Describe the functionalist perspective on religion and discuss its major functions in societies

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Sociologist Emile Durkheim was one of the first to emphasize that religion is essential

to the maintenance of society. He suggested that religion is a cultural universal found

in all societies because it meets basic human needs and serves important societal

functions. According to Durkheim, all religions share three elements: (1) beliefs held

by adherents, (2) practices (rituals) engaged in collectively by believers, and (3) a

moral community based on the group's shared beliefs and practices pertaining to the

sacred. For Durkheim, the central feature of all religions is the presence of sacred

beliefs and rituals that bind people together in a collectivity. Religious beliefs and

rituals are collective representations—group held meanings that express something

important about the group itself.

From a functionalist perspective, religion has three important functions in

any society:

(1) Meaning and purpose—religion offers meaning for the human

experience. Some events create a profound sense of loss on both an

individual basis (such as the death of a loved one) and a group basis

(such as famine). Inequality may cause people to wonder why their own

situation is no better than it is. Most religions offer explanations for these

concerns.

(2) Social cohesion and a sense of belonging—by emphasizing shared

symbolism, religious teachings and practices help promote social cohesion.

An example is the Christian ritual of communion, which not only

commemorates a historical event but also allows followers to participate in

the unity of themselves with other believers. Religion has played an important

part in helping members of subordinate groups develop a sense of social

cohesion and belonging even when they are the objects of prejudice and

discrimination by dominant group members. Religion has also been important

to those who voluntarily migrated to the United States.

(3) Social control and support for the government—all societies attempt to

maintain social control through systems of rewards and punishments. Sacred

symbols and beliefs establish powerful, pervasive, long-lasting motivations

based on the concept of a general order of existence. Religion also helps

maintain social control in society by conferring supernatural legitimacy on the

norms and laws of a society. In the United States, the separation of church

and state reduces religious legitimation of political power. Political leaders

often use religion to justify their decisions. This informal relationship between

religion and the state has been referred to as civil religion—the set of beliefs,

rituals, and symbols that makes sacred the values of the society and places

the nation in the context of the ultimate system of meaning.

The U.S. flag is the primary sacred object of our civil religion, and the Pledge of

Allegiance includes the phrase "one nation under God."