Sociological Theories of Religion

Emile Durkheim spent much time studying religion in the small societies. Durkheim is the founder of functionalism. Durkheim interest was on totetism or the primitive kinship form of religion. Durkheim viewed religion in the context of the entire society and the influence it had on the thinking and the behavior f the society members (Dahms, 2014). In his study, Durkheim found out that members of the society had unique and separate objects, symbols and rituals that they regarded sacred different from their normal objects. Religion was not only based on belief but also comprised of regular rituals and ceremonies. Max Weber interest was in global religions. Weber undertook deeper studies on Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism with a fundamental purpose of identifying the impact religion on social change (Allan, 2010). Weber found out that Protestantism was the root of capitalism while the Indians stressed out a high level of a spiritualist. Karl Marx view on religion came from Ludwig Feuerbach that humans cannot understand society and that is why they have projected their own values in religion so that they may be able to achieve the values in the world they live in rather than the afterlife. Mark viewed religion as an opium for the people and held that religion served as a sanctuary that could protect people from harshness they experience in everyday life (Dahms, 2014).

Durkheim is a functionalist that argued that society shapes its members and that there are social factors that are outside its members (Morrison, 2006). Durkheim disputed that social bonds held members of the society together through public ceremonies, rituals, and division of labor and that the natural state of the community is harmonious that individuals corporate to create the society. Durkheim said that social problems are a glitch, and conflicts are abnormal in the society (Allan, 2010). Weber is a symbolic interactionist who argued that culture, politics, and economics shape social relations. Weber believes that economy is created by ideology and the class of the society is founded on prestige and economist.  Karl Marx is a conflict theorist who is mainly focused on social critique as he believed that life is a competition for the resources available and that conflicts shape who people are as they are forced to survive. In order to come up with these views, he relied on economics and that there are only two classes the ruling class which has false consciousness and the working class that believes in interests (Morrison, 2006).

Mead’s views on social behaviorism theory was based on a principle that people are able to develop their self-images through interaction similar to Charles Horton who also believed that self-images are developed through interaction through the theory of Looking Glass Self. Mead argued that personal traits were as a result of social experience (Burke & Stets, 2009). For Cooley, he believed that the particular interest an individual has shaped the individual. According to Cooley other significant features that helped in shaping the image includes parents, siblings, best friends and even siblings. On the other hand, Mead argued that self-image and awareness were solely based on social experience (Burke & Stets, 2009). The social experience comprises of the exchange of symbols such as language. Mead believed that the experience of seeing ourselves as others play an important role which is imitating others and trying to see things from their point of view and understanding the role of others leads to self-awareness. Similarly, Cooley’s believed that self-image was also enhanced by how we think other see us. Cooley differed with Mead in that the image of an individual is based on the perception that others have upon an individual. However, they both agreed that the self-image of an individual was based on the significance that others think we have (Burke & Stets, 2009).

 

 

Reference

Allan, K. (2010). Explorations in classical sociological theory: Seeing the social world. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Pine Forge Press.

Burke, P. J., & Stets, J. E. (2009). Identity theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

In Dahms, H. F. (2014). Mediations of social life in the 21st century. Bingle, UK : Emerald Group Publishing

Morrison, K. (2006). Marx, Durkheim, Weber: Formations of modern social thought. London [u.a.: SAGE Publications.