Essay On Religious Experience

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Analytical Essay #3: Religious Experience
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Analytical Essay #3: Religious Experience
Introduction
Reductionism of religious is to reduce the psychological, sociological or philosophical terms of the truth or validity of the experience. Reductionism is described as the attempt of explaining a particular phenomenon in terms of another phenomenon. Thus, some sociologists have argued that religion can be detailed in terms of sociology. Durkheim is mostly regarded as the father of sociology; and he sees the society as the major actor of the human life. Durkheim believes that religion can be observed in the cultures of tribes and is the symbol of the society itself. Moreover, he considers religion as the means by which the society imposes itself to other members. On the other hand, Max Webber differs from Durkheim because his theories are not reductionsistic. He believes that not only society affects the religion, but religion also affects the society.
Body
Most of sociologists focus the behavior of the group. Particularly, sociologists try to determine how the society and the religion interact with each other. It is believed by Max that society impacts the religion dramatically; and shapes it to show the values of the society. Thus, the powerful in the society use the religion as the mean to maintain their power and to appease the working people. Marx considered religion as the drug and opium of the people. On the other hand, Max Weber tried to show that how religion can be the main force that shapes and inspires the society through protestant work ethics.
My understanding of the terms of psychology is the study of soul. Thus, it is not a surprise that many psychologists have tried to apply the insights ...

... middle of paper ...

... However, religion is not the cause of revolution in human mind.
Thus, I understand from this point of view by Durkheim that the social group is to be understood to be something that is greater than the total sum of all individuals. It has been remarked by Durkheim that how the joining of different primitive people in the social group develops the degree of passion that is not observed in the procedures of social group. Thus, according to Durkheim, ‘the very fact of assembling is an exceptionally powerful stimulant. Once the individuals are assembled, their proximity generates the kind of electricity that quickly transports them to an extraordinary degree of exaltation’. For Durkheim, the particular reaction, electricity, and passion associated to social gatherings is the cause of the religious experience. Thus, it is the social setting from where religion starts.

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