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Different Social Groups Have Different Social and Spiritual Needs and Use Religion and Religious Organizations in Very Different Ways to What Extent Do Sociological Arguments and Evidence Support This View?

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DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS HAVE DIFFERENT SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL NEEDS AND USE RELIGION AND RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS

TO WHAT EXTENT DO SOCIOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS AND EVIDENCE SUPPORT THIS VIEW?
There are many different social groups within society and many different reasons why one would join a religion and follow a certain belief. Religiosity is related to age, gender, and social acts. Religion take help many people solve underlying problems where people are experiencing anomie. Religion can be defined in many different ways such as Weber defining it as a belief in a superior or supernatural power that cannot be explained through science. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the extent to which sociological arguments and evidence support the view that different groups have different social and spiritual needs and use religion and religious organisations in very different ways.

Religiosity varies by age, this can be due to many different reasons such as the amount of time one has to participate and commit to a set belief. People younger than 15 and over 65 are more likely to be involved in a religious activity; however participation by those under the age of 15 takes part in the form of Sunday school and religious playgroups. Therefore, this portrays that they may have been brought up by their primary caregiver mother to attend Sunday school since they were young so attending is part of their weekly routine. As well, the elderly (over 65) are most likely to be retired so have more time to practice their religion by going to church. Despite this, recent studies claim that the elderly are increasingly losing faith in God; this may be due to the increase in rationalisation as individuals such as the elderly may feel that religion no longer has the power to explain why things happen. On the other hand one could argue that the membership of

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