Marxists and Functionalists agree with the purpose of religion being a conservative force. Marx and Durkheim share the assumption that religion was a product of society and that it is a conservative force. They both agree that religion is in the interest of the ruling class. The evidence that supports the marxist perspective is that the church of england has traditionally been seen as the 'conservative party at prayer' . Evidence that criticises the marxist perspective states that there are many instances where religious leaders or movements have challenged the established order and help promote change.
However, Karl Marx argues that religion the opiate of the masses therefore it distracts the attention from the possibility of taking action to improve the social world by making false promises about the happy and satisfying life after death in the next world, which in turn gives the rich and powerful the ability to oppress the working class without guilt. Religion acts as an opiate to dull the pain produced by oppression but, it only masks the pain rather than treating its cause therefore offers no solution to earthly misery. This also means the working class accept that being poor is God given and therefore cannot rebel about it. (Haralambos, M and Holborn, M. 1990) According to Marx, “religion served to siphon off potentially revolutionary thoughts and actions by focusing attention
To what extent do sociologists agree that religion creates social harmony. Sociologists have many different views on religion and how it affects us and our society. For Functionalists, religion plays a key role in creating value consensus and social solidarity. Emile Durkheim was one of the first Functionalists to develop this idea. For Durkheim, the key feature of religion was the distinction between the sacred and profane.
Playing cards and dancing are a few examples of what was believed to be wrongful. The people were imprisoned if found not to be living by Calvinism. I think people were drawn to John Calvin’s beliefs because religion seemed to be established and with a strong leader. People probably were drawn to having a religion with rules set in place. I personally think people should be allowed to have their own opinions and views on religion.
When being together in religious rituals, social groups are able to express their faith and their common beliefs and values. Malinowski, who is also a functionalist agreed with Durkheim that religion reinforces social norms and values and promotes social solidarity. He believes that the main function of religious belief is to promote social stability for example in crises of life. He believes that religion helps deal with the problem of death with the religious celebration of a funeral. A funeral denies the fact of death and comforts the people who it has affected.
The first of these dangers is susceptibility of Americans to extreme individualism, and isolation from the community. Secondly Tocqueville fears that American’s would develop an excessive desire for material things. Moreover, he believes democracy would cause American’s to lose the ability to think for themselves and, instead conform to society. Tocqueville’s final concern of Democracy was that an intense aspiration for total equality would in turn create a society who sacrifices many rights. Tocqueville argues that the only thing which will keep Americans away from these dangers, which would undoubtedly lead to despotism is religion as source of moral education.
Functionalists would argue that this is a function of religion in terms of primary socialisation i.e. learning right from wrong and not stealing or lying and having good morals. This is one argument against that science has become the main ideology now. However, conflict theories such as Marxism would argue that religion in primary socialisation is teaching working class a concept called ‘false class consciousness’, by this I mean making the working class accept the fact that they are lower and that the norms and values that they learn such as respect for others and meritocracy is just in the favour of the bourgeoisie/ ruling class. Therefore, they would agree with science and believe
Religion is very hard to define. Many sociologists have tried to work out a suitable definition of religion. Durkheim, a functionalist defined it as a unified belief system of beliefs about the nature of sacred things. Conservative means keeping things the way they are. A number of sociologists argue that religion is a conservative force in society and it reinforces the shared needs and values of society.
Therefore, religion is a conservative force. For example, religion prevents a false class conscience which prevents the working class from realising their true potential and keeps them oppressed. As a result, religion prevents a true class conscience where the working class realise they are being exploited. Moreover, religion acts a form of “compensation” for the working class as the belief in God and heaven offers the working class compensation for the misery the experience through capitalism. Marxists argue that religion promises us happiness, but this is an illusion hiding the truth; true happiness can only be found in a revolution.
Being a Feminist in the Catholic Church Thesis: Being a feminist in the Catholic Church means one is regarded as trying to dispute the common human nature or the traditional feminine virtues implemented by society in which the Catholic Church upholds (Kaveny 15). Catholic feminists are put in an awkward position where they have to choose between loving and withholding the values of the church or challenging it. There is an extreme notion in the church that women have a specific role in which they need to adhere to religiously. They consider the attempt to ordain a woman as a grave crime under the canon law. Many catholic leaders believe that the poles in each polarity need to be as far apart as possible (Kaveny 14-15).