Sociology Factsheet

www.curriculum-press.co.uk Number 117

Sociological perspectives about the role and

functions of religion in society today
What do different sociological perspectives say about the role and What do different sociological perspectives say about the role and
functions of religion in society today? functions of religion in society today?
Before looking at the different sociological perspectives of religion There are several different sociological perspectives to be considered
it is important to identify the roles of religion in society today. here including Functionalists, Marxists, Interpretivists, Weberism,
Feminism, Postmodernism.
The key roles and functions of religion can be summarised as
follows: Activity: Summarise the key ideas for each of these theories before
1. Socialisation using them to explain religion e.g. Functionalists believe that
In modern societies, the major function of religion is to socialise every institution in society performs a function etc
members of society by passing on the acceptable norms and values
What is the Functionalists view of religion?
of society. These norms and values become ‘moral codes’ – beliefs
1. Durkheim was convinced that religion plays a crucial role in how
that society agrees to hold in the highest regard and socialise
societies work. Durkheim believed that social order and stability
children into. Consequently, such codes regulate our social
could only exist if people were integrated into society by value
behaviour – for example, the Ten Commandments (from the Old
consensus – widespread agreement around the main values of a
Testament) are a good example of a set of moral codes that have
society. He saw religion as an important element in achieving this,
influenced both formal controls, such as the law (e.g. ‘Thou shalt
by providing a set of beliefs and practices which united people
not kill/steal’), as well as informal controls, such as moral disapproval
together.
(e.g. ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’).
Encouraging collective worship is regarded by functionalists as
2. Social integration and solidarity
particularly important for the integration of society, since it enables
Encouraging collective worship brings members of society together
members to express their shared values and strengthens group unity.
and enables them to express their shared values and strengthens
By worshipping together, people develop a sense of commitment
group unity. By worshipping together, people develop a sense of
and belonging; individuals are united into a group with shared values,
commitment and belonging; individuals are united into a group
so that social solidarity is reinforced, deviant behaviour restrained
with shared values, so that social solidarity is reinforced, deviant
and social change restricted. Also, religion and its associated rituals
behaviour restrained and social change restricted.
foster the development of the collective conscience or moral
3. Civil religion community, which helps people to understand the reality of social
In modern societies, ritual and ceremony are common aspects of relations, communicate with others and establish obligations between
national loyalties. In the UK, street parades, swearing allegiance people.
to Queen and country, and being part of a flag-waving crowd all
Durkheim argued that all societies divide the world into the scared
remind us of our relationship to the nation.
and the profane. The sacred refers to things that members of society
4. Preventing anomie regard as special. That are spiritual, religious or holy e.g. a cross.
Durkheim’s main fear for modern industrial society was that
Sacred does not have to be a god but can be anything that people
individuals would become less integrated and their behaviour less
regard as sacred e.g. a stone, a place, a river etc.
regulated. Should this become widespread, anomie (a state of
confusion and normlessness) could occur whereby society could The profane refers to the ordinary, everyday, non-sacred, non-
not function because its members would not know how they should spiritual, non-religious aspects of life.
behave relative to one another. Durkheim studied the practice of totemism among
Religious and civil ceremony prevents this happening by the central Australian Arunta tribe of aborigines.
encouraging an awareness of common membership of an entity Totemism is the practice of worshipping a sacred
greater than, and supportive of, the individual. Some religious object, known as a totem.
movements seem to have grown in times of social upheaval when
This idea has been developed by some functionalist
anomie may have been occurring. For example, the industrial
thinkers into the theory of ‘civil religion’. This refers
revolution in Britain was marked by a series of revivalist movements,
to a situation where sacred qualities are attached to
such as Methodism and Presbyterianism.
aspects of the society itself. In this way, religion in
one form or another continues to be an essential feature of society.
Exam focus Make sure you can explain the different roles of
This is very evident in America where the concept of civil religion
religion in society.
was first developed by Bellah (1970). America is effectively a nation
of immigrants with a wide range of co-existing cultural and religious
traditions.

