The Between Religion And Society

When studying American culture, Tocqueville (1840) noted that religion acted as the first social network that promoted equality among its members. People have individual freedom, but an individual does not have a sense of equality because the individual has no one else as an equal. Dooley (2014) illustrates how religion and European philosophy had a substantial impact on the formation of institutions and equality in the New World in the 1600’s. For Tocqueville (1840), religion provides that sense of equality among individuals, which binds them into a community or social network. Social networks promote political discussion and the merging of resources to act in ways in which individuals have less impact (McClurg 2003). According to social capital theory, individuals in a group are more likely to conform to societal customs when exposed to a particular group and cooperate for a mutual utility (Putnam 1995). Some scholars suggest that individuals with friends that participate in social networks have a higher propensity to participate in such groups (Kenny 1992). Putnam (1995) established that societies with improved social capital leads to the development of social trust. He further explains how social trust promotes collective communication and action to be resolved when individuals trust, or believe, in the other individuals within the social network (Putnam 1995). These arguments are important in the context of religiosity and political engagement because religious institutions function as social

“Religion is a ritualized system of beliefs and practices related to things defined as sacred by an organized community of believers.” (Basirico et.al. 379). Religion is an important element in the society because it influences the way individuals act and think. It has shaped the relationship and bonding among families as well as influenced the decision made in economics and politics. Religion in general has contributed to shape a society and a government structure which will influence the way the individuals under certain governmental structure behave. Sociologists are interested in religion mainly because religious belief is heavily rooted in individuals’ lives and it helps sociologists to interpret human’s actions, expression, and

Social structures tend to influence the decisions an individual acts upon in a society. Social structures are exterior beliefs or perceptions that affect or interfere with our ego and conscience. Social structures work closely together with social units because social units are about the person, while social structures are about the person intergrading the exterior influences with his conscience to make a decision in a society. “Social structures the stable patterns of interactions, statuses, roles, and organizations that provide stability for the society and bring order to individuals’ lives. For example, I am a member of the Roman Catholic Church and I belong to the Republican political party. Using the examples I used for social units, my religion and political party will affect me when trying to make a decision. Society may see it as normal to abort, participate in pre-martial sex or use contraceptives during sex but my religion sees it as morally wrong to do any of these examples. The demands and beliefs of my religion will interfere with my conscience when trying to do a decision that society expects me or allows me to do. “Christians are

When it comes to religion, it is often tied to the supernatural or the divine. However, Durkheim argues that the idea of the supernatural is not an important factor of religious practices (Uricoechea 1992:159). The sacred does not always have supernatural qualities. It is more about the value that it holds to individuals that makes it sacred. Therefore society can be considered as such because people value it as means of shaping one’s

By utilizing the different the three main sociological perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactions. In looking at how religion functions in social structures, social systems, and small group interpersonal interactions a sociologist could formulate a better understanding of religion 's role in society and the human experience. The sociologist looks at the individual, and how that individual connects to a specific societal location or setting and specifically at religion a sociological study could determine the power religion holds over people and societies. Understanding the cultural universals of religion and the differences in how individuals and societies experience religion could aid in our understanding society, social forces and human behaviors.

Religion plays a major role in American society today. The stance that people take on their religion can affect the social and political choices that they make. Having a loving God view and relationship with him also takes place in these decisions being made. Researchers Unnever, Bartkowski and Cullen explore in their article, “God Imagery and Opposition to Abortion and Capital Punishment: A Partial Test of Religious Support for the Consistent Life Ethic”, as to whether having a close relationship with God will allow people to oppose both capital punishment and abortion, the consistent life ethic.

The use of religion as an agent of socialization plays a unique role for those who choose to participate in an organized religion, as well as those who do not. The reason

Religion can be defined as a pursuit or interest to which someone ascribes supreme importance. It contains a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices that allow its followers to live their life a certain way. The world consists of 19 major religions, which are further subdivided into 270 larger groups. According to David Barrett et al, editor of the “World Christian Encyclopedia,” there are 34,000 separate Christian groups around the world. Just from those numbers alone, we can conclude that religion has a prevalent effect on people and society. Religion is viewed as a positive influence on an individual both psychologically and physically. Throughout history we can study the various effects that religion has on society. Studies generally provide great evidence in favor of religion having a positive effect on individuals and society as a whole.

