...Marx, Durkheim, and Weber - A Contrast of Philosophies on the Sociological Benefits of Religion ABSTRACT Throughout the history of the study of sociology, philosophers and sociologists have been attempting to explain the true nature and origin of Religion as a social concept. In this paper, we look at the works of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber and their analyses of the origins of Religion and how society has impacted and shaped the concept of a religious life. Where Marx looked at religion and its exercise as a major aspect of the bourgeoisie class, Durkheim approaches from a purely scientific stance. Weber, however, approaches the sociology of religion from a more holistic viewpoint, discussing the soul, the mysticism and cosmology of religion, and the innate germ of religiosity within the human being just waiting to be activated. The Sociology of Religion encompasses so very much of an individual's existence that it becomes difficult to separate it from other aspects of life. This is exemplified most easily in the writings of Karl Marx who, as a communist, believed in an agrarian society where all individuals were equal and a panacea-type existence derived only from the need of one to another was lived. In Marx's "Communist Manifesto", he talked about how he believed that religion was something of the bourgeoisie who felt themselves elevated above all others in society. While Marx utilized the term "bourgeoisie" to mean the upper class and all capitalists...
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...SOC 105 01: RELIGION AND SOCIETY Spring 2015 / Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:35 A.M. – 11:00 A.M. Room: BROWER HALL 203 Instructor: Konstantinos Ardavanis Email: Konstantinos.ardavanis@hofstra.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to help you learn about the Sociology of Religion, with special attention paid to contemporary issues in religion and society in the United States. This course will set out to explore the various rituals, values, and customs that a society embraces, and through this, find the hidden meaning behind the cultural knowledge that these values, rituals and customs provide. While people use these values, rituals, and customs to interpret the world around them, it will be our job to discuss the implications and unconscious assumptions that these interpretations provide using a number of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. TEXTS AND READINGS REQUIRED • Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments (2nd edition) by Kevin J. Christiano, William H. Swatos Jr., and Peter Kivisto, ISBN 978-0-7425-6111-3 • Additional readings to be posted to Blackboard SUGGESTED • Durkheim, Emile. 1965. Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. New York: Free Press. • Marx, Karl and Frederich Engels. 1978. "The Communist Manifesto" and “the German Ideology,” in The Marx-Engels Reader. Ed. Robert Tucker. New York: W.W. Norton. • Weber, Max. 1958. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit...
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...ones will tend to have thousands of members rather than millions, while some have only a handful of members. The groups have no norms and values, and if norms and values are attained, they are very different to those of wider society. Troeltsch also describes sects as being radical rather than conservative, with a hostile opinion of wider society, shown in the clashing of them with the law. Deep commitment is also expected of those who are members of the group. An example of a sect group would be the Jehovah’s witnesses; the social background of sect members tends to be connected with the lower classes who may feel oppressed by the state. However, by the fact that Martin (1978) says that the term secularisation should be banned from the sociology terminology means that Sects, and other outside movements, clearly don’t have that big an effect on society, showing a critical judgement on Troeltsch, who describes sects to have many followers within the lower classes. However if this was the case, then secularisation would occur quicker and everyone would be looking more to the smaller, more marginalised,...
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...widely accepted by the host culture in which it resides. In America, Protestantism would be a church. It is generally accepted by the whole and is consistent with the culture's values (maybe not traditional Protestantism, but what forms we have of it today). Church may have denominations which are small changes made in the church that are still accepted by the host culture. A sect: is a religious group the rejects the social environment in which it exists. Now, it's not as extreme as that definition makes it seem. A sect doesn't necessarily share the same values as the host culture. This causes some friction between the religious group and the host culture, but we accept the group as a society because we're more tolerant to differing religions in this day and age. Many churches started as sects. One well-known example was the Nazarenes. This was an reform movement within Judaism formed by Jesus' apostles after the execution of Jesus circa 30 CE They were largely dispersed or killed some four decades later when the Romans attacked Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. Again the most obvious North American example of a sect that evolved into a denomination is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), the Mormons. Their founder, Joseph Smith, had a revelation from God that the ministry of Jesus Christ continued after his crucifixion, as described in what is now called the Book of Mormon. The Mormon sect has since evolved into the Mormon denomination of Christianity...