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117. Sociological perspectives about the role and functions of religion in society today Sociology Factsheet
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What does unite them, however, is their faith in ‘Americanism’. what happens to them is God’s will, and possibly a test of their
While traditional religion binds individuals to their various faith to be rewarded in the afterlife, they are more likely to accept
communities, civil religion in America unites the nation. Although their fate and not try to change or improve their circumstances.
civil religion need not involve a connection with supernatural beliefs, b. Religion sometimes offers hope of supernatural intervention to
according to Bellah, God and Americanism appear to go hand in solve problems on earth e.g. the Jehovah Witnesses believe
hand. American coins remind their users ‘In God we trust’, and the that God will intervene to destroy the wicked and eliminate the
phrase ‘God bless America’ is a common concluding remark to an present system of things on earth.
important speech. Even the phrase ‘President of the United States
of America’, Bellah argues, gives the county’s leader an almost c. Religion provides a religious explanation and justification for
divine quality. The God that Americans are talking about, however, inequality. E.g. the Hindu religion provides a religion justification
is not allied to a particular faith; he is, in a Durkheimian sense, the for the inequalities of the Indian caste system and an individual’s
God of America. position in the social hierarchy. In the caste system, there are
strict rules about how people should behave, what they should
Bellah, however, suggests that even civil religion is in decline, as wear and eat, the jobs they can do and who they can and can’t
people now rank personal gratification above obligation to others marry. People have obeyed these rules because they believe in
and there is, in his view, a deepening cynicism about established reincarnation and if they don’t obey the rules of their caste they
social institutions. However, the events of 11 September 2001 and will be reborn on a lower level. This has kept the caste system in
their aftermath have undoubtedly led to a reaffirmation of place for over 1000 years.
Americanism and its associated symbolism.
Traditional Marxists see religion as an instrument of social control
2. Malinowski and oppression, used by the ruling class to justify their power and
While many functionalists argue that religion at all times helps to material wealth. The inequalities between rich and poor can’t be
sustain social solidarity some argue that this only happens in times challenged or changed without questioning the authority of religion
of transition and stress. Functionalist, Malinowski shows this in or God itself. Again, the caste system is an example of this, which
his 1954 study of the Trobriand Islanders. These South Pacific protects the position of those in the highest castes.
fishermen had a number of prayer rituals they would perform before
going out into the open sea. However, they would not perform What is the Interpretivists view of Religion?
these when sailing in the safety of the lagoons. Malinowski believed Functionalists and Marxists see religion as an external force, working
that the danger these fishermen faced by fishing in the open sea on people to mould them into social conformity. Interpretivist
was a threat to the stability of the community and would therefore approaches however, study the meaning and interpretations of
pray. people in order to understand their behaviour. Interpretivist
sociologists focus on the meanings that religion has for its many
3. Parsons different followers. They therefore look at the way religion is used
Parsons agrees with Durkheim in many ways and by followers to create meaning and interpretations of the world,
argued that religion provided core values and and to understand the meanings sacred symbols have for individuals.
enhanced social solidarity. He also agreed with The Turin Shroud, for example, is an old piece of cloth, and in itself
Malinowski that religion comforts people in times has no value, meaning or importance. However, some attach sacred
of stress. For those who are close to death or who meaning to it, as they believe it to be the burial shroud of Christ,
know people that have died it promises an after life. with his face revealed on it.
Religious places have served as important destinations to gather in
times of war or threat to the community. Berger (1990) see religion as a kind of sacred canopy stretching
over society, providing a shield that protects people from the
Activity: Look at recent media reports where children have gone uncertainties, meaninglessness and pointlessness of life, by helping
missing or soldiers have been killed. Memorial services are them to interpret and make sense of the world and their position in
generally held to bring the community together. it.
By suggesting that religion provides meanings to explain the darker
What is the Marxists view of religion? sides of daily life, interpretivists are arguing that it is contributing
to the maintenance of social stability. In this way, they are similar to
Marxists sociologists concentrate on the ways in the Functionalists and Marxists in that they all see religion acting
which religion reinforces the ‘status quo’ (norms as a conservative force in society. However, Berger argues that in
in society.) Like Durkheim, Marx argued that today’s society, religion is losing its role for most people as the
religion was a conservative force in society and provider of a universe of meaning. Due to the decline in religion, the
kept society together. However, he did not agree increasing diversity and fragmentation of beliefs and lifestyles, the
that this force was essentially positive and beneficial to society. sacred canopy of religion has been lost in modern society and
Rather, Marx argues that the primary function of religion is to religion no longer provides a source of meaning and morality as it
reproduce, maintain and justify class inequality. Marx described once did.
religion as the ‘opium of the people’, because in his view it prevents
What is Webers view on Religion?
the working classes from becoming aware of the true nature of the
Weber believes that in order to understand human behaviour it was
exploitation by the ruling class and doing anything about it. Instead,
necessary to examine the meanings people give to events and ideas.
they see it all as ‘God’s will’ and passively accept things as they
People’s ideas and beliefs can have important consequences for
are, remaining in a state of false consciousness.
the way they think and act. Religion is often an important component
The Marxist approach suggests that religion eases the pain of of this image of the world and Weber attempted to show that the
oppression and exploitation in three main ways: evolution of new religious ideas can stimulate social and economic
a. Religion promises an eventual escape from suffering in this life change as people act in terms of their beliefs.
with promises of a future in life after death. If people believe that

