...Religious Social Institution SOC 101 26 November 2012 Religious social institutions consist of groups of individuals who share common views about the nature of God and the creation of the universe, which incorporates their beliefs, writings, behaviors, and rituals. They are led by their own faith or personal belief rather than science. Social, economic, political, and spiritual beliefs are all influenced if not dominated by religion. Christianity, Islamic, Judaism, Hinduism, and Roman Catholic’s all bring people together for some form of social interactions with one another, whether it be in a worship service, belief or ritual, or any other religious act that may require interaction. This paper will discuss the impact that the three sociological theories, the functionalism, conflict, and interactionism theories have on the religious institution along with the similarities and differences of these theories in respect to society’s view of religion. People have very different ways of viewing religion, which creates conflict throughout the world. The differences in beliefs and ideologies vary from person to person within any given society. The functionalists believe that religion “is essential for all societies because it helps unite people in a shared belief and behavior system, resulting in social cohesion.” (Vissing, 2011, sec. 4.6) Religion gives people answers, explains the unexplainable, and a purpose for life. Religious teaching...
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...Religion and Social Structure In every society, social structure is the product of institutional constellations, which reflect the needs of individuals within that society. Social structures are created based off societal importance imposed on 6 main fundamental institutional constellations (McIntyre, 2011 p. 141). Institutions are in a sense the response to the needs a particular society may have. The six institutions are family, religion, economy, law, politics, and science. The designated emphasis on these institutions formulates social structures, which are unique to that society. An example of a social structure may be a company, law enforcement, political party, or church (McIntyre, 2011 p. 143). The needs of societies’ vary greatly depending on culture, geography, way of life, and history. Therefore, each society has a distinct and unique social structure created from the importance associated with the six institutions. To further elaborate on this point, this essay will address the institution of religion and its role in three different societies: the San of Nambia, Mexican, and German. Religion is highly variable from society to society with wide ranges in integration, importance, and type of belief. And, it is these variances that produce the distinctly different social structures that can be observed in all societies. For the San people of Nambia, religion is a vastly different from what is known as western religion. For the San, religion is not dependent...
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...on Religion When it comes to the social institution of religion, the three major sociological theories differ in a majority of ways. All three have their own way of how they perceive religion functions in society. The purpose of this paper is to show the impact each theory has had on religion as well as the people inside the institution itself. Religion has been around for many hundreds of years and has had a great influence on many things in societies over time and across the world, such as politics, economics, and has even led to many wars. But how would one come about with a definition of the word religion? There are many different definitions out there of religion that are basic and even some definitions that get more complex. One basic and easy way to describe religion is a person or group of peoples set beliefs and practices on the concept of spirituality. J. Milton Yinger takes one of the more complex approaches to defining religion. He calls it “a system of beliefs and practices by which a group of people struggle with the ultimate problems of human life – problems relating to human morality, suffering, and injustice; and the need to infuse human life with meaning, and intellectual coherence, and the crucial importance of upholding moral percepts and patterns of social life” (Bouma p.4). Although both definitions seem to be drastically different, they actually do compliment each other and when used together can give us a much better understanding of religion and...
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...* SOCIAL STRATIFICATION Meaning, Nature, and Importance of Stratification * Stratification is an institutionalizes pattern of inequality in which social categories are ranked on the basis of their access to scarce resources * Social Stratification is the hierarchical arrangement and establishment of social categories that evolve into social group together with status and their corresponding roles. * Meaning, Nature, and Importance of Stratification * Social Stratification is a system whereby people rank and evaluate each other as superior and, on the basis of such evaluations, inequality rewarded one another with wealth authority, power and prestige. One result of each differentiation is the creation of a number of levels within society. Meaning, Nature, and Importance of Stratification * Different Views for Social Stratification: * Social Structure – status, social roles into ranked orders * Social Problem – discontentment and social justice * Importance of Stratification * Through S.S., men all over, dispels discrimination, stereotyping and prejudice. * Man will exert great effort in competing with others. * Knowledge of S.S. may enable man to adapt to the social environment * Improvement of man’s standard of living * Effect economic development in a society. * Attainment of a harmonious and stable society. * Types of Stratification System * Caste System * Brahmins...
