Sociology: Durkheim's Views on Religious Worship

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Questions and Answers

What does Durkheim believe is the true object of worship in religious rituals, according to his theory?

Society

What is the significance of totem poles in the context of Durkheim's theory?

They symbolize the clan's origins and create a feeling of solidarity

What criticism does Worsley (1956) raise against Durkheim's theory of religion?

Many tribes share totems, and even if Durkheim is right about totems, it doesn't prove that he has found the essence of religion

How does Mestrovic (2011) argue that postmodern society affects Durkheim's theory of religion?

Increasing diversity has fragmented the collective conscience, making Durkheim's theory less applicable Signup and view all the answers

What is the psychological function of religion, according to Malinowski (1954)?

It promotes social solidarity by helping individuals cope with emotional stress Signup and view all the answers

In what two situations does Malinowski argue that religion promotes social solidarity?

In situations with uncontrollable outcomes (e.g., lagoon fishing) and at times of life crises (e.g., birth, puberty, marriage, funeral rituals) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary way that the ruling class maintains control over the working class, according to Gramsci?

hegemony Signup and view all the answers

What is Parsons' view on the role of religion in society?

It helps people cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes Signup and view all the answers

According to Gramsci, what role can clergy play in helping workers see through the ruling class ideology?

organic intellectuals Signup and view all the answers

What role does Parsons assign to religion in shaping society's values and meaning?

It creates and legitimates society's central values and provides meaning to lives Signup and view all the answers

What example does Parsons offer to illustrate how religion legitimates society's central values?

Protestantism in the US sacralized the core American value of individualism Signup and view all the answers

What three ways did Billings identify in which religion was either supported or challenged by the employers' hegemony?

leadership, organisation, and support Signup and view all the answers

What is the process identified by Wilson, whereby religious beliefs, practices, and institutions lose social significance?

secularisation Signup and view all the answers

What is the predicted church attendance percentage by 2015, according to Wilson?

5% Signup and view all the answers

What has been the trend in church attendance and participation in Britain over the past few years?

decline Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the creation of a counter-hegemony by the lower classes to challenge the ruling class?

counter-hegemony Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of clergy, according to Gramsci, in helping workers create their own counter-hegemony?

organic intellectuals Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the loss of social significance of religious beliefs, practices, and institutions?

secularisation Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between welfare spending and religious participation according to Gill and Lundegaarde (2004)?

The more a country spends on welfare, the lower the level of religious participation. Signup and view all the answers

Why do Gill and Lundegaarde (2004) believe that religion will not disappear completely?

Because welfare provision does not answer all the ultimate questions that religion does. Signup and view all the answers

What is a limitation of Gill and Lundegaarde's (2004) study?

They only use quantitative data about income levels, not people's own definitions of 'existential security'. Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of religious fundamentalism?

A return to the basics of faith and a 'golden age' of society. Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of an authoritative sacred text in religious fundamentalism?

It provides objective truth and portrays the rules in which followers should follow. Signup and view all the answers

How do fundamentalists tend to view themselves in relation to the rest of society?

They separate themselves from the rest of the world, adopting an 'us and them' mentality. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of interpretation in understanding religious texts, according to Aldridge (2013)?

Interpretation is necessary to gauge the meaning of a text, as no text should be taken seriously in and of itself. Signup and view all the answers

What is the goal of fundamentalists, according to Davie (2013)?

To establish islands of certainty against what they see as social and cultural chaos. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of religious fundamentalism, according to the text?

It arises when traditional beliefs are threatened by modern society. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main distinction Castells (2011) makes between two responses to post-modernity?

Resistance identity (those who feel threatened and retreat to fundamentalism) and project identity (those who engage in social movements, feminism, and environmentalism) Signup and view all the answers

What is Bruce's (2008) main argument regarding the cause of fundamentalism?

Fundamentalism is a response to the perception that the globalising world threatens traditional religious beliefs. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between fundamentalism in the West and in the Third World, according to the text?

In the West, fundamentalism is seen as a response to internal changes, while in the Third World, it is seen as a reaction to external influences. Signup and view all the answers

What type of fundamentalism does Davie (2013) argue has emerged in recent decades?

Secular forms of fundamentalism Signup and view all the answers

What triggered the emergence of religious fundamentalism, according to the text?

The Enlightenment and the introduction of the power of science and human reason Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of monotheistic religions that makes them susceptible to fundamentalism, according to Bruce (2008)?

The notion of one God and one sacred text. Signup and view all the answers

What is the criticism of Giddens' approach to understanding fundamentalism?

Giddens ignores the differences between fundamentalisms and focuses too sharply on the distinction between cosmopolitanism and fundamentalism. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key difference between fundamentalist movements, according to the text?

Their origins, which can result in different types of fundamentalism. Signup and view all the answers

What is the broader context in which fundamentalism emerges, according to the text?

