FUNCTIONALIST

FUNCTIONALIST

1. Durkheim

   • Sacred + profane
     • SCARED: forbidden items which create a sense of awe/fear
       • Rituals and holy books are sacred and though differ in diff religions all are essential
     • PROFANE: Items with no special significance
   • Toteism
     • found in religions in their simplest form
     • act as clans emblem which they worship (animals/plants)
       • Members become utterly dependent on Totem and it creates solidarity
   • Collective conscience
     • sacred symbols represent society's collective conscience of shared norms and values.
       • regular rituals keep social integration
   • Cognitive functions
     • Religion's fills intellectual capacities
       • gives concept of time + cause
         • eg, God creating the world at the beginning of time
   • EVALUATE
     • Worsley
       • ~ Evidence of Totenism is unsound. ~ No strict division between sacred + profane. ~ No proof that sacred + profane's discovered in all religions.
     • Mestrovic
       • Hard to apply theory to societies with many religions

2. Malinowski

   • Religion helps society by performing psychological functions in two ways
     • The outcome is important but uncontrollable
       • studied Islanders fishing in lagoons and in seas
         • no rituals for lagoons as its safe
         • 'Canoe magic' for seas as its uncertain people will return
     • Times of life crisis
       • Events such as birth + death create change
         • Funeral's create solidarity + he says death is only religion for religious beliefs
   • EVALUATE
     • Fails to explain why there are Christenings/weddings if funerals are only reasons for religion

3. Bellah

   • Study civil religions in America
     • When there's many religions in a country, civil religion works as social glue
     • Americanism unifies American society in a way separate religions are unable to
       • rituals include pledging aligance to the flag, national anthem and "one nation under God"
       • Even though Civil religion is an alternative, it performs the same functions.
   • EVALUATE
     • Ignores how it can be supernatural beings which make religions distinctive

4. Parsons

   • Reiligon helps people cope with unforeseen events
     • creates and legitimates society's norms and values by making them sacred
     • answers ultimate questions
       • what happens after death
       • explains suffering as a test of faith
   • EVALUATE
     • Fails to expalin how religion is used when there isn't unforeseen events