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The role of religion in society
The role of religion in society
The role of religion in society
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Religion in the society by sociological perspective. Religion is defined as a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny, in other words it is an institution to express belief in a divine power. Religion has been part of society foundation since the beginning of human presence. It has been the dominant part of other institution as well and have had an intense effect on the choices taken by other institutions. It is clear that Religion influence has extended widely through society. (Macionis). The aim of sociologist is to understand the function of religion in the society, the inequality and other problems it can alter and prevail, also the role it plays in our daily lives. Sociologist are not attempting to confirm to the truth of the religion institutions, merely examining how institution such as religions influences on individuals in society. In a functionalist point of view, the institution religion gives humanity a moral compass and a place to belong and reinforces social norms (Emile Durkheim). Places of worship …show more content…
As it is known that religion begin since human existence so was the start of conflict in the world. Today, conflict still happen in the society due to religion. For example, News reports going back since the 1990s indicate a final problem that religion can cause, is sexual abuse, at least in the Catholic Church. As you certainly have heard, an unknown number of children were sexually abused by Catholic priests and deacons in the United States and other nations (Terry & Smith, 2006). In the year 2003, in the Catholic Church of Punta Gorda there was one incident of sexual assault that occur and was left unsolved. This is where these problems of religion rise to social conflict because they are not reported for law enforcement to make a clear stop to the
Throughout the course of history, man has looked to religion for answers. Curiosity as to how we got here and why we are have driven people to seek out answers to these somewhat unanswerable questions. Over the past few thousand years, several varying religions have been established, some more prominent than others. Many of them share a similar story of a divine creator who has always been and will always be. In the case of Christianity, whether true or not, it has proven to be beneficial to society as a whole. The Bible set the standard for the moral compass that humans live their lives by to this day. The key fundamental problem with religion, although not the fault of religion, is that man has often used it as a gateway to power and prominence. In the case of the 18th century Gallican church, the French were abusing their religious powers, thus creating vast inequality throughout France, which eventually led to a rebellion against the church, and the eventual destruction of the church within France.
Religion is considered as a pervasive force in this world. It shapes people as to how they behave and interact with almost everything present in the society. Influencing behavior, character formations, ideals, policies, standards are just among the dimensions and societal perspectives affected and impacted by religion. Because of these applications and implications in human lives and existence, religion should be understood deeply, particularly, on how it affects the world. Looking at the American perspective of the term "religion," it could be simply
Religion can be described as a social institution built up around the idea of a supernatural being or beings, and the relation of human beings to them. In addition, religion provides individuals a belief to which they understand their existence as well network of emotional support during times of distress. Moreover, religious institutions provide individuals a proper perspective of life and establish values. Religion involves three major aspects: A conception of the nature and character of divinity (2) A set of principles concerning the duties and obligations between divinity and humanity. (3) A set of behavior patterns designed to conform to God’s will (Thorman, 154). The theme of panopticisim is to assert and maintain power by being unseen. In Christianity, God, unable to be to seen, is a supernatural being with infinite power. In addition, the Holy Bible reaffirms this power and establishes accordance among civilians. The social institution of religion is a form of a panoptic system where individuals are compelled to act accordingly.
Religion is a symbolic representation of society. The sociological approach to religious belief looks at how society behaves on a whole, to answer the question, “Why are people religious?” We express our participation in religious events through plays, acts of confession, religious dances, etc. To begin to understand why we have such term, let’s understand the common elements of religion. There are different types in which people believe in or follow and that is: animatism, animism, ancestral spirits, god and goddesses, and minor supernatural beings. Beyond these different elements, such one is to have religious leaders to follow.
The Society Religion as a Social Glue The view in the title is a functionalist’s view. Durkheim claims that religion is to do with the sacred and certain things, people and places are perceived to be sacred for example Jesus Christ, totem and the Tajmahal. He claims that what people perceive to be sacred are actually symbols of a collective consciousness. By worshipping these sacred things etc. they are actually reinforcing the beliefs, values, norms and tradition which make social life possible.
Does religion play an important role in Morality? Is religion the reason behind truly knowing the difference between what is right or wrong? Everyone has their own opinion over this matter. Some people will argue that religion is highly essential while others believe it has nothing to do with the way people express their moral behaviors. Sam Harris claims religion does not play an important role in morality; however, he is incorrect religion is essential in truly understanding morality.
