religion as a conservative force

• who believes religion is a conservative force?

  • functionalists- religion minimises disruption to harmonious nature of society
  • marxists and feminists- religion serves the needs of those in power, discouraging individuals from challenging hierarchies of power
• functionalists- 1- religion maintains the status quo through socialisation

  • religion socialises members into a value consensus by investing values as a sacred quality
  • these values become moral-code beliefs that regulate our behaviour
  • E.g. the Ten Commandments in the Bible
  • Durkheim's study of totemism- symbol of totem carries on tradition
• functionalism- 2- religion maintains the status quo through social integration

  • encouraging collective worship strengthens group unity
  • fosters the development of collective conscience
  • Durkheim's study of totemism- totem worships society
• functionalism- 3- religion maintains the status quo through preventing anomie

  • religion encourages an awareness of common membership of an entity greater than the individual
  • some religious movements have grown when anomie was occurring. E.g. the industrial revolution in Britain- series of revivalist movements such as Methodism
  • Durkheim's study of totemism- totem connected individuals to one symbol keeping them grounded
• functionalism- Malinowski (confirmed Durkheim's work)

  • He found that religion also provides psychological functions
  • religion helps people overcome life crises
  • minimises disruption caused by significant life events, acting as a vital source of stability- benefits society
• functionalism- Talcott Parsons

  • through sacred texts, religion elevates the values of a society into sacred moral codes
• functionalism- civil religion

  • civil religion- the implicit religious values of a nation, expressed through public rituals, symbols (national flag) and ceremonies
  • Bellah argues the USA has its own civil religion called 'Americanism' that combines religious and national values
  • Americanism prevents conflict and promotes integration
  • God represents America, viewed as sacred and the 'promise land'. Phrase- God bless America
• criticism of functionalist ideas:

  • growth of new age movements (not conservative and promote diversity) and growth in atheism
  • people aren't socialised into religion anymore
  • religion can have dysfunctional consequences. Rather than bind people together, many of the worlds' conflicts have been caused by religion. E.g. violence between Israelis and Palestinians is a religious and political conflict
  • they have neglected instances of religion as a force for social change
• Marxism- the status quo is maintained through justifying ruling class dominance, and legitimizing inequality
• Marxism- evidence supporting their claim that religion is a stabilising force

  • The caste system in Hinduism. Hindus believe they are born into their caste based on actions in a previous life. Hindus in in the lower castes are encouraged not to question their current exploitation in hopes of rewards in the afterlife.
  • The Methodist Church in the 18th and 19th centuries. Appealed to factory workers by having simple undecorated chapels that contained anti-establishment themes. Workers were able to vent their frustration in church instead of starting a revolution.
• Marxism- evidence against their claim that religion is a stabilising force

  • Society is now more secular and question the influence that religion can have on exploiting the working class
  • Marx does not consider examples where religion helped to influence positive change. E.g. Martin Luther King cited Christian values and used peaceful methods in protests to bring about change
  • Liberation Theology (Maduro)- when in Latin America, priests began to speak up for the poor as the right-wing military dictatorship shows no support for them
• Feminists- religion maintains patriarchy (according to Simone de Beauvoir) and segregation and exclusion in some religions reinforces patriarchal structures in society
• Feminism- evidence supporting their view

  • 14th century Catholic Church declared women who treated illnesses without special training could be executed as witches
  • Rise of Hindu Fundamentalism has made it difficult for governments to intervene in family life or encourage greater freedom amongst women despite their commitment to prevent oppression amongst lower caste members
  • In USA, opposition to women controlling fertility through abortion has ended in violence. In 2009, Dr George Tiller was gunned down inside his church- he was an abortion doctor.
  • Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022
• Feminism- evidence that contradicts their view

  • Many thousands of women have assumed positions of leadership in the fast growing Pentecostal movement
  • gender-neutral language has been introduced in many hymns and prayers
  • the requirement to love, honour and obey is now optional in Christian wedding ceremonies