topic 2: Religion

• the religion in society - how different religions came to be especially major ones, and how they effect the way we think, effect social norms and values etc.
• religion exists in every society in some form or another, religion in some way can be found, therefore it is super important to sociologists; they have tried to understand and explain the role of religion, and what different beliefs, rituals and practices there are in different human societies.
• sociology is not concerned with whether or not religious beliefs are true - it looks at the relationship between religion and politics, education etc.
• how do we define religion?

  there is no universal definition of religion.
• there are so many varieties of religion that there is no definition which reflects all this variety, and becomes even more difficult when people take into consideration beliefs and practices which aren't necessarily part of the religion.
• religion tends to be defined in terms of belief in God/s or other supernatural powers (that there is something that is not mortal that influences our lives) Buddhists do not pray to the buddha and have more of a philosophical way of living. it also involves other elements like sacred buildings, rituals, prayers, dances, public ceremonies etc. ,religious symbols like water, different animals, oil, etc. and also sets of rules of what is permitted or prohibited
• there are some who see religion in a realist view, those who take an objective view, others take a social constructionist view (micro), a social institution which influences values and social behaviour (macro). those who see religion as experiences and meaning and how religion is reproduced or changed through social interaction
• inclusive definition; Tend to take a more functionalist approach, looking at religion as an important element in peoples lives and functionally important for individuals and society.
• criticism; where do you draw the line - how to tell if something is a religion or not. they include too much in inclusive religion and are too broad. they tend to assume that everyone is religious. everyone faces issues of ultimate meaning
• e.g. Marxism doesn't think that there is anything in the sky (heaven or hell), in the exclusive definition, Marxism isn't an exclusive definition
• Such definitions tend to exclude beliefs, ideologies and institutions that do not make this distinction. E.g. scientology talks about self fulfilment and unlocking internal potential without the help of any saints, gods or angels. So it wouldn’t be considered a religion in the exclusive definition.
• However assuming that every religion has the worldly and heavens etc doesn’t make sense as not every religion has god/s. NRM: new religious movements like new age (stone market etc), scientology, etc. don't have Gods.
• definition in use; the social constructionist approach - religion is not something outside of us like an entity, but rather religion is what we make it. this type of definition understands religion as it is defined or used by individuals or communities. as well as how meanings and uses change over time.
• one definitions in use is that anything that people consider religion can be analysed as a religion. there are no boundaries between the religious and non religious. however, recently the inclusive and exclusive have been losing popularity, while definition in use is gaining more ground
• Religious theories are heavily influenced by Marx, Durkheim and Webber, they weren’t religious themselves but understood its importance in society but their take on its importance were all different from each perspective.
• The classical sociologists thought that the belief that traditional religion would fade away was very common because of modernity and technology.
• unless people take on the values and powers which they attribute to god, and realise that these ideas and values are their own, that they can have no rather than in the after life, they will remain prisoners of their own creation
• Religion acts as consolation and hope to people who are suffering, keeps them passive about their situation, rather than doing something about it (keeping them happy and high).
• Religion offers hope and justification, makes difficult situations bearable, prevents people from fighting the system. Since you are telling people that your suffering will be rewarded
• Religion justifies the status quo (the way things are) by suggesting that the social world was created by God and that those in power are meant to be there by the will of God
• Feudal system – the king is both the king but also the head of the church, even in places where they are not the same person, the aristocracy has always kept the same links between the elite and the religious forces.
• A big reason for this is that for a huge part of history and today, the king or queen was placed there by God/s, e.g. cleopatra (pharaohs representations of gods on earth). Dukes, Dutchesses etc. are seen as the overseers of their land. (country belongs to the royalty but they cant oversee everything all the time so dukes, lords etc. look after specific places in the country)
• Religious institutions used to support the lord of their area and in return land lords would compensate money or property to the church
• If the rich are justified in their riches same for poor people, then everyone is going to stay in their place, religion maintains false class consciousness – you think you are okay in the social class you are in and that it is fair, but then you become aware at how badly you are being taken advantage of.
• religion is the force of social stability
• The shift from false consciousness to true consciousness according to Marx requires the abolition(ending) of religion.
• there will be no need for religion because the conditions that give rise to the creation of religion will disappear
• “the abolition of religion as the illusionary happiness of man is a demand for their real happiness” – a call to abolish class consciousness
• Religion does not always justify social injustices and can be a factor of change. They have sometimes been on the side of minorities, justice [in Marx’s views of justice]. In the fall of communism, Catholicism helped get people out of the fall. It is also debatable that in some places, religious people feel oppressed. Under communism, religion has still remained important [Marx said the opposite, that communism brings down religion]
• Theres also some criticism that even with pre capitalism as we know it, social injustice has been around for ages. E.g. caste system in India (Hinduism) – religion is used to justify social inequality which supports the capitalists.
• This brings us finally to the idea of the sacred and the profane – the profane in Durkheim’s totemism theory is every day things and sacred are the special stuff – set apart. Sacred objects or symbols are those distinguished from everyday aspects (the profane things). Sacred objects are extraordinary which give off reverence, awe and even fear. Sacredness is a characteristic of all religions.
• Religion in modern society; religion has lost much of its influence in modern societies
• On the contrary, many eastern religions like Buddhism, Hinduism, etc hindered the economic process – very much focused on respect of nature and also the eastern religions tended to give more importance to spirituality than the material world.
• Social action (theorists like Weber) is directed by meanings and motives (basically behaviour). People’s way of seeing the world – world view – gives rise to the meanings and motives which guide their actions. Therefore, the religious values and beliefs of this group - Calvinist protestants – led to the actions which brought about the development of capitalism. In fact the area that this religion was wide spread were also the same areas where capitalism really took off.
• According to Weber, Christianity is a salvation religion [you are flawed, original sin, and you need a saviour -> follow Jesus]
• Christianity has many branches – Roman Catholics in Malta, Orthodox in Greece and other places, protestants, etc
• Luther(1519): Protestantism – teachings brought about the protestant reformation, the protestants break off from the catholic church.
• Luther (1519) wanted to end the view that the only link between you and god is with a monk or priest. He believed that people had to work for their own salvation. He believed that work was a calling and glorification to God. People’s chances of going to heaven depended on how they lived on earth.
• Calvin(1500s): Calvinism; a strict version of Protestantism. Brought up the idea of pre-destination. This idea says that when you are born, you are already destined to go to heaven or hell. Its not about work, or your actions on earth, your fate is pre-set. It didn’t work this way as this system seems unlikely to produce capitalism since working wouldn’t make a difference to society. they also believed that prosperity (richness) was one indicator that a person was among the elect (the people who will go to heaven)
• This is since they believed that God will not let bad people prosper. This led people to go into business to gain money. Therefore this idea of pre-destination led to the idea of capitalism since people wanted to make money for themselves and go against the idea of Protestantism.