Berger provides insight into the study of the sociology of religion. Berger is particularly interested in the social construction of religion as perpetuated by humankind and the dichotomies of the secular and the religious. As a component of social reality, religion, according to Peter Berger, is a “dialectical phenomenon” (3). Society is a dialectic phenomenon in that it is a human product, and nothing but a human product, that yet continuously acts back upon its producer. Society is a product of man. Religion emerges out of human beings as part of an ordered and meaningful social reality and in turn, humans emerge out of this socially constructed world. Berger parses the dialectical phenomenon into three concepts: externalization, objectivation, and internalization.
Externalization of a meaningfully ordered worldview is “an anthropological necessity,” compelled by the “unfinished” nature of human biological constitution (4). Externalization may be defined as “the ongoing outpouring of human being into the world, both in the physical and mental activity of people” (4). The created social world provides order, meaning, and security, thereby completing human nature, which remained naturally deficient. The products of human physical and mental activity include such things as culture, the state, the family, religion, and the economy. Culture is a social world that is human created. Objectivation regards socially constructed reality as something that is not merely constructed with facticity. People perceive culture, the family, the economy, etc. to be objective reality. Objectivation stipulates not only that social reality is “there,” but that social reality is “there for everyone” (10) Culture is “taken-for-granted” as natural, impo...
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... of the entire universe as being humanly significant. The great paradox of religious alienation is that the very process of dehumanizing the socio-cultural world has its roots in the fundamental wish that reality as a whole might have a meaningful place for man. One may thus say that alienation has a price paid by the religious consciousness in its quest for a humanly meaningful universe.
Berger’s dichotomy of religion and day to day living is not universally shared as particular religions view every action as an act of worship. Examples include normative Judaism and some aspects of Islam and Hinduism. Another criticism is that Berger falls to recognize diversity and assumes that all humans experience the world in the same manner.
Works Cited
Berger, Peter L. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. New York: Anchor, 1990. 3-101. Print.
In his book, The Sacred Canopy, Peter Berger asserts that ``Religion has played a strategic part in the human enterprise of world building,`` and `` implies the farthest reach of his ( man`s) infusion of reality with his own meaning.`` (Berger, 1967, 27) Thus, theology, another term for religion, is the foundation of human sense of the meaning of life and closely related to our daily life.
Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
The purpose of this reflective outline is to demonstrate a thorough understanding of theories, concepts, and/or strategies relating to cultural and social religions. “Whale Rider” (Caro, 2002) , is a depictive representation of a cultural religion that has survived on the belief of male inheritance as their form of guidance; however, history has shown that change is inevitable. For example, throughout history, religion has played a pivotal role in the development of individuals, including the evolution of societies. This shows that because religion/s around the world have practiced their core beliefs in an attempt to guide humanities behaviors, yet , as we can observe with the “Whale Rider,” even the most influential community and cultural leaders can become miscued in their ideologies. Because The Maori of New Zealand have developed deep seated beliefs within natural creatures; Katu is term used to relate to their god (Maori.com, 2014) steaming for their ancestral Polynesian descendants. In addition to what can be observed, such as beliefs, practices, and/or symbolic terminologies, each religion will ensure its presidential knowledge is passed to those who receive it accordingly. The factual concept stands and history has proven is evolution that without guidance and continuous religious and cultural support, decedents of a heritage may become lost and/or miscued within their mislead ideology. Although many religions are centered on the belief of normality’s cultural expectance, often times we can observe drastic changes in the reorganization of a cultural religion.
Geertz defines religion as ‘(1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.’ In this essay, I will focus on the Geertz’s idea, and Asad’s subsequent critique, of symbols. (Geertz, Clifford, and Michael Banton. "Religion as a cultural system." (1966).)
Erich Fromm in his psychoanalytical approach to religion is distinct from the earlier works of Sigmund Freud. Fromm defines religion as “any system of thought and action shared by a group which gives the individual a frame of orientation and an object of devotion.” Fromm argues that irreligious systems including all the different kinds of idealism and “private” religions deserve being defined as a “religion.” Based on Fromm’s theory, it is explained that there is no human being who does not have a “religious need,” almost every part of human life reflects religious need and its fulfillment, in fact he states it to be “inherent” in man.
Durkheim, Emile. The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2001. Print.
Eastman, Roger. The Ways of Religion: An Introduction to the Major Traditions. Third Edition. Oxford University Press. N.Y. 1999
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print
Religion cannot be lived in textbooks, it is about the personal consciousness of those that believe and “their own account of their religion and its relevance in contemporary life” (Fisher, 1996). It is performed, experienced by the individuals living within society and communities. For some it is a sense of hope, to connect with a supreme power, to end the cycle of birth and death, find inner peace and/or a way of life. Traditional understanding of religion through textbooks, television, and internet does provide one with understanding about the religion doctrine and what they believe in. The majority of people will know what religion is when seeing it, for example, a Buddhist Monk sitting cross-legged in meditation. However, it is important to study religion off campus in order to grasp an explanation and a clear understanding of how beliefs change personal lives, how individuals tackle certain situations due to belief for example, Buddhist Monk sitting cross-legged in meditation, but w...
Even more appealing is Fromm’s innovative understanding of religion. He calls it “any group-shared system of thought and action that offers the individual a frame of orientation and an object of devotion”(Fromm 135). In this sense, every society in the world has had a religion. He says that modern society is characterized by a new religion – the Industrial religion. It developed because of the way modern society is rooted in the having mode.
Religion is an organized collection of beliefs and cultural systems that entail the worship of a supernatural and metaphysical being. “Religion just like other belief systems, when held onto so much, can stop one from making significant progress in life”. Together with religion come traditions that provide the people with ways to tackle life’s complexities. A subscription to the school of thought of great scholars
some, such as Karl max saw that religion is a way strong of a tool that impairs social evaluation. Which resulted in ethnic and religious cleansing and furthermore proved to be the wrong approach to defining the role that religion plays in societies behaviors. I for one, think that religion is an indispensable and integral part of human sociology; furthermore, I believe understanding this relationship would lead to social development.
Social stability is the capstone of a fully-functioning society. Social stability is about the condition of freedom from social disorder that is commonly manifested in the custom of inter-group conflict and violence (Sengupta, p. 5103, 2004). It is the condition of sustainable development, and welfare, whereas, society would be free of poverty, hunger, corruption, exploitation and inequality (Sengupta, p. 5103, 2004). It is premised on social development, freedom, and harmony (Sengupta, p. 5103, 2004). There are many components which assist in the achievement of social stability; one being social justice through religion. The purpose of this paper is to examine social justice advocated through religion in an effort to attain social stability.
Because of the colossal impact of religion in the countries surveyed the only accurate way to peek at how these people understanding themselves and their place in the world is to first have an understanding of the major religion or religions that are at work within a given society. But that statement demands the question, how is it that through religion we define ourselves? My research relies heavily on the inte...
" Religion is not just a social, cultural, political, or ideological factor; instead it finds its power in the personal chambers of the soul of the individual. Within the soul we discover the source of the private motivation that forms perceptions and behavior ( pg 7, Rediscovering the Kingdom)."