Religion occurs where ever societies exist, from the Sumerians and the Ancient Egyptians right through to modern society religion is everywhere. This essay will look at religion from a sociological perspective and try to answer whether or not Britain is becoming a more secular society.
When it comes to religion sociologists, unlike theologists and philosophers, are not as interested in the details of religions themselves, but in what effects religion has on its particular society. The sociological study or religion is separate from the philosophical approach, which is concerned with such questions as the nature and existence of God and the relationship between God and science (William Alston, 1967), in that it does not seek to answer whether or not there, is any validity to religious beliefs. Sociologist Peter L Berger (1967) coined the term ‘methodological atheism’ to describe the process needed in comparing the different beliefs of various religions. Unlike theology, which basis itself on the assumption that God exists, sociology offers only indifference to the supernatural aspects of religion, and does not to seek proof or disproof of these matters.
Indeed, when it comes to religion, sociology uses the same methods of study as it does for any other subject, quantitative means such as …show more content…
With sentiments such as ‘…it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God’ (Mathew 19:24, circa 33ad)’, messages such as this informed the poor that it was good to be poor, that they would be rewarded for their destitution in the next life. It was to this end that Marx said religion acted as a system of social control, placating the masses with promises of paradise in the next life as a reward for hardships in the current life, that religion created a false consciousness and justified social
When it comes to religion sociologists, unlike theologists and philosophers, are not as interested in the details of religions themselves, but in what effects religion has on its particular society. The sociological study or religion is separate from the philosophical approach, which is concerned with such questions as the nature and existence of God and the relationship between God and science (William Alston, 1967), in that it does not seek to answer whether or not there, is any validity to religious beliefs. Sociologist Peter L Berger (1967) coined the term ‘methodological atheism’ to describe the process needed in comparing the different beliefs of various religions. Unlike theology, which basis itself on the assumption that God exists, sociology offers only indifference to the supernatural aspects of religion, and does not to seek proof or disproof of these matters.
Indeed, when it comes to religion, sociology uses the same methods of study as it does for any other subject, quantitative means such as …show more content…
With sentiments such as ‘…it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God’ (Mathew 19:24, circa 33ad)’, messages such as this informed the poor that it was good to be poor, that they would be rewarded for their destitution in the next life. It was to this end that Marx said religion acted as a system of social control, placating the masses with promises of paradise in the next life as a reward for hardships in the current life, that religion created a false consciousness and justified social