Gaurav KumarAIR 34 · CSE 2017 · 287 wordsTheir whole copy
Opening · a definition
Emile Durkheim says that religion is a body of beliefs and set of practices related to sacred things ie. things forbidden and kept apart.
His functional analysis advocates that
Body · points
(1) Religion is a knowledge giving experience and it is not concerned about salvation etc. (2) He talks about sacred and profane which is universal. (3) Religion gives social identity and distinguish outsiders from insiders.
(4) Religion regulates individualism and egoism (5) It binds people together through collective conscience and makes them part of collectivity. (6) It helps during life crisis situation by giving strength. He studies totemism of Arunta tribe and said that totem act as tangible expression of society worship promoting solidarity among them.
CRITICS (1) BRONISLAW MALINOWSKI studied tribes of new south Wales and Trobrianders islands where totemism and manaism is present respectively. He argues that in new south wales sex totemism is present uniting men opposite to women. Thus totemism is not only about society or clan worship. Durkheim is preconceived with notion that religion is society worship and dragging facts to fit into his theory rather than looking into multiple forms and functions of totemism in primitive societies. (2) RUNCIMAN says that religion is not always a collective experience as envisaged by Durkheim rather it is individual's quest for meaning. (3) PETER BERGER says that society has lost its capability to hold people together. Thus religion is not society worship rather a form of everyday experience for man. (4) RODNEY STARK advocates that religion is not only binding people together, it is dividing them as well (5) BELLAH says that American society stands unified due to rise of common sacred symbols and not religion.
Close · a summary
Thus religion can have functional, non-functional and dysfunctional roles.