Durkheim: religion sets apart the sacred (forbidden, inspires awe) and profane (normal)
Sacred: creates powerful feelings and worship of symbols. By worshipping symbols, they worship society itself . Religion unites believers in a moral community.
Durkheim studies the Arunta (totem worshippers), said they worship their community represented by totems
Collective conscience: symbols represent all the norms, values etc. Rituals w these symbols reinfoce the collective consiousness
Cognitive functions: religion also the source of cognitive abilities, ability to reason and think conceptually. We require categories to think, such as time and space, religion provides this
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