theology

Bryan Turner

Turner disagrees with Marx that religion is an important part of ruling-class ideological control.

He questions the belief that religion has always been a powerful force, persuading subject classes to accept the statuesque.

Turner says that in the feudal period religion did not necessarily play a fundamental part in the lives of the peasantry or lower classes. They were mostly indifferent to religion and were only concerned with survival.

Baudrillard

Baudrillard offers a critical perspective on the role of religion in postmodern society. He argues that contemporary consumer culture and media have replaced traditional religious values and symbols, creating a hyperreal environment detached from authentic spiritual experiences

Steve Bruce

Religious revival as a result of perceived threat to ethnic/religious identity ie in Europe

Max Weber

As the world becomes more bureaucratic, people experience "disenchantment of the world" and value science and secularism over myth and superstition.

Peter Berger

believing without belonging - individuals may hold religious beliefs without formally affiliating with religious institutions. This perspective highlights the need to consider alternative indicators of religiosity beyond institutional affiliation.

José Casanova

Proposes the notion of the privatization of religion, suggesting that religious commitment remains strong but is less visible in the public sphere. People may still hold religious beliefs but choose to practice privately or within specific religious communities, leading to a potential underestimation of religiosity.

Gallup Study?

Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup's eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.

Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic

-German sociologist

-religion is the key factor in the rise of capitalism

PROTESTANT ETHIC: self-denying approach to life--living frugal lives b/c God on side of financial stress

National Secular Society

Secularism linked to education and prosperity