Functionalists believe that society functions like a body, different parts completing different functions, for example the family and education both serve the vital roles of teaching norms and values as well as segregating children into their roles for life. Similarly, functionalists see religion as being a vital part of a functioning society, to create a value consensus whereas Marxists and feminists believe that religion allows for inequality between classes and sexes.
Durkheim believes that religion maintains a value consensus within any one society, which dictates the norms and values of that society and teaches it, through Sunday school and other religious activities, to children. Additionally, Durkheim believed that religion taught the …show more content…
Problems with the functionalist take on the functions of religion is that they all ignore the negatives of religion, such as religious conflicts, for example the Crusades, additionally, if there are multiple religions in one society, there is no longer a value consensus.
Marxists such as Marx claim that religion is an instrument in which the ruling classes use to justify capitalism and dominance over the working class. Marx gives four ways in which he claims religion dulls the pain of being exploited; the ideas of life after death, compensation for suffering, supernatural intervention and justifying social order. Marx calls this ‘false consciousness’ as the illusion of hope blinds people to the hopelessness of their situation and see their exploitation as ‘God’s will’. Due to religion, the proletariat accept their situation passively rather than fight back, and the bourgeoisie justify their position over the proletariat to themselves and others, and in this way, everyone has justification for inequality and therefore will not fight back. The Indian caste system is justified by the Hindu religion, as it is the religion that imposed the system and keeps it running. Additionally, slaves were forced to convert to Christianity, due to its controlling influence. However this theory suffers from the same problem Durkheim’s ideas did, 25% of the population are not religious, and therefore there is nothing to stop them from seeing their exploitation as anything other than exploitation. Marx’s ideas also do not explain why sometimes the church goes against the working class, such as helping to bring down communism in 1980s,
Durkheim believes that religion maintains a value consensus within any one society, which dictates the norms and values of that society and teaches it, through Sunday school and other religious activities, to children. Additionally, Durkheim believed that religion taught the …show more content…
Problems with the functionalist take on the functions of religion is that they all ignore the negatives of religion, such as religious conflicts, for example the Crusades, additionally, if there are multiple religions in one society, there is no longer a value consensus.
Marxists such as Marx claim that religion is an instrument in which the ruling classes use to justify capitalism and dominance over the working class. Marx gives four ways in which he claims religion dulls the pain of being exploited; the ideas of life after death, compensation for suffering, supernatural intervention and justifying social order. Marx calls this ‘false consciousness’ as the illusion of hope blinds people to the hopelessness of their situation and see their exploitation as ‘God’s will’. Due to religion, the proletariat accept their situation passively rather than fight back, and the bourgeoisie justify their position over the proletariat to themselves and others, and in this way, everyone has justification for inequality and therefore will not fight back. The Indian caste system is justified by the Hindu religion, as it is the religion that imposed the system and keeps it running. Additionally, slaves were forced to convert to Christianity, due to its controlling influence. However this theory suffers from the same problem Durkheim’s ideas did, 25% of the population are not religious, and therefore there is nothing to stop them from seeing their exploitation as anything other than exploitation. Marx’s ideas also do not explain why sometimes the church goes against the working class, such as helping to bring down communism in 1980s,