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...enlightens on how religion and family is affected by the functionalist perspective. The functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, is one of the major theoretical perspectives in sociology. It has its origins in the works of Emile Durkheim, who was especially interested in how social order is possible or how society remains relatively stable. The functionalist perspective emphasizes the interconnectedness of society by focusing on how each part influences and is influenced by other parts. Each of the social institutions contributes important functions for society: Family provides a context for reproducing, nurturing, and socializing children; education offers a way to transmit a society’s skills, knowledge, and culture to its youth; politics provides a means of governing members of society; economics provides for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and religion provides moral guidance and an outlet for worship of a higher power. Functionalism has received criticism for neglecting the negative functions of an event. Critics also claim that the perspective justifies the status quo and complacency on the part of society's members. Functionalism does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them. Instead, functionalism sees active social change as undesirable because the various parts of society will compensate naturally for any problems that may arise. Religion from a Functionalist...
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...Evaluate Marxist views on the role of religion today (33 marks) Marxism is a macro theory meaning it looks at the effect of religion on society rather than separate individuals. Being a conflict theory it views the institutions in society to maintain inequality and uphold ruling class dominance- religion is no exception. Religion is considered a tool of social control as it uses hegemony to control the masses and legitimize ruling class superiority- simply used to keep the current status quo existing. Marxists believe that religion acts as the opium of the masses; this refers to the fact that it distracts and dulls the pain of oppression for the disadvantaged and those who feel like second class citizens, such as women or the working class. One example of this is that in the bible, it orchestrates that the meek shall inherit the earth”; this allows people to believe that although they are suffering now they will be rewarded in the afterlife and thus they accept their situation. Another example is that the bible says, “Rich man at his castle, poor man at his gate, god placed them high and low, their state he bestowed.” These examples are used by the ruling class as a theodicy of disprivilege to justify their position to themselves as well as to the masses’ -It acts as a smokescreen and dampens revolutionary spirit, preventing any chances of a revolution. Traditional Marxists argue that the ruling class have complete control of the infrastructure, meaning they control the superstructure...
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...Influence of Social Institutions: Family, Religion and Education Elizabeth Bouer SOC/100 May 30, 2016 Dr. Karly Way Schauwecker The Influence of Social Institutions: Family, Religion and Education Early philosopher and originator of Functionalism theory, Herbert Spence (1820-1903), compared parallels between the function of the human anatomy and society. “He argued that just as the various organs of the body work together to keep the body functioning, the various parts of society work together to keep society functioning” (OpenStax CNX, 2015, p.15 ). Just as the body has organs that help it to exist and thrive, society also has key components which attribute to its overall success. These essential parts of the successful and fluid existence of a society are referred to as social institutions. Social institutions are structures of principles or conducts, focused on achieving social needs. Six critically significant, outlines of social institutions are: government, education, family, healthcare, religion and the economy (CNX, 2015). Government has its benefits, in that it helps to structure, regulate and organize a society. Healthcare is an essential component, not only for the continuity of existence, but as well as for continuance of reaching full/highest human potential. The economy (more specifically its success), is a critical element for a society’s ability to endure, succeed and grow. However, for many, out of the six institutions, the three...
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...‘A social institution is a complex, integrated set of social norms organized around the preservation of a basic societal value’ (2011, http://www.sociologyguide.com) During life, we have to deal with a lot of social institutions. All these institutions together creates you into who you are, because we are highly influenced by institutions around us. These social institutions play a big role in determining how we make choices, and how we behave in daily life. It all starts directly after your birth, because the first social institution you meet is your family. Your parents, brothers and sisters will have their own specific way of living, so they as an institution will affect the creation of your personality. In my opinion, these first three or four years are very important because during these years a baby have to learn a lot. The second institution of a child will be the primary school. In my opinion, this is the most important institutions which will affect your personality and behavior. Teachers will cover a big part of this, but I think the students of the school will cover even more. For example, in my home town Muiden there are two different schools. A school with children from wealthier parents, and a school with less wealthy parents. If you look at the students who finish the schools, there exist a big difference in behavior, decisions and goals in life. In my opinion this proved that the primary school as a social institution affects personality and choices in life...
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...The Approaches Of Religious & Educational Institutions Utilizing The Conflict & Functional Methods Chanta Jackson Elizabethtown Community & Technical College As an American, in this thriving yet diverse society earlier on in education we are taught to define ourselves scholastically through high achieving grades, test scores, and athletic abilities. Individualism is soon expressed exposing the inner most parts of self, and we are then defined by those achievements. For example, athletic team activities are shifted more toward the leader bringing the team home for a win. Instead of applauding the collaborative efforts exerted during the game, the focus shifts on the individual who scored the most points. Left unsaid, winning becomes a fixation to our mentalities associated with accolades. Competition is pumped through our veins, and soon sears our conscience with a hot iron! In our culture, similar to the Japanese we embrace both theories of conflictive and functionalism theories. Durkheim (father founder of the functionalist theory) primary focus was on “moral education” meaning to implement a more permanent social structure by joining together people from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, he states that the role of education is one of identifying socialization into today’s society. The Functionalist theory focuses on education as a whole and also implements the basic skills essentials for education such as social placement, networking and sorting. The conflict theory...
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...RELIGION: MEANING AND NATURE Religion is an almost universal institution in human society. It is found in all societies, past and present. All the preliterate societies known to us have religion. Religion goes back to the beginning of the culture itself. It is a very ancient institution. There is no primitive society without religion. Like other social institutions, religion also arose from the intellectual power of man in response to certain felt needs of men. While most people consider religion as universal and therefore, a significant institution of societies. It is the foundation on which the normative structure of society stands. It is the social institution that deals with sacred things, that lie beyond our knowledge and control. It has influenced other institutions. It has been exerting tremendous influence upon political and economic aspects of life. It is said that man from the earliest times has been incurably religious. Judaism, Christianity, Islam (Semitic religions), Hinduism and Buddhism; Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto (Chinese-Japanese religions) etc. are examples of the great religions of the world. Meaning of Religion: Religion is concerned with the shared beliefs and practices of human beings. It is the human response to those elements in the life and environment of mankind which are beyond their ordinary comprehension. Religion is pre-eminently social and is found in nearly all societies. Majumdar and Madan explain that the word religion has...
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...Impact of Societal Social Institutions on People These embody all the ideas and beliefs of members of the society about how they think their lives should be organized. Dominant ideas and beliefs are those usually of the ruling class or the rich and powerful and tend to be the ones people find legitimate. Minority and weaker beliefs are also apart of the social institution but are not felt to be legitimate by the majority of the society and so may be suppressed and alienated. These ideas are normally in competition with one another for supremacy. So how can ideas be the building block of an entire society. Each institution becomes tangible through social organizations. So religious beliefs of the Christian are made tangible through the church. The ideas and beliefs forming the institution become concrete in the society through social organisations which reflect how these ideas are held. In each institution there are values (ideas on how something should be ranked in society), norms (yardsticks and standards that have evolved on how we should act), statuses (assigned positions or locations), and roles (expectations of behaviour). They are then the fundamental building blocks of society and vary over time and are based on the ideals which the people of the society have on accomplishing the tasks of living together collectively The Family Nancie Solien defines the family as "group of people bound by that complex set of relationships known as kinship ties“. It is the basic unit within...