Globalisation and modernity. Signup and view all the answers

What are the two new religious types emerging according to Hervieu-Leger?

pilgrims and converts Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary motivation of 'converts' according to Hervieu-Leger?

to belong to a community Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe the phenomenon of believing without belonging, according to Lyon?

postmodernist society Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of religious ideas becoming 'disembedded' from churches, according to Lyon?

religion becoming deinstitutionalised Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference between 'religion online' and 'online religion', according to Hellend?

religion online is one-way communication, while online religion is a community for dialogue and mutual support Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used to describe individuals who pick and mix elements of different faiths to suit their tastes, according to Hervieu-Leger?

spiritual shoppers Signup and view all the answers

What is the impact of globalisation on religion, according to Lyon?

religious ideas have become 'disembedded' from churches and spread across the media Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of media in the postmodernist society, according to Lyon?

it has relocated religion onto the media, allowing believers to express their faith without needing to attend church Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of postmodern society that has led to the emergence of new religious types, according to Hervieu-Leger?

increased individualisation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Durkheim's View of Religion

Sacred things evoke powerful feelings due to how they represent something greater, which is society.
Religious worship is, in essence, worship to society.
To study something in great detail, we must study its origin, and for society, that would be a clan society (e.g., Arunta).
Totem poles symbolize the clan's origins and create a feeling of solidarity, which means they are really worshipping society.

Functions of Religion

Sacred symbols represent society's collective conscience, which maintains social integration and brings people together.
To the individual, society makes us feel part of something greater than us.
Malinowski (1954) argues that religion promotes social solidarity due to its psychological functions (helping them cope with emotional stress).
Two situations in which religion promotes social solidarity: where the outcome is important but uncontrollable and uncertain (e.g., lagoon fishing vs. ocean fishing), and at times of life crises (e.g., birth, puberty, marriage, funeral rituals).

Parsons' View of Religion

Parsons sees religion as a way to help people cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes.
Religion also creates and legitimates society's central values (e.g., Protestantism in the US sacralized the core American value of individualism) and is the primary source of meaning (answer to ultimate questions and gives meaning to lives).

Gramsci and Hegemony

Gramsci was interested in how the ruling class used hegemony to maintain their control over the working class.
Hegemony is never guaranteed in society due to the lower classes' ability to create their own counter-hegemony to challenge the ruling classes.
Gramsci argues that popular forms of religion can help workers see through the ruling class ideology, and clergy can act as 'organic intellectuals' who teach the workers of their situation.
Billings (1990) applies Gramsci's idea of hegemony to two groups of workers (coal miners and textile workers), identifying three ways in which religion was either supported or challenged by the employers' hegemony.

Secularisation in Britain

In modern Britain, there are major changes concerning religion compared to 5 years ago: decline in church-going/belonging, fewer baptisms and church weddings, an increase in the age of average churchgoers, a decline in traditional Christian beliefs, and greater diversity.
Wilson argues that western societies have undergone a long-term process of secularisation (a process whereby religious beliefs, practices, and institutions lose social significance).
Wilson identifies that by 2015, only 5% of the adult population will attend church weekly, and Sunday school attendance has also declined further.
Hervieu-Leger argues that two new religious types are emerging: pilgrims (those who follow their individual paths in search for self-discovery) and converts (those who join religious groups in order to belong to a community).

Postmodern Religion

Lyon (2000) agrees that believing without belonging is becoming increasingly popular, stating that the postmodernist society we now live in is changing the nature of religion (e.g., globalisation, the importance of media, and the growth of consumerism).
Religious ideas have become 'disembedded' from churches and spread across the media due to globalisation (e.g., televangelism).
This has resulted in religion becoming deinstitutionalised, allowing people to adapt it for their own purposes.
Hellend (2000) distinguishes two types of internet activity involving religious organisations: religion online and online religion.
In postmodern society, people can pick and mix elements of different faiths to suit their tastes and make them part of their identity (e.g., 'spiritual shoppers').
Europe has the highest rate of secularisation due to its equal society, whereas America is incredibly unequal, creating a greater need for religion.

Evaluation of Secularisation

Gill and Lundegaarde (2004) found that the more a country spends on welfare, the lower the level of religious participation.
They do not believe that religion will disappear completely due to the security needed from welfare provision, which doesn't answer all the ultimate questions that religion does.

Religious Fundamentalism

Religious fundamentalism arises when traditional beliefs are threatened by modern society.
Characteristics of fundamentalism include:
- An authoritative sacred text that gives objective truth and portrays the rules in which followers should follow.
- An 'us and them' mentality, where fundamentalist separate themselves from the rest of the world.
Castells (2011) distinguishes between two responses to postmodernity: resistance identity (those who feel threatened and retreat to fundamentalism) and project identity (those who engage in social movements, feminism, and environmentalism).

Monotheism and Fundamentalism

Bruce (2008) sees the main cause of fundamentalism as the perception of religious traditionalists that today's globalising world threatens their beliefs.
He believes that fundamentalism is confined to monotheistic religions due to their notion of one God and one sacred text in which their ideas and beliefs are based.
Differences in fundamentalism due to different origins: in the West, fundamentalism is seen as change taken place within a society, whereas in the Third World, it is a reaction to changes being thrust upon it from outside.

Secular Fundamentalism

Davie (2013) argues that recent decades have seen the emergence of secular forms of fundamentalism, due to changes in modern society.
These changes are distinguished in phases:
- The first phase gave rise to religious fundamentalism, which arose during the Enlightenment, where philosophy held an optimistic secular view introduced the power of science and human reason to improve the world.

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Description

Explore Emile Durkheim's sociological theories on religious worship, totem poles, and the origins of clans, understanding how society is worshipped through symbolic representations.