Functionalist View of Religion
The Functionalist View of Religion First Last name
Bluegrass Community Technical College
There are several key elements that are found in every society. These elements are called cultural universals. One of these cultural universals is religion. From the earliest known societies to our every day modern lives religion has performed many vital functions. To explore these necessary duties of religion we must first understand the definition of religion. Many describe religion as a feeling or presence of a supernatural being. Others say religion is more of a self awareness or inner peace. Webster’s Dictionary defines religion as 1a: The state of the religious b (1): The service or worship of God or the supernatural (2): Commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2: A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3: Scrupulous conformity: Conscientiousness 4: A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith (Merriam – Webster, 2010). Perhaps the most interesting and possibly the most accurate definition of religion came from Max Webster’s book “The Sociology of Religion” in 1922. He said that the only way to define religion was to understand the functions that religion serves in society. His definition of religion was that which “encompasses these human responses that give meaning to the ultimate and inescapable problems of existence – birth, death, illness, aging, injustice, tragedy, and suffering” (Abercrombie and Turner, 1978). Basically he was saying that no one definition could accurately define religion as a whole. Emile Durkheim stated that all religions contained three necessary features. First, they all contained beliefs about the sacred and profane. Second, they all had rituals. Finally, they all had a group or community of worshipers. Durkheim went on to describe religion as a system of shared rituals and beliefs about the scared that bind together a
Bluegrass Community Technical College
There are several key elements that are found in every society. These elements are called cultural universals. One of these cultural universals is religion. From the earliest known societies to our every day modern lives religion has performed many vital functions. To explore these necessary duties of religion we must first understand the definition of religion. Many describe religion as a feeling or presence of a supernatural being. Others say religion is more of a self awareness or inner peace. Webster’s Dictionary defines religion as 1a: The state of the religious b (1): The service or worship of God or the supernatural (2): Commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2: A personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3: Scrupulous conformity: Conscientiousness 4: A cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith (Merriam – Webster, 2010). Perhaps the most interesting and possibly the most accurate definition of religion came from Max Webster’s book “The Sociology of Religion” in 1922. He said that the only way to define religion was to understand the functions that religion serves in society. His definition of religion was that which “encompasses these human responses that give meaning to the ultimate and inescapable problems of existence – birth, death, illness, aging, injustice, tragedy, and suffering” (Abercrombie and Turner, 1978). Basically he was saying that no one definition could accurately define religion as a whole. Emile Durkheim stated that all religions contained three necessary features. First, they all contained beliefs about the sacred and profane. Second, they all had rituals. Finally, they all had a group or community of worshipers. Durkheim went on to describe religion as a system of shared rituals and beliefs about the scared that bind together a
References: Webster’s definition of Religion. (2010) Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/religion Abercrombie, Nicholas, and Bryan S. Turner. (1978) The Dominant Ideology Thesis. British Journal of Sociology 29(2): 149- 170. Ferrante, Joan. (2008) Sociology: A Global Perspective. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning Dance, Richard. What is the function of religion? Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.helium.com/items/275434-Speculations-Criticisms?page=2 Egyptian death rituals. (2010) Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.king-tut.org.uk/egyptian-mummies/death-rituals.htm Wilson, B. (1982) Religion in sociological perspective. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.ariadne.org.uk/Wilson.htm Timeline of 7th century Muslim history. (2010) Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_7th_century_Muslim_history Catholic views of other faith groups: Their authority & ability to extend salvation. (2010) Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.religioustolerance.org/rcc_othe.htm