Compare Durkheim, And Marx's Theories Of Religion

Take a minute and think about Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. Do those two theorists come to mind when talking about religion and explaining how it is constructed into society and how it plays a role? The answer is probably not. Emile Durkheim is mostly known for his contributions to sociology. Karl Marx was mostly known is economical outlook on the world and how the world is overturned by capitalism. What they both have in common some might contemplate? Durkheim and Marx both related it to religious studies and help piece together how religious scholars can educate what religious studies is all about. A recent documentary The Devil’s Miner displays both Durkheim, and Marx’s theories and gives the viewer a visual and auditory set up on both theories …show more content…
Durkheim’s theory of there are sacred in the profane is very relative it in the documentary. In the film Basilio and his family see Tio as a totem in the mining community in Bolivia. In the mines they give offerings to Tio to help protect them but when they go back to their ordinary lives they worship God in Catholic mass. From generation to generation the story of Tio has been passed down. The creation of Tio came about around the time the Spaniards came to conquest the land of Bolivia. They forced many of the native people into completing hard laborious work. The native people soon got tired of it and rose up against the Spaniards. The conquistadors came up with the idea of creating the devil figured statue and showed them and said if they didn’t work Tio would kill them, so they started working again in fear of Tio. In Marx’s theory it relates to the movie in an economic stance effecting the society. Basilios family was very poor. His father died when he was younger because of a lung disease from working in the mines and that left him to step up and do the job he left behind. Just imagine being fourteen and working twenty-four hour shifts in a hot, gaseous, cramp, and dangerous mine in the mountain. He made two dollars a day. With the circumstances that his family and he was in Basilio was only allowed to go to school when he could afford it. Children that lived in the city called him names because he worked in the mine. An additional crossing came about of an illustration of commodities vs monetary vs commodities. An example that was shown in the movie was the money that Basilio and his brother made from mining silver was then used to buy coca leaves to give them energy and nutrition to return back to the mountain mines. Lastly there was an idea Marx might currently would show would be in the film where Basilio and his boss explain the offerings that are