Discuss how the Characteristics of Religion Interact to Create a Living, Dynamic Religion. The characteristics of religion interact with each other creating a living, dynamic religion. A living, dynamic religion is the ability to change, adapt and modernize a religion whilst keeping the central and core beliefs the same. The characteristics we focus on are the beliefs and believers, the rituals and ceremonies, the sacred texts and writings and the ethics. The belief and believers are what make up any religion.l They are what keep the structure of religion in order to continue its existence.
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.
Counselors advocate change at all levels to improve the quality of life for individuals or groups, while eliminating obstacles that make it difficult to receive proper services. Christian counselors promote the same quality as secular counselors but incorporate the messages of Jesus Christ. Three specific areas competence, conflict of Interest and termination are valuable in the counseling profession. Understanding these areas in the code of ethics of counseling is an important responsibility in order to be a professional and suitable counselor. Can Your Code of Ethics Be Wrong?
Durkheim believed that the main function of religious belief is to promote social stability which is reinforced by the collective conscience. The collective conscience is the shared values and moral beliefs and without them there would be no social order, social control, social solidarity or cooperation. Durkheim says that the attitudes of respect towards the sacred is the same attitudes applied to social duties and obligations, therefore people are worshipping society and recognising the importance of the social group. Religion strengthens the unity of the group and promotes social stability by bringing them together at religious rituals. When being together in religious rituals, social groups are able to express their faith and their common beliefs and values.
Along with the theories I will explore the major institutions of organised religion and education with the eventual aim of providing a clear answer to the essay question. Functionalism is a consensus theory and Functionalists believe society works as a collective consciousness. Put simply this means that functionalist thinking focuses on the theory that members of society work together with each other because it is in the individual’s best interests or that the individual is predominantly self-serving but know that in order for society to flourish they must work with others. Functionalism is also based upon the belief that every aspect of society no matter how small has a function or purpose to serve in and that in turn will keep society running efficiently and also because all members of society hold a shared consensus of norms and values. a good analogy would to be compare functionalism to motor vehicle, the engine, the petrol, the gear’s must work together in order to create fluid motion, if one were not to function efficiently the vehicle just would not operate correctly.
A number of sociologists argue that religion is a conservative force in society and it reinforces the shared needs and values of society. Some sociologists see this as positive, while others such as Marxists and feminists see this as negative. Durkheim supports the view religion is a conservative force in society which reinforces the needs of society. He argued that religion should be explained in terms of shared social needs. Durkheim saw religion as a positive force within society as it has essential and beneficial effects for the society.
Functionalists view religion as a conservative force for the good of society as a whole. They view society as an organic being, with every institution having an important role to play in the integration of people. Religion, being one of the largest and most important of these, is viewed by them as a necessary being within our lives. The main role religion is seen by functionalists to play within everyone’s lives is the basic foundation of morals. This is done by establishing rules and norms, which work to keep people in line.
Assess the functionalist view that religion benefits both society as a whole and its individual members (18 marks) Functionalists believe that religion is beneficial for both society as a whole and it’s individual members, this is because it unifies society and creates consensus, which in turn gives each individual member a source of support when they need it. However some theorists disagree with the functionalist ideology. Firstly, functionalist claim religion benefits society in a number of ways, it creates a sense of social solidarity, meaning a shared sense of identity, history, norms and values (a collective conscience). This is supported by item A, ‘religions contribution to value consensus and social integration’. Functionalist explain that if all of a societies members are part of the same religion then they all share the same belief system, resulting in consensus between all of its members.
Functionalist view on religion This essay is to assess the functionalist theory and view that religion benefits both societies as a whole and its individual members and also to take in consideration their criticism, but to mainly focus on two sociologist Durkheim and Parsons. Religion for sociologist is defined in three ways which are substantive, functional and social constructionist. The substantive definition of religion is focusing on the content or religious belief in god or the supernatural. The functional definition is its social or psychological functions it performs for society and individual. The last definition of religion for sociologist is social construction of it which is that there is no single universal definition of religion since so many exist and there is no consensus term of religion among any of them.
LO1; Factors that contributes to a diverse society P1; identify factors that contributes to equality of individuals in society. Social factors: Ethnicity; this defines belonging to a group that shares the same characteristics such as country of origin, language, religion, ancestry and culture. Ethnicity is a matter of biological and historical fact and is not changed by the culture in which a person grows up. This links to the equality of individuals in the society because we are all living with each other and tolerating each other in such ways that have accepted each other for who we are. Faith; gives people spiritual beliefs and influences their cultural traditions and what they believe in Culture; describes what people develop to enable them to adapt to their world, such as language, gestures, tools to enable them to survive and prosper, customs and