SOC Chapter 16

-religion is the opium of the people and is distracting -religion is controlled by the ruling class to misguide the proletariat and avoid rebellions -religious ideas are independent casual forces

Karl Marx's theory on religion (3)

because of the barrier that sets the sacred apart from the profane, man can enter into close relations with sacred things only if he strips himself of what is profane in him

Why are these two realms kept separated?

-saw totemism as the basic form of religion and something that also represented the community -the community venerates the totem as an external object, while also venerating itself -religion is where the community projects itself as an objectified totem

Durkheim's theory on religion (3)

-religion -beliefs: faith -tradition and practice: rituals and symbols -sacred things: separated from profane

-a system of beliefs, traditions, and practices around sacred things -what are three key elements of the above definition?

agnosticism

-without knowledge of the existence of God -the existence of any God is not negated in absolute terms, but is not certain -claims that is impossible not know whether God exists or not

-through prohibition of certain ways of acting -through separation of space -separation of time

According to Durkheim, how is the separation of the sacred and profane realm maintained? (3)

-Hindus, Jews, and Buddhists (along with atheists and agnostics) tend to be the most highly educated -higher education is correlated with increased participation in religious organization for the civil rewards of belonging -protestants are overrepresented at the top of status, class, and political hierarchy in America

How is religion related to class? (3)

-women are more active in religious affiliations and activities than men -conservative protestant and Mormon women participate less in the labor force and are more likely to embrace traditional gender roles

How is religion related to gender? (2)

only ten percent of churches are racially mixed

How is religion related to race?

-the sacred realm consists of holy objects and experiences -the profane realm consists of mundane things

What is the difference between the sacred and profane realm?

Christians-31.5% Muslims-23.2% Hindus-15%

What is the percentage of religious adherents worldwide? (3)

theism

belief that one or more Gods exist

atheism

disbelief of the existence of any deity