Overview
Religion is a universal social institution. Sociologists don’t ask if God exists; they ask why people believe and what that belief does to society.
Core Idea
The core idea is social cohesion. Religion binds people together (religare = to bind).
Formal Definition
A unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, which unite into one single moral community called a Church (Durkheim).
Intuition
- Sacred vs. Profane: The world is divided into the holy (Bible, Flag) and the everyday (Phone, Shoe).
- Opium of the People (Marx): Religion comforts the poor (“The meek shall inherit the earth”) so they don’t revolt against the rich.
- Protestant Ethic (Weber): Calvinist beliefs (hard work = sign of salvation) created Capitalism.
Examples
- Rituals: Baptism, Prayer, Fasting. Shared actions create shared feelings (Collective Effervescence).
- Secularization: The theory that as science advances, religion will die. (Hasn’t really happened; religion is changing, not disappearing).
- Fundamentalism: A reaction against modernity. Returning to the “fundamentals” of the faith.
Common Misconceptions
- Misconception: Religion is just irrational superstition.
- Correction: It serves rational social functions (community, meaning, charity).
- Misconception: Cults are different from religions.
- Correction: A cult is just a new religion with no power. “A religion is a cult with an army.”
Related Concepts
- Theology: The study of God (internal). Sociology studies the people (external).
- Mythology: The stories of religion.
- Civil Religion: Patriotism as religion (The Constitution as scripture).
Applications
- Politics: The Religious Right.
- Conflict: Religious wars.
Criticism and Limitations
- Conflict Theory: Religion often justifies violence and oppression (Crusades, Caste System).
Further Reading
- The Elementary Forms of Religious Life by Émile Durkheim
- The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber