Beliefs 10 markers
Outline and explain two functions of religion for the individual and wider society
1. Creating a collective conscience. In Durkheim's view, regular, shared religious rituals reinforce the collective conscience and maintain social integration. By individuals participating in shared religious values they are bound together, reminding them they are part of a single, moral community to which they owe their loyalty. Therefore, religious rituals and acts of worship promote a sense of belonging to society. For instance, the AMRIT ceremony within the Sikh religion binds them together by symbolising their commitment to their faith by taking the 5 k's. In this sense, Durkheim sees religion as being functional for the individual because it makes an individual feel part of something that is bigger than them self and helps them face the trials and tribulations by having a sense of belonging to a community. 2. Act as an 'opiate'. According to Marx, religion acts like a hallucinatory, pain relieving drug, which dulls the pain of being exploited and makes life more bearable. In other words, the oppression felt by the WC. However, just like opium, religion only masks the pain rather than treating its cause, therefore it does not remove the reason why that pain is there to begin with. This pain has been cause by poverty, exploitation and oppression. Lenin (1870-1924) said 'Religion is a spiritual gun in which the slaves of capital drown their human shapes and claims to a decent life. By this Lenin meant religion is an intoxicant doled out to the masses by the RC to confuse them and keep them in their place. Therefore, the RC use religion to manipulate the proletariat by creating a fog which obscures reality and therefore makes them believe that there is no way out
Outline and explain two ways in which religion and development may be related in the world today
1. Globalisation - Traditionally, Hinduism denounced wealth as sin mirroring the views of the traditional Catholicism in central Europe (green seen as sin). But, contemporary Hindu leaders now encourage a more progressive vie of wealth by stating that it is a sign of divine favour and that material wealth is a sign of a person being motivated, optimistic and hard-working. This encourages young Hindus to pursue the opportunities that are available to them because of increasing globalisation (IT, medicine) without the guilt imposed on them by traditional Hinduism. Many young middle-class Hindus also pay for religious rituals and attend extravagant festivals to remove any guilt they feel. By remaining relevant to its population, Hinduism has surged in popularity whilst also stimulating further economic growth. 2. Social Change - Bruce describes the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement as a religiously motivated social change. He claimed it was the Black Clergymen who were the backbone of the movement - led by MLK Junior (a Baptist preacher and considered by many to be a charismatic leader). They played a decisive role by giving moral support and legitimacy to the activists that appealed to all Christians. Bruce argues that the black clergy were able to shame whites into changing the law by appealing to their shared Christian values of equality. Therefore, Bruce sees the civil rights movement as an example of religion becoming involved in secular struggles and helping bring about social change. In his view the movement was successful as it shared the same values as wider society and those in power (principle of equality enshrined in the constitution)
Outline and explain two ways in which the growth of sects and new age movements may be related to secularisation
1. Led to religious diversity. Berger argues the Catholic church used to hold religious monopoly and everyone lived under a single canopy of beliefs. However, this changed following the Protestant reformation which has led to religious pluralism. This has undermined the plausibility of religion and created a crisis of credibility. Berger argues there are alternative versions of the truth people can choose from and consequently, no one knows what to believe. This leads to Secularisation as religion no longer unites people and instead religious teachings contradicts each other, leading to confusion and people opting out.
Outline and explain two reasons why figures on attendance at mainstream churches may overstate the degree of secularisation in Britain today
1. No reliable way to measure church attendance. Church consensus data is collected by the organisation itself and only collected on one particular day, likely to present themselves in the most positive way. 2. On the other hand, a decline in church attendance does not necessarily equate with a lack of religiosity, as Davie argues, people are changing the ways they practise their religion and "believing without belonging". In which, people can maintain a religious belief without having to join, attend or participate in a traditional religion.
