They also speculated that, in time, the appeal and influence of religion on the modern mind would lessen. Rituals are necessary to bind together the members of a religious group, and they allow individuals to escape from the mundane aspects of daily life into higher realms of experience. Theories of Religion Topic 1 – AQA Sociology 2. [15]The dynamics of society was fueled by economics, according to Hegelian concept of theses, antitheses, and synthese[16] False consciousness is a term used by Marx' collaborator Friedrich Engels (1820 – 1895), not by Marx. Max Weber did not so much a propose a general theory of religion, but focused on the interaction between society and religion. The rational choice theory has been applied to religions, among others by the sociologists Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge. [83][84]They define religion as a system of compensator that relies on the supernatural. Religion reinforces prevailing social and economic arrangements by both consoling the oppressed and j… His theory assumed that the psyche of all peoples of all times are more or less the same and that explanations in cultures and religions tend to grow more sophisticated via monotheist religions, like Christianity and eventually to science. [59] The primitive man could not endure that his struggle to survive had no meaning. Marx once declared that religion is the “opium of the people.” He viewed religion as teaching people to accept their current lot in life, no matter how bad, while postponing rewards and happiness to some afterlife. Functionalists believe religion meets many important needs for people, including group cohesion and companionship. Primitive Cultures and Cultural Evolution. Weber dealt with status groups, not with class. [22] He also considered the concept of “God” to be on the verge of extinction. New York Times. [73]Parsons' adaptation Weber's consisted of distinguished all human groups on three levels i.e. Therefore the anthropologist must be both empirically rigorous and a savvy interpreter, akin to a psychoanalyst. Geertz denied that it would ever be possible to propose a general theory of religion. [27][28]Tylor's anthropological method has been criticized as out-of-context comparisons of practices in different cultures and times. © 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Hinduism Buddhism Confucianism and Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. He asserted that magic relied on an uncritical belief of primitive people in contact and imitation. bookmarked pages associated with this title. Most sociologists and anthropologists, who tend to see religion, as inseparable from and determined by the social context, resort to what is called 'methodological atheism'. A key point is that each of the 16 desires motivates personality opposites and those opposites all have to find a home in a successful religion, Reiss said. The anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor (1832 – 1917) defined religion as belief in supernatural beings and stated that this belief originated as explanations to the world. Marx endorses Feuerbach's view of religion as alienation and projection, but argues that religion, or alienated consciousness, is only an epiphenomenal reflection of a more basic dehumanizing alienation at the level of social and economic organization. He saw religion as emerging from these expierences. He described it as mysterium tremendum (terrifying mystery) and mysterium fascinans (awe inspiring, fascinating mystery). Different from most other scholars, Émile Durkheim (1858 – 1917) saw the concept of the sacred as the defining characteristic of religion, not faith in the supernatural. INTRODUCTION Anthropological theories of religion are diverse. Durkheim saw totemism as the original and simplest form of religion. He defined religion as, With symbols Geertz meant a carrier that embodies a conception, because he saw religion and culture as systems of communication.[79]. Durkheim's theory of religion exemplifies how functionalists examine sociological phenomena. [70], He was heavily critical about earlier theorists of primitive religion with the exception of Lucien Lévy-Bruhl, asserting that they made statements about primitive people without having enough inside knowledge to make more than a guess. Religion comes in as a substitute to fill up the vacuum created by displacement of the father. According to Marx, the human mind and human consciousness as part of matter. [54], Mircea Eliade's (1907 – 1986) approach grew out of the phenomenology of religion. This quiz and corresponding worksheet will gauge your knowledge of the theories on religion's origin. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# Influential functional theories have been proposed by Karl Marx (focusing on the economic background) , Sigmund Freud (focusing on neurosis as a pscychological origin of religious beliefs), and Émile Durkheim (focusing on the social function of religions). Primitive people used human dreams in which spirits seemed to appear as an indication that the human mind could exist independent of a body. Revised and updated in this third edition, Nine Theories of Religion considers how these fundamental questions have engaged the most important thinkers of the modern era. Types of Religious Organizations. They help scholars evaluate and unravel the underlying principles of the study, of why religion exists, how it developed, what needs [1]Herodotus (484 – 425 BCE) stated that the gods of Greece were the same as the gods of Egypt. For example, precipitation may be invoked by the primitive man by sprinkling water on the ground. Theoretical Perspectives on Religion. Theories of Religion 1. [60] He wrote than man had a nostalgia (longing) for an otherworldly perfection. This approach asserts that people have faith because beliefs make sense to them. Theophany (an appearance of a god) is a special case of it. (Photo courtesy of James Emery/flickr) Modern-day sociologists often apply one of the major theoretical perspectives. Early Religious Influences Sigmund Freud was born to Jewish parents in the heavily Roman Catholic town of Freiburg, Moravia. It then considers the great "reductionist" approaches of Sigmund Freud, Emile Durkheim, and Karl Marx, all of whom have exercised wide influence up to the present day. He believed that scientific thinking would likely replace religious thinking, with people giving only minimal attention to rituals and ceremonies. The view that societies' views and practices grow more evolved over time in an uniform way has been criticized as unverifiable and contradicted by data from anthropological studies, among others by the writer Andrew Lang (1844 – 1912) and E. E. Marx' explanations for all religions, always, in all forms, and everywhere have never been taken seriously by many experts in the field, though a substantial fraction accept that Marx' views explain some aspects of some religions.