beliefs

EXCLUSIVE: excludes anything that isnt proper religion. proper religions only!

INCLUSIVE: anything that may have the same functions as a religion, a football club.

BELIEFS: ideas help people understand the world

IDEOLOGIES: set of beliefs

DURKEIM. (toteism) (sacred&profane)

MALINOWSKI

PARSONS

BELLAH (civil religion- not religious thinga=s but perform same functions as religion)

functions of religion:

• social solidarity
• value consensus
• emotional support in times of crisis
• social control
• harmony and order

criticims: ignores bad things.

functions:

• social solidairty
• value consensus, rc ideology
• meaning to meaningless things, why rich are rich and poor are poor
• social control, controls wc
• maintains socila order, capitalism

religion expolits wc and makes their oppression seem fair. ruling class ideology and wc=false consensue (do not see theyre being expoloited)

dulls pain of wc:

• promises heaven
• suffering is good (jesus cuffered)
• god will solve problems
• out of their control, wc for a reason

social conrtol:

conservative force- stops change from happening- durkheim=negative! supports capatilsm and maintains class. peoples class is god given.

NEO MARX:

religion used to help revoutions and improves wc.

• religion=ideological, social control, bad for society, PATRIARCHAL!

functions:

• social solidairty- stops women wanting chnage
• value consensus- patriarchal ideology
• meaning to meaninlgess things- men more pwerful than women
• social control- controls womens behaviour eg; contreception
• social order

ideology:

• male dominated view of world
• all religons are male centred
• women not allowed to be leaders

social control:

• controls womens bodies and behaviour
• not allowed same oppurtunities as men

meta narraitve- one big story.

truth CAN be discovered becvause scientific methods are unbiased. unalike religion which is biased!!

• observation/form a hypothesis/test hypoth=fact!
• POPPER... falsificaiton(science should aim to refute hypoth) sicnece can not discover truth, only true until something new coomes along-swan story
• RATIONALIST: disocver true nature of world
• RELATIVIST: science should not be given any special status, not superior knowledge, just another religion.
• ATHEISM: unsure cos no proof
• AGNOSTICISM: dunno if god exists
• HUMANIST: human values guide behaviuour not religion

individual.

aciton theory.

we create society.

micro.

• provides meaning to social life
• legitimates norms values and beliefs
• encorage social action to create change

how we contribute to construction of meaningfulk world by actoes.

critcism:

religion can only be un derstood by seeing the role it plays in society not the role it plays for the indivudal. macro not micro

• aocietes are constantly changing
• class/gender/eth is no longer relavant
• no absolute truths
• pic n mix:people choose what they wanna believe
• growth of consumerism- choosinfg belkiefs to suit their needs

• FUNCTIONALISM- Maintains social order and DOES NOT cause change
• MARXISM- Maintains social order and DOES NOT cause change
• FEMINISM- Mainatains social order and DOES NOT cause change
• NEO MARX&WEBER- CAN CAUSE change

• inclusive
• ruling calss
• large scale
• based on hieraches
• accept wider societies values
• born into a church
• ritual

• exclusive
• small
• loyalty
• leader
• reject wider society

• smaller than a church
• tolerant of other groups
• not as ritual
• sometimes accept others values but not always, depends what it is