Religion Exam

Do you agree with Durkheim when he says there is no church of magic? Why or why not?

Durkheim says that there is "no church of magic". By this, he believes that a religion is social and involves a moral community while magic is individualistic. I do not agree with Durkheim because while religion is social, it has aspects that are done in private that still make it a religion. For example, confession in the Catholic Church is considered a big part of the religion, but is done just between the priest and the confessor, so Durkheim would consider this magic.

Baseball as a religion

-Baseball has rules to live by that dictate the sport and how its performed -sacred season, place, and players -plays organs at the game -baseball is 'America's Sport' and brings the community together

BBQ as a religion

-sacrifice pig -BBQ pit as symbol of holy place this is done, not opened unless necessary -BBQ is a group activity that is done by the community and is extremely important

Religion

According to Durkheim, Religion is a system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things that is a social glue that binds individuals to a moral community called a church. For example, The University of Texas is a moral community surrounded by our totemic symbol of Bevo.

Totemic Principles

According to Durkheim, a totemic principle is a reflection of how society views itself. The totem is any object that is set apart as sacred by society through a public ritual and serves as a symbol to the community. An example of how the in individual connects to the group by consuming the totem would be the BBQ event in Texas.

Profane

According to Durkheim, the profane is anything that is considered mundane and everyday, and does not have to always have a negative connotation.

Scared

According to Durkheim, the sacred is anything set apart by society as powerful through ritual acts and practices, and is completely set apart from the profane. For example, the American Flag is a sacred item in America because there are set rules of how to interact with the flag.

Compare the myths and symbols of an American Civil religion and the Lost Cause. How are they similar/different?

American Civil Religion and the Lost Cause actually have a few things in common. First, both American Civil Religion and the Lost Cause compare their leaders (Robert E. Lee and Lincoln) to biblical figures that sacrificed their lives for the greater good. Also, these symbols are engraved into our culture for both parties. American Civil Religion and the Lost Cause differ on a few myths and symbols though. The Lost Cause is seen as the past that never resurrected quite like American Civil Religion, which is seen as something that was gained and moved history forward. Lastly, the Lost Cause just represents the old south where American Civil Religion is seen as speaking on behalf of the nation as a whole.

What does Durkheim mean when he says "there is no false religion"?

Wen Durkheim says there are no false religions, he means that a religion is simply anything that creates a functioning moral community that serves the group. He is not concerned with the truth of the religion, but rather that is serves a moral community.