In discussions of whether the world would be a more peaceful place without religions, one controversial issue has been placing blame on one’s own religion when wars or conflict ending in violence has occurred. The question is asked,. Does religion play a role in the violence going on around the world? On the one hand, many people may agree with this belief and argue that religion in a way has always played a role in the amount of violence in our society. On the other hand, the public contends that as humans we know what we are doing and our religion has nothing to do with the violence that we create.
To get a sense of this imperative role that religion plays in defining sociological behavior we need to take a look at the beginnings of modern academic sociology. We see that it began with analysis of religion, as seen in Emile Durkheim's work, who is a French sociologist that is credited with establishing the academic discipline. 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 society's behavior.
With modern technology and the rapid advancement of science, it is easy to look back into history and point out the problems religion had created in the past (Violence, intolerance, ignorance etc.) However one must keep in mind that reli...
During the European industrialization, theorist Émile Durkheim was the first to analyze religion in terms of societal impact. Durkheim defined religion as a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things” (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337, 2012). In terms of society, Durkheim overall believed that religion is about community: It binds people together (social cohesion), promotes behavior consistency (social control), and offers strength for people during life’s tribulations (meaning and purpose) (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337, 2012). He held that the source of religion is the collective mind-set of society and that this cohesive bond of social order resulted from common values in a society (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337, 2012). Additionally, he contended that these values need to be maintained to sustain social stability (Keirns, N. et al, p. 337,
The sociological approach looks at religious belief and practice in relation to the society. Sociologists are interested in two themes, the centrality of religion in society and the diversity of forms it inhabits (Hamilton 1995/2001:1). It regards religion as a social fact subject to empirical observation, which produces empirical evidence (Dillon 2003:7). The sociology of religion is a product of the enlightenment, from which it inherited a tendency to dismiss religion as incompatible with rationality (Dillon 2003:6). This dismissal has had significant impact on the attitude towards religion and it is the basis for the most influential paradigm in the history of the field; secularisation.
Functionalists believe religion is a conservative force that performs positive functions of promoting social integration and social solidarity through the reinforcement of value consensus. In this essay I will draw on ideas from Durkheim, Malinowski, Parsons and Bellah. I will then evaluate these theorists with Marxist, feminist and postmodernist perspectives in order to assess the extent functionalism helps us to understand religion today.
You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself. -- Swami Vivekananda "I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live as if there isn't and to die to find out that there is." -- Albert Camus In this essay, I will explore the religious experience in general and some of its variations around the world. The focus will be on the types of religious beliefs and religious leaders, especially in small-scale societies. An exploration of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or any other major religion is beyond the scope of this essay.
“Religion is a ritualized system of beliefs and practices related to things defined as sacred by an organized community of believers.” (Basirico et.al. 379). Religion is an important element in the society because it influences the way individuals act and think. It has shaped the relationship and bonding among families as well as influenced the decision made in economics and politics. Religion in general has contributed to shape a society and a government structure which will influence the way the individuals under certain governmental structure behave. Sociologists are interested in religion mainly because religious belief is heavily rooted in individuals’ lives and it helps sociologists to interpret human’s actions, expression, and experiences. Due to its significance in society, sociologists try to study religion in depth to explain and understanding religions beyond science. Supernatural belief, which is the core of religion, cannot be explained using science which relies only on facts and data. According to Emile Durkheim, religion consists of three elements, a system of beliefs and practices, a community or church, and sacred things which are common throughout all religions. Although a lot of people may have thought that sociological studies in religion will undermine one’s faith towards their beliefs, in my opinion, sociological perspective in religion will have no effect on one’s faith toward their beliefs.
Religion, a word shrouded with mystery, confusion and complexity. For some it is the answer to everything, a path to guidance and hope. For others it is the reason for all evil or just a manmade phenomenon for people who refuse to understand that everything happens for a scientific reason. Whatever the case is, it is a topic that is quite controversial and much debated among scientists, cultural theorist and conspiracy theorists. Religion plays a major role in functioning and forming social and psychological behavior of a society. It is connected more towards the emotional side of a person and everyone has their own perspective about it. Therefore religion has become an important part of human identity.