1. Theories of religion
- Created by: Amy Parkinson
- Created on: 06-04-15 11:58
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- Theories of religion
- What is religion?
- Substantive definitions
- Focus on the content of the belief
- WEBER: defines religion as belief in a supernatural power that is above nature
- Exclusive
- EVAL: accused of Western bias because they exclude religions like Buddhism
- Functional definitions
- Focus on the functions of the belief system
- DURKHEIM: defines religion in terms of its contribution to social integration
- Inclusive
- EVAL: Just because it provides integration, doesn't make it a religion
- Social Constructionist definitions
- Take an Interpretivist approach
- It is not possible to produce one universal definition
- Focus on how definitions of religion are constructed, challenged and fought over
- EVAL: this makes it impossible to generalise about the nature of religion
- Substantive definitions
- Functionalist theories of religion
- Religion mustplay vital functions for society in order to maintain social order and solidarity
- DURKEIM
- The key feature in religion is a distinction between the sacred and the profane
- Argues that worship is just society worshipping itself through Totemism
- The collective conscience
- Shared rituals reinforces the collective conscience and maintain social integration for society as a group
- Makes the individual feel part of something greater than themselves
- Cognitive functions of religion
- Gives individuals the ability to reason and think conceptually
- Allows society to communicate by creating concepts and categorising them
- EVAL: WORSLEY: there is no sharp division between the sacred and the profane
- EVAL: hard to apply his theories to large-scale societies
- EVAL: MESTROVIC there is no longer a collective conscience because society has become too fragmented and diverse
- MALINOWSKI
- Psychological functions
- Religion promotes solidarity by helping individuals cope with emotional stress
- This emotional stress may stem from situations where the outcome is important but uncontrollable and thus uncertain
- The emotional stress may also take place at times of life crisis like death, birth, marriage...
- Stufdy of The Trobriand Islanders
- Psychological functions
- PARSONS
- Values and meaning
- Religion helps the individual cope with unforeseen events like an aeroplane crash
- Helps us answer 'ultimate questions'
- Religion creates and legitimates central values
- Values and meaning
- BELLAH
- Civil Religion
- A belief system which attaches sacred qualities to the American way of life
- Civil religion integrates society in a way other religions cannot because it is based on patriotism and a belief in an 'American God'
- EVAL: some Americans may not be patriotic
- Civil Religion
- Marxist theories of religion
- Religion is only a feature of a class-divided society based on inequality and exploitation
- Religion as ideology
- MARX: religion transmits ruling class ideology that legitimates the exploitation of the proletariat by illuding that they're inequality is just and God-given
- Religion creates a false consciousness that prevents the poor from rising up
- LENIN: religion acts as a 'spiritual gin' that confuses the w/c and keeps them in their place
- Religion and alienation
- MARX: religion is the product of alienation which separates the w/c from what they prduce
- MARX: religion is the 'opium of the people' which dulls the pain of exploitation by promising rewards of the Afterlife and legitimating the suffering of the poor
- EVAL: Marx ignores the positive functions of religion
- EVAL: ALTHUSSER: rejects alienation as unscientific and based on a romantic idea that humans have a'true self'
- Feminist theories of religion
- Evidence of patriarchy
- Religious organisations (mainly male-dominated, more male priests)
- Places of worship (often segregates the sexes and marginalises women by seating them separely)
- Sacred texts (Eve caused humanity's fall from grace, male gods, written and interpreted by men)
- Religious laws and customs (women may have fewer rights than men in divorce, bigomy)
- However,feminists argue that women have not always been subordinate to women
- ARMSTRONG
- Early religions often placed women at the centre of the belief system for example by presenting them as earth mother goddesses
- Evidence of patriarchy
- What is religion?
- EVAL: religion can sometimes liberate females
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