Reasons Why Sociologists Disagree on Religion

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Reasons Why Sociologists Disagree on Religion

What is religion? How can you define it? Can you give it one universal

definition? Highly unlikely, as religion can be, and has been, defined

in many ways. It can be called a belief in some kind of supernatural

power by one person, then a set of moral values that guide action by

another. It all depends on the simple fact of from what viewpoint you

are looking at religion from.

Durkheim defines religion as shared beliefs and practices that unites

communities and creates social solidarity. Durkheim studied Australian

Aborigines. The Aborigines each had a totem, be it a plant, animal or

object. This totem was a symbol of both their God and their clan. In

other words they were worshipping their God on a conscious level and

themselves on a sub-conscious one. What he’s trying to say is that

it’s not a belief in supernatural powers, but a certain admiration and

respect for what that group of people considers sacred, which could

be anything. This view has been criticised for being too broad,

allowing anything to be sacred, eg, football. Football has become what

you could call a ‘national religion’ in the UK. Millions of fans

follow the game, attending every game as if it were some sort of

religious ritual. These people might miss Church every Sunday but make

sure they attend every match their team plays without fail. The

stadium has become their Church where they stand in worship of their

‘Gods’. However even the sacred may lose it’s sacred status.

Hamilton found that in Italy people directed their prayers at statues

of the saints, if the people had been praying for pro-longed periods

of time without having their prayers answered the statues were tipped

on their heads and whipped. The same goes for football, if a player

scores a winning goal he is considered a God, if he misses a winning

shot then he is immediately shot down. This in effect shows that

people tailor their ‘religion’ to suit their needs, showing respect

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