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the relationship between religion & social change
o Both agree that religion is a change inhibiting force in society
although they reach this similar conclusion via very different
theoretical routes
o Functionalists - supernatural beliefs have no reality
Marxists - religion serves to legitimate power & advantage enjoyed by
the privileged
o Functionalists - religion has a purpose
Marxists - this hides the real basis of power/exploitation. Religion
alienates people from their true selves yet it's the means by which
they can by delusion - escape from suffering/oppression
o Both agree that religion originated from social factors & once
formed it's importance rose above social/economic matters to great its
supernatural significance
o Therefore religion's important for social control because it keeps
people in their place by…
- distorting reality
- creating 'class consciousness' therefore justifying different
standards
- diverting attention away from the real cause of suffering
- helping the rich to accept/justify their own privileged position
Defining Religion
Functionalism
o Durkheim defined religion fairly broadly - applying 'inclusivist'
definition accepting as 'religious' anything which is considered to be
sacred by members of a society
o This can be taken to include belief systems other than those which
are generally accepted as being truly 'religious', including political
beliefs, nationalism and worship of individual figures
o Parsons saw religion as being a particular set of beliefs within the
overall cultural sub-system
Marxism
o Religion as something that's sacred by society
o Religious ideas aren't 'true' they're the product of society, an
ideology that's used to control subordinate classes
Future of religion
Functionalism
o Some have identified a process of secularisation which might lead to