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...Secularisation is the idea that religion is going into decline – the process of becoming less religious in terms of sacred, faith and belief. Some sociologists believe that secularisation is occurring in one form or another and their aim is to explore and explain the process of secularisation, others are uncertain as to whether secularisation is happening, and the rest see a transformation to a different type of religious practise happening, like an evolution of religion, rather than a decline in it. Woodhead and Heelas have identified two views of the secularisation process – The disappearance thesis – where religion has gone into decline because of modernity, and been over taken by other parts of life such as the media. They’ve called this the death of religion, and believe it will continue to decline until it has fully disappeared. This opposes view that religion remains constant. The second thesis is the differentiation thesis – where they believe that religion isn’t going into decline fully because people are still religious but in different forms – public religion is less significant but it has transformed into a private expression of religion as it does no longer influence the major institutions in society, such as the family and education, so it is not so apparent in wider society but still important in peoples every day private lives. This supports the view that religion remains constant. It is also important to note that Bruce does not see that secularisation is a...
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...------------------------------------------------- Religion in a Global Context For secularisation theory, modernisation undermines religion. The importance of science and technology in economic development, and the rational worldview on which they depend, are seen as destroying belief in the supernatural. On the other hand, religion may contribute to development, as Weber argued in the case of the protestant ethic (AO2 – Gordon Marshall and Peter Berger). More recently, sociologists have examined what role religion may play in development in today’s globalising world. Religion and Development Meera Nanda - God and Globalisation in India Globalisation has brought rising prosperity to India’s new middle class. Nanda’s book ‘God and Globalisation’ examines the role of Hinduism, the religion of 85% of the population, in legitimating both the rise of a new Hindu ‘ultra-nationalism’ and the prosperity of the Indian middle class. Hindusim and Consumerism Globalisation has created a huge and prosperous, scientifically educated, urban middle class in India, working in IT, Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology sectors closely tied into the global economy. According to Inglehart and Norris, these are precisely the people whom secularisation theory predicts will be the first to abandon religion in favour of a Secular View (AO2). Yet as Nanda Observes, a vast majority of this class continue to believe in the supernatural. A survey by the ‘Centre for the Study of developing Societies...
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...How Far Is Religion a Conservative Force? (33 marks). In the views of functionalism, neo-functionalism, feminism, and Marxism, religion is a conservative force that prevents social change from happening and maintains the current status quo. Yet neo-Marxism and Weber contrast this view by saying religion is used as a force for social change, while post-modernism argues we have the ability to ‘pick and mix’ our religion with the growth of new-age religions. This is all then contrasted by fundamentalism, which looks to bring about social change to take society back to biblical traditions and values. Before we try and figure out if religion is a conservative force or not, we should first define the difference between substantive and functional definitions in sociology: substantive definitions are more concerned with looking at what makes religion distinctive, while functional definitions look at how it is that religion contributes to society as a whole. Starting with functionalism, this is supported by Durkheim, Malinowski and Parsons, this views religion as a conservative force. Durkheim split all items into two different categories: the sacred and the profane. The sacred items were ‘special, unworldly and forbidden’, while all other ‘normal’ objects were just profane, such as a chair. Specifically, Durkheim focused his research on the Aborigines. He found that their Totems were sacred (a Totem was a carved animal), and they were often carved from bull roar wood, the most sacred...
