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modernist theory of religion - Coggle Diagram
modernist theory of religion
functionalism
Emile Durkheim- binds people together
collective conscience
religion is an agent of secondary socialisation- sin to steal, fear of god
studied tokenism- totems are a groups symbol, such as animal or plant were seen as having magical qualities- the rituals/practices were collective- helped reaffirm group identity
religions divide the human experience up in to sacred and profane
sacred- symbols and ceremonies with holy meaning
profane- everything that makes up everyday life
in the undertaking of the ritual, the clan members were actually worshipping the clan itself- created social solidarity
critisisms of tokenism is shaky- division between sacred and profane is arbitrary- and clans shared totems
small scale societies do not translate to multi faith/ big societies
Malinowski functionalism- religion guided by death and times of crises
studied trobriand islanders- lagoon and ocean
lagoon- safe and predictable
ocean- dangerous and uncertain- they undertook a communal ritual
performs psychological functions- helps people deal with emotional stress- helps people in uncertain situations,
parsons functionalism-
creating and legitisming societies values
provides stability in times od adversity
providing a primary source of meaning
Robert Bellah- civil religion- Neo functionalist
complex relationships between different denimoniatiosn of Christianity, therefore civil religion merged religion and patriotism- americanism became a way of life.
promote identity- allowed Americans to inclusive of diverse religion as long as they prioritised American beliefs
thanksgiving and Independence Day- take on sacred quality within American life.
allows for a celebration of national achievement
evaluation
civil religion can be lpplied to other societies- such as nazi Germany and communist Russia
fails to see all men as equal- promotes inclusivity- but ha sa history of racial segregation
marxism
saw religion as part of dominant ideology
reproduces and reinforces false class consciousness
OPIUM OF THE PEOPLE- cushioning the pain of oppression and exploitation
legitimised and maintained the power of the ruling class
eases oppression in 3 ways
religion promises an eventual escape from suffering and oppression in life after death
religion offers hope of supernatural intervention to solve problems on earth
religious explanation and justification for inequality
instrument of social control and oppression
inequalities of wealth, income and power are presented as God-given and therefore legitimised and inevitable
inequalities between rich and poor can't be challenged or changed without questioning the authority of religion.
ALTHUSSER- repressive state apparatus and ideological state apparatuses
reprodues class inequalities by transmitting ruling class ideology from generation to generation
legitimised class inequalit0 spreads ideology that disguises capitalist exploitation; persuading workers to accept exploitation
criticism- fails to consider secularistaion= fewer than 10% of people attend church
neo marxista argue religion can sometimes be used as a means of opposing the ruling class
lenin- religion "spiritual gin"- like alcohol it obscures reality
feminist
all gods are mail- hinduism exception
written for men, by men and interpreted by men
eve is made out of Adams rib-
women cannot be preists in catholicasm,the greek or Russian orthodox churches or rabbis
women have to pray separately to men in islam
islam- male take up to 4 wives, husband can divorce his wife, wife cannot divorce husband
women can be flogged for dress-code violations or stoned for adultery
BEAUVOIR
claims to compensate women for their lower status by them gaining equality in heaven- false type consciousness
Saadawi- women oppressed in Arab states- through male misinterpretations of the qur'an used to exploit women, female genital mutilation
woodhead- religious forms of feminism- hijab viewed as symbol of oppression- arguably a form of resistance to oppression- a chance to avoid the male gaze
weber argued that the role of religion was to fulfil the needs of individuals- both socially and psychologically
protestant work ethic-
protestantism aided the development of capitalism through promoting certain values
calvinism
protestantism was fatalistic- god decided fate
develop ent of a worth ethic- calvinists were more self disciplined, focusing on modesty and being fiscally astute
religion allowed people to justify they experiences
calvinists encourages and prioritised hard work whilst renouncing physical pleasures- earn money, reinvested profits- kickstarted capitalism
calvinist beliefs
predestination- god had predetermined which should would be saved before birth.
divine transcendence- god was so great that no human being could possibly claim to know his ill
vocation- constant, methodical work, however work could not earn salvation
because of these beliefs, calvinists shunned all luxury, worked long hours and reinvested money into business, everything they earn created growth and prosperity- this is the spirit of modern capitalism
EVALUATION
marxists argue that weber overestimates the role of ideas and underestimate econi=omic factors that created capitalism- capitalism precede rather than followed calvinism