Belief functionalists

Religion

• is the belief in a supernatural entity that must be worshiped

Substantive definotion

• Any definition which says that religion is for example a belief in God or attending a religious service.Substantive definitions try to identify the features of a religionn,that it involves a belief in God or the supernatural.

Social construction

• An interpretivist approach that focuses on how members of a society themselves define religion-there is no single universal definition to cover all cases.

Functional definition

• Any definition which says that religion unites people into communities ,that it explains why people die,why people are poor or become ill.A society without religion is unlikely to prosper.

• Religion is an important part off society.A society without religion is unlikely to prosper

Functional definitions tend to be more inclusive

Functionalists perspective of religion

Outline and explain Durkheim ideas of religion

• View society as a system of interrelated parts.

• Religion plays a central part in creating and maintaining value consensus,order and solidarity between society

The sacred and profane(Durkheim)

• Sacred-things that are set apart.forbidden,inspires feelings of awe.

• Profane -no special significance

• Sacred things evololking powerful feelings in believers suggest to Durkheim that it is because they are symbols representing something of great powe.

• Although sacred symbols vary from religion to religion,they all perform the essential function of uniting believers into a single moral community.

Totemism(Durkheim)

• Studied the stunts-Australian tribe

• Consists of bands of kin who came together to perform rituals involving worship of sacred totem

• The totem is their emblem

• Worshipping the totem+collectively worshipping-creates social solidarity.

• In reality they are worshipping society.

The collective conscience

• Sacred symbols represent society’s collective conscience

• Regular shared religious rituals reinforce collective conscience and maintain social integration.

• Religion also makes us feel part of something greater than ourselves,motivating us to overcome obstacles that would otherwise defeat us.

Cognitive functions of religion(durkheim and religion)

• religion is also a source of our ability to reason and think conceptually.

• Religion is the origin of the concepts and the categories we need for reasoning,understanding the world and communicating.

• For Durkheim,religion is the origin of human thought,reason and science.

Psychological functions(Durkheim)

• Malinowski;religion promotes solidarity by performing psychological functions for individuals,helping them to cope with emotional stress that would undermine social solidarity.

• Where the outcome is important but is uncontrollable and thus uncertain-In this study of Western Pacific he contrast fishing in the lagoon and fishing in the ocean.

• At times of life crisis-religion helps minimise disruption eg funeral rituals to reinforce a feeling of solidarity among survivors.

• Lagoon fishing-safe and uses the predictable and successful method of poisoning.When fishing in the lagoon there is no rituals.

• Ocean fishing-rituals to ensure a safe and successful mission gives people a sense of control,easing tension and giving them confidence to undertake hazardous tasks.Rituals serve as “God of gaps” filling the gasps in human being” control of the world.

Parsons:value and meaning

• religion helps individuals to cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes

• Essential functions that religion performs in modern society;

• • answers ‘ultimate questions about the human condition

  • bad life events may defy our sense of justice and make life

  appear meaningless, perhaps undermining our commitment to

  society’s values

  • religion helps people to adjust to adverse events or circumstance

  and helps maintain stability

• creates and legitimates society’s basic norms and values by making them sacred e.g. in the US, America has sacralised the core American values of individualism, meritocracy and self discipline. this serves to promote value consensus and thus social stability

Civil religion

• Robert Bellah-interested in how religion unifies society.

• What unifies America is an overarching civil religion-a belief system that attaches sacred qualities to to society itself.

• Civil religion integrates society In a way that Americas many difffrent church’s and demonisations can’t.While none of these claim the loyalty of all Americans,civil religion can.

• Amercian civil religion involves the loyalty to the nation state and belief in god=being a true American.

• Expressed through rituals,symbols and belief such as:pledge of allegiance to the flag,singing the national anthem,”one nation under God”.However this is not a specifically catholic,Protestant God,but rather an”American God”

• It sacralises the American way of life nd binds together Americans from many different ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Functional alternatives.

• Functional alternatives to religion are non-religious beliefs and practices tat perform functions similar to those of organised religion,such as reinforcing shared norms and values.

• For example although in A,Erica civil religion involves the belief in God,Bella argues that this doesn’t have to be the case.Some other belief system could perform the same functions.For example Germany and the Soviet Union had secular(non-religious political beliefs and rituals which they ought to unite society.

• However the problem with the idea of functional alternatives is the same as with functional definitions of religion .That is it ignores what makes religion distinctive and different-namely its belief in the supernatural.

Civil religion as an identity

• civil religion promotes an identity based upon national way life.

• Bella suggested this is embedded into all aspects of Americans life.

• Compliance to A Mercian values allows America to be inclusive of diverse religions as long as they follow these values.

Evaluation of functionalism

• ignores religion as a source of division and conflict especially in complex modern societies where there is more than bone religion eg Northern Ireland. Where there is religious pluralism , it is hard to see how it can unite people and promote integration.

• Emphasis the social nature of religion an the positive functions it performs neglects negative aspects of religion eg oppression of women or the poor.

• Idea of civil religion over comes this problem to some extent,by arguing that societies may still have an overarching belief system shared by all,but is thus really religion-especially if it is not based on the belief in the supernatural.