Functionalist theories of religion

What was Durkheim’s key feature of religion?

Sacred & profane

Collective conscience

Totemism

Cognitive functions of religions

What is the sacred and profane

Durkheim did not see God or the supernatural as the key feature of religion but rather the fundamental difference between the sacred and profane in all religions.

The sacred are things set apart from and forbidden, often inspires feelings of awe and wonder. By contrast profane are ordinary feelings that evoke no specific feelings in particular.

He argues that sacred items are actually a symbol of society as they evoke such powerful feelings. He argues nothing can create this feeling other than society itself.

Totemism + example

A totem is a sacred symbol, usually a plant or animal, that represents a group and is sacred. It reinforced the groups social solidarity, sense of belonging and identity

Durkheim believed that totems are the essence of all religions and its simplest forms.

He studied the Arunta, Australian, tribe who would come together to worship sacred totems. Durkheim believed when clan members worship totems they are actually worshipping society, without realising. This is as the totem inspires such powerful feelings that nothing other than society itself can inspre.

What is the collective conscience + what it performs

This is the shared norms, values, beliefs and knowledge that makes social life and corporation between individuals possible - without these society will disintegrate.

Durkheim argues religion is what maintains society as it reinforces the collective conscience.

Durkheim’s cognitive functions of religion

He sees religion as not only a source of social solidarity but also our intellectual and cognitive capacities - our abilities to reason and think conceptually.

Religion provides basic categories such as time and space thus, is the origin of human thought, science and origin.

Criticisms of Durkheim

Worsley argues that Durkheim’s view does not prove that he has discovered the essence of all religions as many clans may share totems.

His theory is also hard to apply to large scale societies as his theory explains social integration within communities but not the conflict between them.

Mestrovic, postmodernists, argues Durkheims theories cannot be applied to contempoary society as it is too diverst

Malinowski on religion and his 2 functions

He agrees with Durkheim religion promotes social solidarity by performing psychological functions to help people cope with stress. He identifies 2 situations in which religion performs this role:

1. Where the outcome is uncontrollable and thus uncertain - Trobriand isla..nders ocean fishing which is dangerous and uncertain so they would use prayer to guide theirselves to safety as opposed to lagoon fishing which is safe and predictable

2. At time of life crises such as death.

Parsons 2 functions of religion in modern society

1. It creates and legitimates society’s central values (by making them sacred such as American core cultural values of individualism, meritocracy and self discipline).

2. It is the primary source of meaning

What is civil religion and who studied it?

A civil religion is a belief system that attaches sacred qualities to society itself. For example, in America civil religion is a faith in Americanism - the ‘American way of life’.

Bellah is interested in how religion unifies multi cultural societies. He argues that civil religion is integrated into society in ways that places like American churches cannot. Most religions cannot claim the loyalty like a civil religion can.

What is Americas ‘civil religion’?

It involves loyalty to the nation and a belief in God, both with are equated with being a true American. This is expressed through various rituals and symbols such as ‘One nation Under God’. This is not a specific Catholic, Jewish etc type God but rather an ‘American God’. It sacralises (makes sacred) the American way of life and binds together Americans from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Evaluation of functionalism

It emphases the social nature of religion and the positive functions it performs but neglects the poor aspects such as it being the source of oppression for women

It ignores religion as source of division or conflict in societies where there is more than one religion (religious pluralism) - it is hard to see how it can unite people and promote integration.

Is civil religion a religion if there is no belief in God or another supernatural power?