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...Critically examine Marxist contributions to the sociology of religion. Marxism is a conflict view, so it goes without saying their view on religion within society is a conflicting one. This essay looks to examine and criticise the reasons behind some of the Marxists contributions to the sociology of religion. I will discuss and criticize the views of the following theorists; Karl Marx, Louis Althusser and Antonio Gramsci. Karl Marx likens religion to a drug; “Religion is the opium of the people.” This analogy is a reference to how people lose individuality and become infatuated by religion, believing it solves all difficulties they may be facing. For example in Hinduism the extent of pain and suffering in an individual’s lifespan, depicts the level of happiness in their next life. Marxists would say that with this ideology people live ‘modest’ lives. People are brainwashed into accepting their ‘fate’ rather than attempting to rise above it, in hopes of a lavish afterlife. However Marx’s work is very outdated as he wrote most of it in the 1800s and although the basis of what he said may still be the case, a lot of it no longer applies to current society as people have begun questioning rather than accepting their circumstances. Louis Althusser developed on Marxists theories; he believed that the underclasses are controlled by the ruling class. Althusser deduces that as a result of ruling class ideas being inflicted on the underclass, they are brainwashed into believing...
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..."The growth and influence of religious fundamentalism across the world challenges the claim that contemporary society has become secular". To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view of contemporary religious belief and practice? Fundamentalism- going back to old traditions, going back to basics Fundamentalism refers to a belief in a strict adherence to an established set of basic principles (usually religious in nature), sometimes as a reaction to perceived doctrinal compromises with modern social and political life. Secular- Denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis Contemporary- Belonging to or occurring in the present Contemporary society- Contemporary society, according to social and political scientists, is characterised by at least three fundamental directions: • increasing human interconnection through a network of relationships that is progressively covering the whole planet; • the pace and depth of the evolution of human ways of life determined by technological innovation represent an absolute novelty in human history; • the scale of anthropological and ecological transformation due to the interaction between evolutionary factors (social, cultural, economic, and technological) has no historical precedent. These directions are the result of a number of fundamental changes that are irreversibly transforming our daily lives, our way of thinking and perceiving the world and our way...
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...Assess view that cults, sects and New Age Movements are fringe organisations that are short lived and of little influence in society. Churches and denominations are generally seen as respectable, mainstream organisations, whereas cults, sects and NAM’s are seen as more deviant, which involve belief systems that are viewed as odd or bizarre. The terms ‘sect’ or ‘cult’ have been stigmatised, due to the mass media view on them as controlling, brainwashing and manipulative to its members. Many believe cults, sects and NAM’s are short-lived, as they will, over time, either turn into denominations or disappear altogether. For example, The Quakers originally began as a world-rejecting religious sect. However, over time they abandoned their world rejecting view and evolved into a highly respectable denomination, while others, such as The Peoples Temple, have disappeared altogether. Many sociologists believe NAM’s have little influence over society, and are just ways of showing change in society. Wallis identified three different types of these religious movements: World affirming, world accommodating and world rejecting groups. World rejecting religious movements, such as The Moonies are seen to be the most short-lived groups with little influence over society. These groups hold strict guidelines to members which demand high commitment from their members who obtain a view that the outside world is evil. There are a number of reasons that sects are destined to be short lived. Barker...
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...Area in the syllabus | Essay Title | Essay Title In your own words | Theories o religion: | Religious organisationsTypologies | Religious organisationsWhy people join. | Religious organisationsdevelopment | NAMs/NRMs | Religion in global context:Secularisation | Religion in a global contextFundamentalism- | Religion and social Change | Religion as source of conflict or consensus | Religiosity: Class | Religiosity: Age | Religiosity: Gender | Religiosity: Ethnicity | Belief Systems: Religion | Belief Systems: Science: | Belief Systems: ideology | Jun12 | Religion is still the most significant ideological influence in the world today. ’To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Critically examine sociological views of sects in society today. (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that women are no longer oppressed by religion. (18 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jan 12 | The growth of New Age and similar movements is evidence of a spiritual revolution in society today.’ To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding religion today.(33 marks) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Using...