[23]. According to Durkheim, people see religion as contributing to the health and continuation of society in general. The fundamental purpose of Weber's research was to discover religion's impact on social change. Still, he predicted that traditional religion would one day pass away. and any corresponding bookmarks? Theories of Religion: Emile Durkheim and Max Weber. Learn more about Freud's complicated relationship with religion as well as some of his thoughts on religion and spirituality. In status groups the primary motivation is prestige and social cohesion. [58]Eliade wrote that archaic men wish to participate in the sacred. This definition emphasizes the mutual reinforcement between world view and ethics. Revised and updated in this third edition, Nine Theories of Religion considers how these fundamental questions have engaged the most important thinkers of the modern era. Weber acknowledged that religion had a strong social component, but diverged from Durkheim by arguing, for example in his book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism that religion can be a force of change in society. Even though none of these three men was particularly religious, the power that religion holds over people and societies interested them all. For example, in Protestantism, especially the “Protestant Work Ethic,” Weber saw the roots of capitalism. He also used some personal knowledge of other societies and cultures for his theories, among others his knowledge of Hindu folk religion. [36] Differing from Tylor and Frazer, he saw magic not as religious, but as an individual instrument to achieve something. [41] Theories of religion can be classified into. He avoided the subjective and vague concept of group attitude as used by Ruth Benedict by using the analysis of society as proposed by Talcott Parsons who in turn had adapted it from Max Weber. Those who study religion from the psychological perspective are interested in three primary areas that may be broadly characterized as past, present, and future. Some authors, usually ones who wish to celebrate these facts, call th… 1445 words (6 pages) Essay. religion reinforces group interest that clash very often with individual interests. [53], His ideas strongly influenced phenomenologists and Mircea Eliade. TEXT: Daniel L. Pals: Eight Theories of Religion – “Religion as Alienation: Karl Marx” Huston Smith: The World’s Religions – “Judaism” Answer the following 6 questions below: Marx And Eastern Religions [81]They see religions as systems of "compensators". Plasma Universe Theory. Rational arguments to a person holding a religious conviction will not change the neurotic response of a person, in contrast to Tylor and Frazer who saw religion as rational conscious, but primitive and mistaken attempt to explain the natural world. Pals, Daniel L. 1996. Collective consciousness, which is the fusion of all of our individual consciousnesses, creates a reality of its own. Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) held a strictly materialist world view and saw economics, including class distinctions (including class struggle), as the determining factor of society. Nine Theories Of Religion Daniel Pals’ Nine Theories of Religion comes in as his third edition of a series on Religious theories dating back to 1996. Scholars distinguish seven aspects of religious traditions: the doctrinal and philosophical, the mythic and narrative, the ethical and legal, the ritual and practical, the experiential and emotional, the social and organizational, and the material and artistic. Evans-Pritchard. Freud's view on religion was embedded in his larger theory of psychoanalysis. Archaic men long to return to lost paradise, outside the historic time, as explained in Eliade's book Eternal return (Eliade) to escape meaninglessness. Instead, he envisioned society as promoting civil religion, in which, for example, civic celebrations, parades, and patriotism take the place of church services. Theories of religion can be classified into. They had also totemism, but this was a minor aspect of their religion and hence a corrective to Durkheim's generalizations should be made. He asserted that these group meeting provided a special kind of energy, which he called effervescence, that made group members lose their individuality and to feel united with the gods and thus with the group. Freud asserted that religion is a largely unconscious neurotical response to repression. They provided meaning and contact with the sacred in history through the God of Israel. Psychoanalysis has been assessed as non-scientific. Different from Kant, the 19th century Max Muller held to the nature-worship theory. In spite of his praise of Bruhl's works, Evans-Pritchard disagreed with Bruhl's statement that a member of a "primitive" tribe saying "I am the moon" is prelogical, but that this statement makes perfect sense within their culture if understood metaphorically.[71][72]. [37] [38] Though his attempt to the historical origins of religions have not been accepted, his generalized view that all religions originate from unfulfilled psychological needs are still seen as offering a credible explanation in some cases. sky god. James George Frazer (1854 – 1941) followed Tylor's theories to a great extent in his book The Golden Bough, but he distinguished between magic and religion. This page was last modified 18:35, 15 May 2011. These concept include. This approach asserts that people have faith because beliefs make sense to them. Unlike the Eastern religions' passive approach, salvation religions like Christianity are active, demanding continuous struggles against sin and the negative aspects of society. Thus, religion functions to bind society's members by prompting them to affirm their common values and beliefs on a regular basis. Like many young intellectuals of his time, Comte believed that religion was an archaic holdover from the past. 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