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Chapter 15, Religion. What Is Religion? Weber’s and Durkheim’s Views Civil Religion The Functionalist Perspective. Chapter 15, Religion. The Conflict Perspective Max Weber: The Interplay Between Economics And Religion Two Opposing Trends: Secularization And Fundamentalism. Birth Death
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Chapter 15, Religion • What Is Religion? Weber’s and Durkheim’s Views • Civil Religion • The Functionalist Perspective
Chapter 15, Religion • The Conflict Perspective • Max Weber: The Interplay Between Economics And Religion • Two Opposing Trends: Secularization And Fundamentalism
Birth Death Illness Aging Injustice Tragedy Suffering What Is Religion? Weber’s View Religion gives meaning to problems of existence:
What Is Religion? Durkheim’s View Three essential features common to all religions • Beliefs about the sacred and the profane. • Rituals • A community of worshippers.
Buddhism Christianity Confucianism Hinduism Islam Judaism Taoism Shinto Major World Religions
Functionalist Perspective of Religion Religion serves functions for individuals: • People embrace religion to comprehend meaning of life and death and cope with misfortune and injustice. • Rely on religious beliefs and rituals to help them achieve a successful outcome.
Functionalist Perspective of Religion Religion promotes group solidarity and unity: • Shared doctrine of rituals create emotional bonds among believers. • Helps individuals achieve a life better than they would lead if left to their own impulses. • Religious rituals establish, reinforce and renew relationships, binding individuals to a group.
Conflict Perspective of Religion • Religion turns people away from social and economic inequality. • Justifies the status quo, rationalizes inequities • Religious teachings inhibit protest and revolutionary change.
Trends: Secularization • Religious influences on thought and behavior are reduced. • Associated with an increase in scientific understanding and technological solutions to every day problems of life. • More than 90% of Americans have a religious preference and 70% are members of some place of worship.
Trends: Fundamentalism • Emphasize authority, infallibility, and timeless truth of sacred writings. • Conceive of history as a struggle between good and evil. • Do not distinguish between the sacred and the profane in their everyday lives.
Trends: Fundamentalism • Fundamentalist religious groups emerge in reaction to a perceived threat. • View trend toward gender equality as symptomatic of a declining moral order.