Functionalism

• What type of society did Durkheim study? 


  Totemism
• Durkheim: The sacred and the profane 


  Durkheim stated that religion helps us separate the sacred and the profane. The sacred being objects, practices or people who we set apart as extraordinary whereas the profane mundane, ordinary everyday elements of life as well as those things that oppose the sacred
• What did Parsons say religion did?


  Parsons argued that religion performed two main functions: integrate people into the value consensus and socialise them into shared norms and values (which were often stated by religion like the 10 Commandments in Judaism and Christianity), and religion also answers the ultimate questions, those that were deemed to beyond the scope of science
• What did Malinowski say religion did? 


  He said religion performed psychological functions. It helped individuals to deal with an anxious and stressful situations. He also stated that these sorts of unpredictable events can cause instability and disruption in society, so by performing this psychological function religion also helped preserve the stability of society
• Functionalists argue that religion is a conservative force and that this is a positive function for society and for individuals. Religion helps to create social order and maintains the value consensus
• What did Bellah (1967) argue about religion?


  Bellah argued that we now have a civil religion which performs the same functions of a religion by uniting people through shared beliefs and experiences. He used 'Americanism' as an example of how nationalism has become a belief system like religion, with people uniting under a common belief (e.g "God bless America").
• A criticism of the Functionalist perspective of religion


  Many of these theories are outdated- they focus on a single unifying religion that brought people together, however, in current times, most developed western societies don't have just one single, unifying religion
• A criticism and strength of the Functionalist perspective of religion



  It ignores the oppression religion can bring, however, it does acknowledge how it unites people and other positive factors