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...Sima & Sabah Religion has been successful in its response to psychology’s challenges to religious belief.’ Assess this claim (15 marks) June 2011 One of the key ways religion challenges Freud’s claims successfully is due to the fact his theory was based on Darwin’s speculations and assumptions which may have not been necessarily true. This theory was written at a time where no reliable data was available and so this meant that the idea of the primal horde was not criticised at the time. For example, not all tribes had totem animals. This suggests that Freud’s idea that guilt was handed down from generation to generation is incorrect. Therefore, one could argue that Freud was wrong to suggest that religion is based on guilt. This therefore supports the claim that religion was successful in its response to psychology’s challenges. However, many argue that Freud was immensely intelligent. His work had greatly influenced the western understanding of the mind. Therefore his assumption that religion was based on guilt was understandable to many people. Hence the reason why Freud’s strengths lie in the fact that many could relate to his ideas about religion and psychology in their own lives. This therefore goes against the statement that religion has been successful in its response to psychology. Another way in which religion successfully challenges Freud’s claims is the fact Freud suggest that guilt is passed down from generation to generation. Religion challenges this by...
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...is too difficult for most women to separate from their husbands. However, these situations are increasingly changing nowadays. The equality between men and women in roles are very clear at the moment, consequently women can work to earn money, while men share the household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing as well as caring for children. Although is still seen that woman do primarily take charge of these tasks on top of work. It can be clearly seen that women are independent from money as they can earn money by themselves to support their living cost. Accordingly, the divorce rates recently rise. * Another cause to inform the recent incline in divorce rates is global secularization. Secularisation is the declining influence religion has on society. This has led to marriages becoming less sacred and important. This means that divorces are more widely accepted, explaining the rise in rates. * Finally, divorce has become much more socially acceptable, there is less stigma surrounding it. This makes divorces less of a “big deal”, for example whereas previously divorce might have hindered a career due to public outrage, that is no longer a...
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...Nietzsche’s philosophy of religion: Julian Young Review Essay Nietzsche’s philosophy of religion: Julian Young Review Essay Dimitri Georgoudes 1961373 November 27th 2015 Poli 426 Prof. Hutter Dimitri Georgoudes 1961373 November 27th 2015 Poli 426 Prof. Hutter The tension between Nietzsche’s work and religion has long been examined and interpreted by philosophers studying Nietzsche. Julian Young in his work “Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Religion” is a step by step analysis of this subject. Young examines Nietzsche’s most important work on the subject and offers some insight into Nietzsche’s position on religion and moreover the role religion plays in a community or in his words the “people”. Young’s contention is that Nietzsche, contrary to critics before him, doesn’t negate religion rather he is a reformer of religion as we know it. Furthermore he advances the argument that religion is part of a well-functioning community from Nietzsche’s perspective. From Nietzsche’s first writings we learn that the Christian religion as we know it in Nietzsche’s time in Europe has become irrelevant. Even in his time globalisation is beginning to take shape and the old hierarchy of Christianity can longer be applied to a global world or to all humanity. In Nietzsche’s modern time, life is chaos, constant conflict between peoples and individuals. Young claims that this lends to the half barbarian conflit. Young interprets Nietzsche’s writing to say that humanity...
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...Assess the usefulness of typologies in our understanding of religious organisations (33 marks) Religions are based upon very heterogenic principles and are structured in different ways, making them different of each other and therefore proving that they are not universal as some sociologists argue. Typologies within religious organisations have helped as to define religions and prove that they are based on religious pluralism and that they can be era-dependent, or in other ways can become outdated. Troeltsch was the first sociologist to divide religions into three different typologies; churches, sects and denominations, with very different characteristics and objectives. Troeltsch proved that some aspects of religions can be very different, like the background of members, the relationship to society or the tolerance towards other faiths and based upon this principles he divided each religion into one of his tree basic typologies. Troeltsch defines churches as large organisations with a universal appeal and defines Christianity and Islam as universalistic and as the main churches with a very close relationship with the state. Churches can have as mentioned a very close relationship with the state and the government, such as the Church of England, which has `monopolised´ the demands of the British society by becoming the predominant religion in the country. The Church of England has a very close relationship with the government, but also with the monarchy and therefore `jealously...
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