Compare And Contrast The Beliefs Of Geertz And Durkheim

Religion, according to both Geertz and Durkheim, is an important entity within a group. Emile Durkheim argued that religion is a social phenomenon - or product – that is sacred in society and acts as a force outside of the individual imposing rules and social norms which the individual finds acceptable by introducing the ideal of a transcendent existence. Durkheim uses totemic beings to represent the manifestation of these sacred beings. For Durkheim, Gods are not the main focus and reason behind religion; he focuses on the fundamental distinction between the sacred and the profane. Geertz’s argument is that religion is a cultural system – that it attempts to make sense of the world through symbols and meanings of those symbols. He says that religion attempts to create a stable, safe environment for people by creating a world in which proper educate
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the similarities and differences in Emile Durkheim’s and Clifford Geertz’s views and purposes of religion. Durkheim is considered the founder of functionalism - a functionalist is a person who interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the entire society. The different parts are all organized to fill different needs and they all depend upon one another. According to Durkheim, the purpose of religion is to encourage social cohesion; through religion society produces collective representation which is a vehicle for social energy. The energy obliges people to fulfill their social roles. “For Durkheim, the key feature of religion was not a belief in gods, spirits or the supernatural, but a fundamental distinction between the sacred and the profane found in all religions” (Joanna) Durkheim describes sacred as “things set apart, and forbidden, that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder, and are surrounded by taboos and