Beliefs in society

Subdecks (7)

Cards (151)

  • Substantive
    • Belief in God or a superior being
  • Functional
    • What function religion performs
    • Answering of 'ultimate questions' such as the meaning of life and what happens when we die
  • Constructionist
    • How members of society define religion
    • There is no single universal definiton
  • Durkheim - Scared and the Profane
    Key features of religion-
    Sacred
    • Things set apart/forbidden and inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder
    • Surrounded around taboos - evoke powerful feelings
    Profane:
    • No special significance
    • Ordinary and mundane
  • Durkheim - Totemism
    • Worship of the sacred totem
    • The shared totem rituals reinforces group solidarity and a sense of belonging
    • When worshiping the totem they are also worshiping society
  • Durkheim - Collective conscience
    • Shared values, norms, belief and knowledge
    • He says religious rituals reinforce the collective conscience
    • Binds individuals together
  • Durkheim - Evaluation
    Postmodernists:
    • His ideas cannot be applied to contemporary society because increasing diversity has fragmented the collective conscience
    • There is no longer a single shared value system for religion to reinforce
  • Bellah - Civil Religion
    • A belief system attaches sacred qualities to society
    • America - loyalty to the nation and God is expressed through the pledge of allegiance to the flag and the national anthem
    • Binds Americans from many ethnic and religious backgrounds
  • Parsons - purpose of religion
    • Helps those to cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes
    Legitimates society's central values - makes them seem scared
    Primary source of meaning - answers 'ultimate questions' about humans (why some die young, why good suffer)
  • Functionalism - Evaluation
    • Ignores religion as a source of division and conflict
    • Neglects negative aspects (oppression of the poor or women)
  • Marxists - religion as an ideology (a belief that distorts perception of reality)
    • Religion operates as an ideological weapon used by the ruling class to legitimate the suffering of the poor as something inevitable
    • Misleading the poor to believe their suffering is virtuous
  • Lenin - Religion (Marxism)
    • Religion is 'spiritual gin'
    • It intoxicates the masses to confuse them to put them in their place
    • Creates a 'mystical fog'
  • Marx - religion as a product of alienation
    • Workers are alienated as they don't own what they produce or have control over the production process
    • Religion is the 'opium of the people'
    • It provides a distorted view of the world with no offer of solution to earthly misery
    • Only promises an afterlife to create an illusory happiness to distract their attention
  • Marxism - Evaluation
    Abercrombie et al
    • In a pre capitalist society, Christianity only had a limited impact on the peasantry
    • Ignores positive function of religion
  • Feminist - religion as evidence of the patriarchy
    • Religious organisations: male dominated (Catholicism forbids women to become priests)
    • Places of worship: segregates the sexes and marginalises women (women seated behind men in prayer)
    • Scared texts: features male Gods and prophets, written by men with stories reflecting on anti-female stereotypes (Eve caused humanity's fall from grace)
    • Religious laws: women given fewer rights than men (access to divorce)
  • Feminism - Evaluation
    Armstrong
    • Early religion places women at the centre (fertility cults and mother earth goddesses)
  • Feminism - religion as a form of oppression
    Woodhead
    • Hijab/veil - Western feminists view as a form of oppression
    Gilliat Ray
    • Some young women wear it as a symbol of liberation
    • Worn to gain parental approval for further education