What is religion?

• Substantive Definition:


  These focus on the content or substance of religious belief, such as belief in God or the supernatural.

  Weber: defines religion as belief in a superior or supernatural power that is above nature and cannot be explained scientifically.
• Substantive Definition:(-)


  They are exclusive - they draw a clear line between religious and non-religious beliefs. To be a religion, a set of beliefs must include belief in God or the supernatural.
• Substantive Definition - A03:(-)


  Substantive definition conform to a widespread view of religion as a belief in God. However, defining religion in this way leaves no room for beliefs and practices that perform similar functions to religion but do not involve belief in God. They are also accused of Western bias because they exclude religions such as Buddhism, which do not have the Western idea of a god.
• Functional definitions:


  Define religion in terms of the social or psychological functions it performs for individuals or society.

  Durkheim: defines religion in terms of the contribution it makes to social integration, rather than any specific belief in God or the supernatural.

  Yinger: identifies functions that religion performs for individuals, e.g. answering 'ultimate questions' about the meaning of life and what happens when we die.
• Functional definitions - A03:(+)

  They are inclusive - allowing us to include a wide range of beliefs and practices that performs functions such as integration.

  Since they do not specify belief in God or the supernatural, there is no bias against non-western religions such as Buddhism.
• Functional definitions - A03:(-)


  Just because an institution helps integrate individuals into groups, this does not make it a religion.

  E.G. collective chanting at football matches may give individuals a sense of integration, but this doesn't mean it is a religion.
• Constructionist definition:


  Social constructionists take an interpretivist approach that focuses on how members of society themselves define religion. They argue that it is not possible to produce a single universal definition of religion to cover all cases, since in reality different individuals and groups mean very different things by 'religion'.
• Constructionist definition:



  Social constructionists are interested in how definitions of religion are constructed, challenged and fought over.

  Aldridge: shows how Scientology is a religion, whereas several governments have denied it legal status as a religion and sought to ban it.

  This shows that definitions can be contested and are influenced by who has power to define it.
• Constructionist definition: (+)

  Social constructionists do not assume that religion always involve a belief in God or the supernatural, or that it performs similar functions tor everyone in all societies.

  Their approach allows them to get close to the meanings people themselves give to religion.
• Constructionist definition:(-)


  This makes it impossible to generalise about the nature of religion, since people may have widely differing views about what counts as a religion.