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117. Sociological perspectives about the role and functions of religion in society today Sociology Factsheet
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Weber argued that as societies modernised i.e. transformed from a

Activity: Draw up a chart to summarise the main points of each
mainly agricultural way of life to the more industrialised way of
of the perspectives
living associated with cities, they became more rational.
Rationalisation for Weber meant that societies increasingly use logic Perspective Key points
to solve problems whereas before traditional societies may have Functionalists
used religion and traditions to solve day to day problems.
Marxist
Weber was the first to distinguish between churches and sects. A
Interpretivists
church is a large, well-established religious body, such as the
mainstream organisations that represent the major world religions – Weberism
Christian churches (such as the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Feminism
Eastern Orthodox churches), Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and so on. Postmodernism
However, the term ‘church’ is particularly associated with the
Christian religion and today many prefer to call religions such as
Islam and Hinduism ‘faiths’. A sect is a smaller, less highly organised Exam Hint:-
grouping of committed believers, usually setting itself up in protest Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding
at what a church has become – as Calvinists and Methodists did in religion today.
preceding centuries. Answers to this question need to show good sociological
<
knowledge and understanding.
Weber showed that people of the same religion do not necessarily
The theoretical structure of the answer will be clear and coherent
share the same religious experiences e.g. do all practicing Jews
with accounts of studies and theories showing a detailed
have similar thoughts, feelings and experiences of being Jewish?
<<
understanding of the debates. Answers should be developed
What is the Feminist view of Religion? and should include knowledge and understanding of a range
of different sociologicalperspectives.
Feminist sociology has two major concerns when focusing on
Your answer should include an account of the Functionalist
religion:
theory but the other theories can be used as an evaluation of
• What role do women occupy within various religious
this theory.
institutions?
• What role does patriarchy play within religion? Answers could include: Durkheim; Marx; Parsons; Malinowski;
Holm; Bellah; Berger.
Most Feminists see religion as playing a part in maintaining the
male domination over women that is found in many aspects of
modern social life. This is achieved by religious ideas that seek to Test yourself:
control women’s sexuality, and that emphasise their once-traditional 1. Identify some key functions of religion
roles as partners of men, mothers and carers in the family. 2. Write a few sentences to summarise each of the main theories of
religion:
Religious organisations tend to be patriarchal, and men and women
• functionalists
are rarely treated equally. This can be seen in the following ways:
• marxists
• Religious scriptures tend to be patriarchal – women tend to • interpretivists
occupy subordinate positions to men in most religious scriptures • weberism
e.g. the 12 apostles were all men. • feminism
• Barred from the priesthood – women are barred from priesthood • postmodernism
in many religions
• The (stained) glass window – within religious organisations,
women are often found at the bottom of the career ladder, facing
the same glass ceiling that they face in many other organisations.
• The veiling of women – the veiling of women in some Islamic
cultures has been interpreted as a powerful symbol of patriarchy.
What is the Postmodernist view of religion?
Postmodern societies are characterised by a fragmentation of belief
and a wide diversity of religions, spiritual, and other beliefs.
Postmodernists tend to see the beliefs people hold as a purely
personal matter, and they can go spiritual shopping, picking,
choosing and changing beliefs as freely as they change their
shampoo. There a many different religions in the UK today and
there is a greater tolerance of all beliefs.
Some postmodernists, such as Bauman (1992), argue that many Acknowledgements: This Sociology Factsheet was researched and written
traditional religious organisations are now less important. by Rosie Owens.
Individuals are now free to shop around among a range of cults, Curriculum Press. Bank House, 105 King Street, Wellington, TF1 1NU.
sects and other religious and spiritual movements to find something Sociology Factsheets may be copied free of charge by teaching staff or
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