What is the role of religion in society? Is it a driving force for good, or does it have oppressive roots?
- We will start with the sociology of religion.
- Then we will look at the role of religion in society.
- We will move on to discuss the relationship between religion and different social groups (class, age, ethnicity, and gender).
- Finally, we will mention the link between religion and oppression in modern society, analysing the views of Marxists and Feminists.
This is a summary article; you can find more detailed explanations on each of the subtopics below in separate StudySmarter articles!
Influence of religion on culture and society
Religion has been part of human societies since ancient times. Religious beliefs and practices show how people react to their environments.
Fig. 1 - We know from archaeological evidence that religion has been an important part of society in ancient times, in Ancient Egypt for example.
As a core part of human societies, religion has been an important topic in sociology for a long time. Sociologists have researched religions both as belief systems, and as social organisations and institutions. They have tried to find objective answers to questions regarding religion and human society.
- What is the role of religion in society?
- How do religions organise themselves?
- What are the different patterns regarding religion and different social classes, ethnicities, genders, and ages?
- How does religion influence politics or education?
- Does religion promote social change or social stability?
While all theorists attempt to provide objective answers, explanations differ between different perspectives.
Role of science and religion in society
The role of religion in society has varied across time, place, and culture. Different sociological perspectives have argued for different roles that religion fulfils in society.
- Functionalists like Émile Durkheim, Bronisław Malinowski and Talcott Parsons argue that religion plays a role in establishing a value system for society, thus establishing social order. They also believe religion gives meaning and purpose to human life and helps people deal with emotional distress.
- Marxists and Feminists are critical of religion, as they view it as benefitting the ruling classes (the bourgeoisie and men, respectively), by deceiving the working-class and women into thinking that the social order they exist in is God's will.
- Neo-Marxists recognise religion's role in promoting social change.
- Postmodernists argue that people use religion to support them in dying rather than in living, as the functionalists believe.
Relationship between religion and society
Religion has a different influence on different social classes, on people from different generations, and on different genders and ethnicities.
Religion and class
Sociologists argue that there are four main reasons for the higher level of religious involvement among minority ethnic groups.
Cultural defence theory
Steve Bruce claimed that religion can be a source of emotional support for those who live in an uncertain, often hostile, new cultural environment (2002). Religious communities provide space for the preservation of the minority culture and language in an oppressive, sometimes racist atmosphere (1999).
Cultural transition theory
Most ethnic minority migrants in Britain came from rather traditional, religious societies; and religion has helped these migrants cope with the practical and emotional difficulties of adjusting to a new culture. Religious institutions provide a sense of community and a common cause for all their followers.
According to cultural transition theory, once a community has settled into a new environment, their religiosity gradually decreases.
Traditional social role theory
One explanation for women's more active engagement with religion is rooted in traditional social role theory. In traditional society, women assumed a more passive, caring, and nurturing role, through childcare, home-making, and taking care of the elderly and sick. These all fit well with the teachings of conventional religions, e.g. Christianity.
Women often didn't work outside the home, so they had more time to participate in religious practices.
According to sociologists, as long as women accepted the traditional gender role of being mothers and home-makers, they found comfort, guidance, and a supportive community through traditional religions like Christianity, Islam, or Judaism.
Fig. 2 - Traditionally, women had a more passive, nurturing role in society, taking care of the home and the children, which fit well with conventional religions such as Christianity.
A New Age of Spirituality
Linda Woodhead (2007) and Steve Bruce (2012) note that since the 1960s, more and more women have been leaving traditional religions and joining New Religious Movements and New Age Movements. They argue that these new organisations provide more freeing practices and means of spirituality than the conservative, often patriarchal doctrines of traditional religions that feminists condemn.
Religion and oppression in modern society
Let's look at how a few approaches view the role of religion in maintaining and combating oppression in society.
Society and Religion: Marxism
Karl Marx argued that religion is the primary source of oppression and deceit in society (1843). It deceives the working-class into believing that the social setup, built on their exploitation, is God's will; this benefits the bourgeoisie.
According to Marx, the claim that there is an all-powerful God who created and controls the universe prevents the working class from rising up against their oppression. The Bible even preaches that being poor is a direct path to 'Heaven', where all work and suffering will be rewarded. Marx believed that the proletariat must wake up from religion-induced 'false consciousness' and take their liberation into their own hands.
Society and Religion: Feminism
Radical feminists of the second half of the 20th century argue that traditional religions evolved in patriarchal societies, where men used religious texts and dogmas to justify women's oppression.
Simone de Beauvoir saw religion as a tool of deception rather than a tool of direct control, while Mary Daly believed that women live in a ‘planetary sexual caste system’ which is built on the exploitation of women (1968). Nawal El Saadawi offers a new perspective on religion and gender - according to her, Islam is not an inherently patriarchal religion. Men have simply shaped and twisted the Islamic doctrine over the years to justify their superior status in society and to control women.
Society and Religion - Key takeaways
- Sociology has researched religions both as belief systems and as social organisations and institutions.
- While all sociologists attempt to give objective answers, explanations differ between different sociological perspectives.
- Religion has a different influence on different social classes, on people from different generations, and of different genders and ethnicities.
- Sociological perspectives such as Marxism and feminism argue that religion is one of the primary sources of oppression in society.
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