theories

What is a conservative force

Upholds & maintains the norms & values of a society

Preserves social hierarchies

Opposes social change

Functionalists, Marxists, feminists believe religion is a conservative force

Why is religion beneficial according to functionalists

• Helps maintain social order & stability - by binding people together & creating shared norms & values

• Creates collective consensus - people feel connected through shared beliefs, rituals, & moral guidelines

• Promotes social cohesion & control - by reinforcing a common identity & value consensus → helps keep society stable

Durkheim’s study & findings

Examined the Arunta (an aboriginal clan in Australia) who worshiped totems which represented the clans identity, history, & values

Found - when they worshiped the totem, they weren’t really worshipping the symbol itself, instead they were worshipping their society & shared beliefs

Argued - totem worship created a collective consensus since it bound individuals together, encouraged loyalty, & strengthened social solidarity

How is religion seen as a ‘social glue’

Durkheim

Religious practices & ceremonies act as a form of social glue that binds people together

Supernatural dimensions of religion will eventually disappear as society progresses, & other civil religions would take over in performing the same functions

Example of a civil religion

Football:

• The Iglesias Maradoniana - many viewed footballer Diego Maradoniana as a spiritual figure

• Stadiums (Anfield) are often seen as sacred spaces by fans

• Chants & anthems

• Superstitious behaviour - ‘lucky’ clothing to help secure a victory

What are Parsons beliefs

Religion is a source of socialisation

Shapes the core values of culture & becomes embedded into society through socialisation → beliefs influence the behaviour of both believers & non believers

Most people end up following a similar moral code

E.g. rules against killing, stealing become part of our shared sense of right & wrong, when people break these rules they often feel guilty no matter what they believe

Guilt - form of social control

What are Malinowski’s beliefs

Religion is a security blanket - helps people deal with the emotional stress caused by events (death, illness) that create anxiety & threaten social solidarity, by offering comfort (funerals) to help them cope

- church attendance has risen during wartime because people turn to religion for stability

Religion acts as a ‘mechanism of adjustment’ - helps people emotionally adjust during difficult times & return to a sense of normality

Example of religion acting as a security blanket

Manchester bombings 2017

• muslim led initiatives raised money for those affected

• Churches held personal vigils & prayer sessions for those impacted

Evaluations of functionalism

• overlooks how religion can cause conflict, justify oppression, and discrimination - doesn’t always promote harmony & social solidarity

• Many rely on non-religious coping mechanisms - drugs, alcohol, therapy

• Assumes religion creates shared values but with such diverse beliefs & value systems religion cannot create one single collective conscience

What are Marx’s views

‘It is the opium of the people’

Religion is an ideological illusion created by the bourgeoisie to serve their own interest in maintaining capitalism & preventing revolution

Religion presents inequalities as ‘God-given’ making the proletariat’s low position seem natural, these inequalities cannot be challenged without questioning the authority of God

What are Lenin’s views

Religion is a ‘spiritual gin’ - a tool to intoxicate the masses & keep them passive

- distracts the working class from their exploitation

Examples of ‘spiritual gin’

• the divine right of kings - the belief that monarchs receive their authority directly from God, making their rule absolute & unquestionable while the working class end up accepting their low positions

• Bible quotes - “the meek shall inherit the earth” “slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, just as you would obey Christ”

• Hindu caste system - hierarchal social structure, dividing people into groups based on birth, good karma → higher caste after reincarnation

Evaluation of Marxism

Strengths:

• some level of truth - 80% of CoFE bishops are Oxbridge educated - they are the elite

Weaknesses:

• ignores those who challenge the ruling class through religion

• Ignores the positive functions of religion

Feminists key beliefs

Regard religion as a patriarchal institution that reflects patriarchal ideology which legitimates female subordination

Religion is a conservative force which helps uphold a patriarchal ideology

Feminists key thinkers

Davie

Simone De Beauvoir

Armstrong

What are Davie’s beliefs

Analysed sacred texts & depictions of women - portrayed as submissive

Women mainly appear in religious scriptures to reinforce good & bad female behaviour

- Virgin Mary - innocence, motherly role, pure

- temptress Eve - ruined humanity, manipulative, wicked

2 bible quotes that support Davie’s beliefs

Christianity - “Wives be subject to your husband. For the husband is the head of the wife”

Judaism - “Blessed O Lord that i was not born a slave. Blessed O Lord i was not born a woman”

What are Simone De Beauvoir’s beliefs

Men control & organise religion, they interpret religion through a patriarchal lens - use god to justify their dominance over women

Using religion, men deceive women into thinking they are equal to men, religion is there to compensate women for their second class position e.g. the role of mother is given divine status, encouraging women to take on that role

Examples of religious control

• Dress codes - veiling - is seen to promote purity & modesty, this allows patriarchal governments to enforce laws around controlling women’s bodies

• Afghanistan - legally required to wear a veil

• Abortion laws

What are Armstrong’s beliefs

Decline of the Goddess

Prehistoric societies use to worship both female & male gods. Goddesses represented nature, fertility, nurturance, gods represented control, order & dominance

As societies transitions to settled farming male gods became associated with the authority needed to maintain agricultural societies → monotheism

Goddesses lost their significance

Evaluation of feminism

• overlook the empowerment that some women find within religious communities, by focusing on the negative aspects they erase womens choice e.g. Wicca - woman centred

• Woodhead - western feminists fail to see how religious practises can be symbols of liberation e.g. Hijab - protects from the male gaze, expression of femininity