What is the sociological approach to religion?
Sociologists are not concerned with religious “Truth” (not theological), but instead about the effects, expressions, organizations, causes, etc. It is a scientific approach, not a believer’s approach.
How did Durkheim view religion?
The world is divided into the Sacred (extraordinary, supernatural) vs the Profane (everyday, ordinary).
Religion:
- belief in sacred
- practices (rituals) centring around the sacred
- moral community (church) results from 1 &2
What are the functions of religion according to Durkheim?
- social cohesion
- social control
- provides meaning and purpose
What are the origins of religion according to Durkheim?
A “natural explanation”, religion was created in the social realm (from social experience) , not by the supernatural.
What do people feel in the “presence of the sacred” according to Durkheim?
- Share in a greater power
Collective conscience: awareness that the group is more than a sum of its individual parts, and believing that this experience is supernatural - Feel heightened strength
Collective effervescence: energy and enthusiasm that stem from being a part of a larger group, and believing that this strength comes from the supernatural
How did Marx view religion?
Religion is a projection of the human mind onto the supernatural realm; religion is man made.
Religion is a way that people deal with the alienation caused by capitalism.
“Religion is the opium of the people”
