Focus on content/substance of religious belief e.g. belief in God or the supernatural
Weber- defines religion as a belief in a superior or supernatural power that is above nature and cannot be explained scientifically
Exclusive- they draw a clear line between religious and non-religious beliefs
Leaves no room for beliefs/practices that perform similar functions but do not involve belief in God
Accused of Western bias as they exclude religions such as Buddhism
Functional-
Religion is defined in terms of the social/psychological functions it performs for individuals in society
Durkheim- defines religion in terms of the contribution it makes to social integration
Yinger- religion answers 'ultimate questions' about the meaning of life and what happens when we die
Inclusive- allow a wide range of beliefs and practices
No bias against non-Western religions such as Buddhism
Just because an institution helps integrate individuals into groups, doesnt make it a religion, e.g. collective chanting at football matches
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The three definitions of religion
Constructionist-
Interpretivist approach
Argue that it's not possible to produce a single universal definition of religion
Interested in how definitions of religion are constructed, challenged and fought over
Aldridge- Scientology is a religion for its followers, but several goverments have denied its legal status as a religion and sought to ban it. This shows that definitions of religion can be influenced by who has the power to define the situation
Makes it impossible to generalise as many people have widely differing views about religion and the meanings behind it
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