Comparison Between Durkheim And Freud 's Theory Of Religion

Religion as defined by Merriam-Webster is, “the belief in a god or in a group of gods; an organized

Religion is the set of beliefs, feelings, principles and practices that define the relations between human being and sacred or

Religion is defined as A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual being (Mifflin). It is known that many of our behaviours are determined by the presence of religion in one's life. Religion implants its principles in a person and their attitudes, personality, morals and ethics and alters it to a great extent. This

Religion is a system of several characteristics combined together to form a dynamic, living reality. These characteristics are sacred texts and writings, ethics, rituals and ceremonies and beliefs and believers. These characteristics are established in both immanent and transcendent worldviews.

Émile Durkheim and Mircea Eliade have dissimilar understandings of religion. Emile Durkheim did not have an interest in a belief system or the cognitive approach. He dismissed the study of how particular beliefs lead to certain practices and adopted a functionalist approach. He does not acknowledge the belief in God, rather focuses on what religion does within society. He believed that individuals encompassed a more pure form and focused on the essential structure of religion. His theory of totemism developed, which centers around the idea that the subject of religion is to bring people together, and to ultimately result in social cohesion. He metaphorically relates this to when people in a community rally around the totem. Furthermore, making the totem represent the sacred. Durkheim then understands that the totem will eventually develop into a spirit, and ultimately into a ‘God’ or spiritual form. Moreover, connecting a society on a metaphysical level. This concept does not center around a belief system, rather on social cohesion.

Religion is the belief in an ever-living God, that is, in a Divine Mind and Will ruling the Universe and holding moral relations with mankind. (James Martineau)

In Wikipedia religion is defined“A religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and worldviews that relate humanity to an order of existence.” There are approximately more than four thousand religion in the world. Christianity and Islam are part of the major significant religion.

Conversely, according to (Turner 23-109), Durkheim points out that religion is part and parcel of the society and that each society has religion. Emile Durkheim’s purpose was to assess the connection between particular religions in various cultures, and finding a common cause. Basically, he wanted to comprehend the three major aspects of religion; that is the empirical together with the social and the spirituality components. His definition of religion is that; it is a joining arrangement of beliefs together with practices in relation to sacred things. According to him, it is religion that establishes the contemporary society as

In this essay I will be looking at the theories of Edward Burnett Tylor and Émile Durkheim, and comparing them to see which theory I think gives a better explanation about what religion is, or whether religion is actually definable. On the one hand we have Tylor’s theory that tells us that religion is belief in spiritual beings and that religion is just a step on the way to reaching full evolutionary potential. Durkheim’s theory, however, says that religion is very much a social aspect of life, and something can only be religious or “sacred” if it is something public (Durkheim 1965:52). Ultimately these theories do not give us an outright explanation about what ‘religion’ is, but there are aspects of the theory that can be used to gain an understanding or idea.

Continuously Religion has partaken and will constantly stay essential in our lives, whether we whole heartily have great faith in it or we do not. Yet, what exactly is Religion? Religion is having the certainly in a God or in a group of Gods. As well as, a structured system that takes into account strict beliefs, rituals, and guidelines that must be followed. In addition, carried out to worship a God or a group of Gods who are idolized. Today across the world there is nearly 4,200 Religions which are present. They include Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, and many more. Religions followers who remain dedicated to the Christian and Catholic faith are identified for following one God. In an Article called Incommensurability, Incomparability,

“a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as saviour” -Webster’s Dictionary A religion is a belief in the supernatural that defines how one lives. Christianity revolves around a God, as the creator of the universe, and who gives purpose in all living things. Christian God puts a price on sin (evil, wrongdoings), which are stated in the Christians sacred text – the Bible.

Emile Durkheim and Max Weber are two prominent philosophers whose theories unequivocally differed on countless themes. The outlooks of Durkheim and Weber contrast however, their general message in which they attempt to convey are of similar ideologies. When examining Durkheim and the concept of sacred and profane, one would see how it parallels with Weber’s notion of enchantment and disenchantment. Their stances on religion correspond with each other and despite their distinct conceptual frameworks and differing perspectives, Durkheim and Weber both offer profound contributions to the concepts of religion and modernity.

What is a religion? A religion is defined by Richard Schaefer as a unified system of beliefs and practices that relate to what is believed to be sacred (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 323). There are many world religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hindu, and so forth, and while all of these different religions are

A majority of the population of the world follows a special sort of moral code and set of beliefs that could be considered a religion. However, religion is an especially perplexing concept considering the vast array of customs and practices that could fit under the label. Personally, I define religion as a social network of individuals who happen to share similar beliefs and practices. While also following a written scripture that is based around the word of an enlightened individual. In a similar respect, it can also be deliberated as a system of beliefs and taboos that stem from a physical book that was transcribed by human beings themselves. Per contra, it can also be described discerningly as a way of living life every day. There

Similarly to Weber, Durkheim believed that religion plays an integral part in society. He defined religion as a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things… beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church...” (Durkheim EF: 47). This functional definition describes what Durkheim believes what role religion plays in contemporary society: it unities it. He analyzed religion within the context of the entire society and recognized its influence on people’s thoughts and behaviors. Durkheim was interested in the communal bonds forged by participating in religious activities and stressed the importance of the communal aspect of religion.