Both Peter Berger, in his book “The Sacred Canopy” and Durkheim in his book “The Elementary Forms of Life” understand religion as a phenomenon that provides a frame of reference within which humans order the universe. Though some may say that the sociology of religion deems too many societal phenomena as religious, the issue is not a problem of method, but of definition. If religion is defined as man’s way of orienting himself within the world, then it follows that everything he does, makes, and interacts with could be considered a religious act. Therefore, an analysis of Durkheim’s and Berger’s definition of religion suggests every aspect of society will possess a religious dimension to it.

Organized societies frequently associate religions with them. The United States is mostly Christian. North African countries are overwhelming Muslim (“Global”). Across the world, the number of religions possibly reaches the thousands due to various sects and circumstances. When analyzing religion, each example has different origins, but a general understanding of religion is necessary, and an interesting relationship between religion and society will appear. While one cannot define every known religion in a concise, comprehensive manner, Merriam-Webster defines religion as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices.” This definition applies to every religion because an individual

Religion is a system of beliefs that many of us may not understand in detail. However, the intention of this paper is to describe the role of religion in my personal life, and to briefly explain the functionalist perspective, the symbolic interactionism perspective, types of religious groups, and religion in the United States with the sole purpose to understand religion concepts in a sociological perspective and my personal point of view.

Emile Durkheim, known and applauded for his contributions to the study of society, wrote two novels that explore the changes that society sustains overtime, its causes, and what this means to the collective and the individual. In his novels, Durkheim offers readers the chance to understand how a group of people who share a culture and relationships operate to create social cohesion. In The Division of Labor in Society, Durkheim (1893) defines two different types of social solidarity and explains how they contribute (or not) through the division of labor, to social cohesion. In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Durkheim (1912) is more specific with his research, as he focuses on religion to aid in his understanding of and to explain social organization. Although both pieces of work address the fundamental roles within society, findings from The Elementary Forms of Religious Life are limited to that of a society that does not exist anymore (or is on its way to becoming extinct). As society evolves and modernizes, the role of religion is less pronounced and consequently, the role of religion as a function of social cohesion no longer exists. Instead, as individuality increases, social cohesion is dependent upon the division of labor and restitutive laws and their function within society.

This theory stats that society is structured in a way that maintains its stability (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 14) How can one use this theory to look at religion? A famous functionalist Emile Durkheim divided the world in to the sacred which holds important significance such as a cross, and the profane which is just an ordinary object that holds no significance (Stevens, William J, 2008). According to William J Stevens, while Durkheim had removed God from religion, he still felt it was a positive force that could unite a society under similar beliefs and values (Stevens, William J, 2008). Bronislaw Malinowski found that religion can perform a function of creating societal solidarity due to religion being a psychological response to the needs of society during times of anxiety (Stevens, William J, 2008). Malinowski also stated that religion can provide security when one is faced with situations that may be out of their control (Stevens, William J, 2008). Talcott Parsons added to this by stating that religion makes the values of a society legitimate (Stevens, William J, 2008). This could in turn also cause conflict amongst society which would serve as a dysfunction such as the religions in the United States creating a battle against the liberal secular movement (Schaefer, Richard T, 2009, pg 337).

Sociologist, Emile Durkheim, took a functionalist approach to the study of religion. Durkheim understood religion as fulfilling both a social and psychological function (Callaghan 196). He viewed religion as important for collective and social existence (Callaghan 196). This was exemplified in Durkheim’s text, “The Social as Sacred”,

Throughout the course of our study, we have encountered many different working definitions of religion. The working definitions provided by Émile Durkheim, William James, and Paul Tillich, all neglect to holistically capture the observable, individual, and social effect religion delivers to an individual and his community. It was not until the end of the twentieth century, when Clifford Geertz and Gerald James Larson provided a working definition that associated religion with the concept of culture. Additionally, Geertz and Larson further developed the definition of religion to include cultural symbols. Moreover, defining religion with the ability to influence reasoning within a community of individuals. In the context of this class and