ovde - vera znanje mir

materialism
o Religion's part of the cultural system
o Religious beliefs provide guidelines for human action & standards
o 10 commandments provide the basis for many social norms in Christian
societies
o Religion acts a way to generate social solidarity & stability
o Life doesn't always follow smooth patterns - religion maintains
social stability by relieving the tension & frustration that could
disrupt social order
o Religion answers "man's questions about himself & the world he lives
in"
o 'Makes sense' of all experiences, no matter how
meaningless/contradictory they appear
o Provides meaning to events that people don't expect, or find
frustrating
o Allows intellectual/emotional adjustment
o Religion's a major source of meaning in a society - it offers
answers to major questions of life & death
o Like Malinowski he saw religion as dealing with problems that could
disrupt social life
o By saying 'Jesus rose again; you'll see him in heaven' helps people
to go on and get on with their lives after a death etc.
o It helps humans make sense of all experiences - can cope with
horrible/horrendous situations
o Stops people feeling angry towards others & upsetting society
o Apparent injustices of life can make life appear meaningless
o Core values in society are given additional force & power because
they're part of religious meaning
o Values are given sacred support so they're not just the norms &
values of society, they're legitimated by reference to a higher
being/force
o This contributes to the maintenance of consensus in society
o Parsons has argued that it's more a case of religion losing some of
it's previous functions but retaining & specialising in a reduced
range of social functions
Criticisms
o Ignores dysfunctional aspects - emphasised on positive
o Ignores instances where religion maybe disruptive/divisive