ovde - vera znanje mir

y preaching the importance of legitimacy of children and marriage. He
however argues that this view is outdated. Religion according to him,
has lost this vital function within modern capitalism, as the
individual and property is less important to the maintenance of ruling
class power, it has become depersonalised. Religion is now an optional
extra in modern society.
· It also ignores the possibility of secularisation.
Functionalist
Emile Durkheim- believed that religion is central to the reproduction
and maintenance of social order in societies. He believes that the
major function of religion is to socialise societies members into
value consensus by doing the following:
· Religion sets aside certain values and infuses them with special
significance. These values become moral codes/beliefs which society
agrees with and brings their children up with. Such codes informally
and formally control our behaviour. E.g., Ten Commandments are
embodied in law, thou shalt not kill, and some have been embodied in
informal morals, such as thou shalt honour thy mother and father.
· Religion encourages collective worship. Through collective worship
the individual is encouraged to feel part of a wider community e.g. a
Church of England member may feel part of a larger Christian
community.
Ø Durkheim strongly believed that the worship of god symbolised the
worship of society-god and society are the same thing
Malinowski -saw religion, in particular rites of passage, as
functioning to appease the stress caused by life crises such as death
marriage, birth etc (things that could cause social upheaval). The
rite of passage involves a ceremony or ritual in which the community
or society celebrates or mourns the individual in the greater
community/society e.g. christenings, funerals, church wedding
ceremonies. These ceremonies help to bind society together and create
social order, and social contentment.
Functionalists argue that the role of religion is to preserve the
status quo rather than to promote social change. They agree that
religion is a beneficial conservative force because it maintains
consensus, binds people together and promotes social order. They
however see it as having a positive influence, whereas the Marxist
view is somewhat more negative in its outlook. (Especially when
looking at social change)
Criticisms of the functionalist perspective
· It is impossible to see how religion can be functioning to socialise
the majority of societies members into morality, and integration, when
only a minority of people attend church.
· Functionalists tend to neglect the areas in which religion has been
dysfunctional for society. E.g. in Northern Ireland and Bosnia,
religious divisions have caused disruption and conflict rather than
promoted social order.
· It also ignores the possibility of secularisation.