religion

• globalisation

  • west moving towards secularisation
  • others moving towards fundamentalism- clash of civilisations (Huntington), increased insecurity (Giddens)
  • renewed faith- cultural defence and transition
  • religious diversity- POMO, new age movements
  • increased global communications- online religion, religion online, televangelism
• marxism

  • religion as ideology- used by ruling class to legitimate suffering of the poor, misleads wc to think they'll be rewarded for suffering, creates false consciousness, (Lenin- spiritual gin)
  • religion and alienation- workers are alienated doing meaningless tasks, religion acts as an 'opium of the masses', doesn't deal with cause that is class exploitation
  • FORCE FOR CHANGE- (Bloch- dual character),(liberation theology- allowed for democracy),(Gramsci- hegemony of ruling class as the church)
• functionalism

  • Durkheim- sacred and profane, totemism, collective consciousness, cognitive functions
  • Parsons- eternal questions, creates and legitimates society's central values
  • Malinowski- psychological functions
  • Bellah- civil religion