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...societies-33 marks The idea of secularisation implies that there has been disenchantment in social life, that sacred ideas are no longer of any relevance to people and practical matters are emptied of any spiritual significance. Secularisation according to Wilson is the process whereby ‘religious thinking, practice and institutions social significance,’ that people are more interested in leisurely pursuits and that society and religion has become more pluralistic as a result of globalisation. Exclusivists think that secularisation is definitely happening whilst inclusivists argue that it is not happening, rather that society is experiencing resacralisation, that there are other religions such as NRMS and New Age Spirituality which are equally valid. Woodhead and Heelas suggest that there are two versions of secularisation. Firstly the disappearance thesis states that modernity is bringing about the death of religion. This thesis tends to use Church statistics as evidence. Crockett found that in 1851 40% Church attendance and in 2007 2% attended. In 2002 2/3 attended a religious service such as weddings no more than once a year. However there are problems concerning the use of Church statistics, regarding their reliability and validity. Statistics tell us very little about the social meaning of religion as Davie suggests many people can believe without belonging. Bellah also notes that religion is now private and individualised, such qualitative beliefs may be invisible to the sociological...
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...J. Carpenter 1 Sociological Perspectives on Religion By John Carpenter Sociology B1 CRN 12345 John Carpenter January 1, 2012 J. Carpenter 2 Emile Durkheim (1995: Original 1912) defined religion as a unified system of beliefs, rituals, and practices that define and express the nature of sacred things in relationship to the profane things of the world and, from a sociological perspective, the importance of religion as a social institution cannot be overstated. Consider the fact that literally all major world religions promote a standard of behavior in keeping with the tenets of their particular system of belief. And, with few exceptions, this behavior is motivated by an individual desire for a positive experience in this life and hopeful expectations of an eternal life to come. This individual standard of behavior is shared by a community of believers and practised as a group within the context of the larger society. As a result, religion can have a considerable degree of influence over every other social institution and the nature of the various beliefs, rituals, and practices acquire a cultural significance. Functionalism In support of the functionalist perspective, and in keeping with a macro approach to sociology, Durkheim (1995: Original 1912) placed a far greater emphasis on the collective life or community than he did on the individual. The nature of individual behavior was always considered in relationship to the degree of influence held by...
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...the view that the main function of religion is to promote social stability (33 marks) Social stability refers to harmony and integration within society, the main function of religion has long been argued between sociologists depending on their perspective. Among those that agree are functionalists, for example Durkheim and his study on totem worship, on the other hand Marxists argue religion oppresses the proletariat in order to maintain a capitalist society. The main sociologists that support the view that the main functions of religious beliefs is to promote social stability are functionalists. They believe that religion performs functions and helps society, this is because society’s most basic need is the need for social order and solidarity so that its members can cooperate and to do this there needs to be value consensus, which without this individuals in society would pursue their own selfish desires and society would disintegrate. One functionalist that supports this argument is Durkheim which he states that religion and its institutions play a central part in creating and maintaining value consensus, order and solidarity. He distinguishes the difference between the sacred and the profane. He says that the sacred are the things set apart and forbidden that inspire feelings of awe, fear and wonder and are surrounded by taboos and prohibitions. By contrast, the profane are things that have no special significance. Therefore a religion is never simply a set of beliefs. It...
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...To what extent is religion a Conservative Force? (33) Religion could be seen as a Conservative Force from different perspectives such as: Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism. However, other perspectives disagree with this and see religion as a Force for Social Change. There are different ways in which sociologists define religion. There is a substantive definition, and functional definition and a social constructionist definition. Substantive definitions focus on the content or substance of religion belief such as the belief in God or the supernatural. Functional definitions focus on the psychological functions it performs for the individuals or society. Social constructionists focus on how the members of society define religion themselves: they argue that it is impossible to produce a single universal definition of religion to cover all cases because different people have different definitions of religion. Religion can be seen as a conservative force in two different senses: it is seen as conservative in the sense of being ‘traditional’ as it upholds traditional beliefs about how society should be organised. It is also seen as conservative as it functions to preserve things as they are. Functionalists see society as a system of interrelated parts or social institutions. Each institution performs certain functions which each contribute to maintaining the social system by maintaining a need. The key feature of religion was not a belief in Gods, Spirits or the Supernatural,...
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