Sociology of Religion
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KARL MARX
Marx developed his ideas of sociology from Hegel and Feuerbach. Hegel argued that society would evolve towards perfection in Christianity, whilst Marx argued that society would evolve, but away from religion as Feuerbach postulated.
Marx argued that society could be divided into two groups – the working class or proletariat and the ruling class or bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie own the means of production and exploit the proletariat by paying them little. Marx described this as dehumanising and argued that it leads to a sense of disenfranchisement. This all be resolved in a social revolution in which the thesis of capitalism is challenged by the anti-thesis of anti-capitalism to produce synthesis – socialism.
Marx defined religion as the “opium of the people,” a form of social control that dulls the pain of oppression for the proletariat whilst preventing them from seeing what needs to be done to stop their exploitation. Religion uses its ethical systems to govern the way people behave and then reinforces this behaviour with the threat/promise of the afterlife:
“People can’t really be happy until the abolition of the illusion of religion”
Marx had a utopian vision of the future in which there would be no need for religion because there would be no class system to exploit. His authority for morality thus comes from the communist ideal.
Criticisms
The weakness of Marxism is that people have at least as much self-interest as they do altruism. Therefore, there is no motivation to work towards a utopian society that ultimately will only benefit future generations. For most, the obligation to work for the good of future society is not good enough to lend authority to morality.
MAX WEBER
Max Weber was a German sociologist who argued that religion was a mechanism of society. Weber saw society as an organism of millions of individuals. Religion serves as one system that helps the organism to regulate and change itself to survive. For example, religion can neutralise existentialist angst by providing comfort in times of suffering e.g. the motivation to persist during tests of faith and the reassurance that God has it all worked out.
Where Durkheim held that religion was a social glue, Weber advocated a more pro-active role for religion. For Weber, people’s ideas are the initiating factors in social change. Religion therefore provides an ethical framework in which social change can take place.
In particular, Weber emphasised the inter-relatedness of religion and Economics. He reasoned that the ‘spirit of capitalism’ evolved form the Protestant work ethic.
DURKHEIM
Durkheim was a sociologist and a contemporary of Weber’s. His views fall under the theory of functionalism; the argument that the purpose of religion is to maintain social stability by removing tension that can disrupt social order. Durkheim defined religion as a “unified system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things.” He believed that religions (the sacred) and their practices help to maintain and foster social stability and cohesion (the secular).
The community of people that are setup within a religion which call themselves a church establish an ethical system that maintains relationships within and beyond the community’s defining activities e.g. worship, Mass and baptism.
Durkheim therefore saw religion as having a function in society without any necessary, independent reality. For Durkheim, a cohesive society is of fundamental importance, and religion is just one mechanism that helps to achieve this.
Durkheim also reasoned that religion, as a unifying agent, would gradually be replaced by political and community ideals such as human rights.
Criticisms
• The evidence today of a post-modern society made up of many sub-cultures does not support Durkheim’s reasoning.
• Equally, religion still exists and is yet to be completely replaced by political and community ideals, although it has in part.
• Moreover, morality is seen as no more than what has evolved in society to suit that society. It is relative as opposed to absolute and goodness is defined as the production of positive effects for society rather than being virtuous or God-like. In this respect, morality is teleological rather than deontological and has no external authority beyond the whim of society.
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