The Role of Religion as a Conservative Force and as an Indicator of Change

The Role of Religion as a Conservative Force and as an Indicator of Change

FUNCTIONALISM

Emiline Durkheim believed that religion is central to the reproduction

and maintenance of social order in societies. The major function of

religion is to socialise society’s members into value consensus by the

following.

* Setting certain values apart and infusing them with special

significance. These values become moral codes or beliefs which

society socialises children into. Such codes control our social

behaviour. For example, some of then commandments have become

embodied in law (thou shall not steal) and some have become part

of informal morality (honour thy mother and father)

* Encouraging collective worship. Through worship, the individuals

encouraged to feel part of a wider community – e.g. a Church of

England member may feel part of a larger Christian community.

Durkheim strongly believed that the worship of god symbolised the

worship of society – god and society are the same thing.

This idea has been developed into a theory of civil religion by other

functionalist thinkers. Shills and Young argue that it is difficult to

separate national identities from religious identities. We can

particularly see this in Islamic societies in which every aspect of

social, cultural, political and economic life is shaped by religion.

In the UK the queen is both the head of state and head of the Church

of England. Oaths allegiance used in the armed forces and police

stress ‘god, queen and county’. Shills and Young argue events like the

queens coronation affirm both patriotic and mor...

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oppression of ordinary people by elites.

Maduro points out that such religions may become the focus for protest

if the ruling elite block all normal and democratic avenues of social

change and arrest opposition politicians. The church may then become

the opposition. Support for revolutionary change from religious

leaders may motivate the mass to rise up against their oppressors. The

Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua is seen as a good example of this,

whilst the role of religion in south Africa, Iran and eastern Europe

is also seen as important in bringing about profound social change in

those societies.

In conclusion, then, religion can be an ideological tool of the ruling

class but it can also be transformed by internal changed or a

charismatic leader into a force which can assist major social change.