SOCIOLOGY OF
RELIGION.
 Definitions.
 Introduction.
 Theories of religion.
1. SOCIOLOGY AND RELIGION:
◦ Religion is a set of organized beliefs, practices, and systems that most often relate to
the belief and worship of a controlling force, such as a personal god or another
supernatural being. ( definition of religion).
◦ Sociology of religion seeks to understand the social context of human-constructed
aspects of religion.
◦ Sociology of religion is interested in the involvement, participation and contribution of
religion in the society. Sociologists believe that studying society through religious
perspective will enhance peace, order and stability in the society.
◦ INTRODUCTION:
◦ Religion is a social institution composed of a combined system of beliefs, symbols, and
rituals based on some sacred or supernatural realm that guides human behavior, gives
meaning to life, and unites believers into a community.
◦ Religion is sometimes thought of as a platform for the expression of spirituality, or the
relationship between the individual and something larger than oneself, such as a
broader sense of connection with the surrounding world.
◦ Spirituality involves inner, individual feelings and experiences
◦ Religion involves external beliefs, rituals and deities
◦ Both religion and spirituality involve faith, a confident belief that cannot be proven or
disproven but is accepted as true.
◦ The sociological investigation of religion reflects fair-minded scholarship, meaning that
social scientists do not seek to make value judgments about religious beliefs or to
determine whether particular religious bodies are “right” or “wrong.”
◦ Religious experience refers to the principle or sensation that we are connected to “the
divine.”
◦ Religious rituals are behaviors or practices that are either required or expected of the
members of a particular group.
◦ Not all sociologists believe that the sacred covering accurately describes modern
religion. Some believe that the religious marketplace is a better comparison.
◦ 2. TYPES OF BELIEFS IN RELIGION:
The words monotheism and polytheism share some of the same roots: the element the- is
a form of Theo a Greek root meaning “god,” and the suffix -ism is used in nouns that refer
to specific doctrines or beliefs. The difference is in the beginning: mono- means “one,”
while poly- means “multiple.
MONOTHEISM:
◦ Monotheism is the belief or doctrine that there is one—and only one—god.
◦ EXAMPLE: Judaism, Christianity and Islam are both well-known examples
of monotheism.
◦ POLYTHEISM: Polytheism is the belief or doctrine that there are multiple gods or
goddesses.
◦ EXAMPLE: The most widely-practiced polytheistic religion is Hinduism, which has many
different branches. The religions of many different Ethnic peoples in different places
are polytheistic. Ancient Greek people practiced polytheistic religions whose many
gods we now know as part of what we call tradition.
◦ PATRIARCHAL AND MATRIARCHAL RELIGION:
◦ In patriarchal religion, the beliefs and practices of the religion are based on male
power and authority.
◦ In matriarchal religion, the beliefs and practices of the religion are based on female
power and authority. (This religion focuses on a goddess or goddesses).
◦ 3. FINCTIONS OF RELIGION:
◦ Social Control: • Religious beliefs can influence the conduct of those who believe in
them. It keeps people ‘in line’ through folkways and values. Religious permissions play a
significant role in this regard.
◦ • Judgment of Right and Wrong: It helps to determine what is considered acceptable
behavior and what is not. e.g. Islam divides actions into two categories; the right acts
lead to Heaven and the wrong acts to Hell.
◦ • Preservation of Values: • Religion preserves social values which have been derived
from it. The social values are closely linked with the religious teachings, therefore those
acts are sentenced or forbidden that are not ‘in line’ with the religious teachings.
◦ 4.THEORIES OF RELIGION:
◦ FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE (Durkheim).
1. he structural-functional approach to religion has its roots in Emile Durkheim’s work on
religion.
2. Durkheim proposed that religion has three major functions in society: it provides social
cohesion to help maintain social solidarity through shared rituals and beliefs, social
control to enforce religious-based morals and norms to help maintain conformity and
control in society, and it offers meaning and purpose to answer any existential questions.
3. Durkheim placed himself in the positivist tradition, meaning that he thought of his study
of society as calm and scientific. He was deeply interested in the problem of what held
complex modern societies together. Religion, he argued, was an expression of social
cohesion.
4. With totemism he meant that each of the many clans had a different object, plant, or
animal that they held sacred and that symbolizes the clan. Durkheim saw totemism as
the original and simplest form of religion. According to Durkheim, the study of this simple
form of religion could provide the building blocks for more complex religions. He stated
that moralism cannot be separated from religion.
◦ CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE:
◦ Religion has all of these benefits, but, according to conflict theory, it can also reinforce
and promote social inequality and social conflict. This view is somewhat inspired by the
work of Karl Marx, who said that religion was the “opiate of the masses” (Marx, 1964). By
this he meant that religion, like a drug, makes people happy with their existing
conditions. Marx repeatedly stressed that workers needed to rise up and overthrow the
bourgeoisie. To do so, he said, they needed first to recognize that their poverty
reduced from their oppression by the bourgeoisie. But people who are religious, he
said, tend to view their poverty in religious terms. They think it is God’s will that they are
poor, either because he is testing their faith in him or because they have violated his
rules. Many people believe that if they endure their suffering, they will be rewarded in
the afterlife. Their religious views lead them not to blame the capitalist class for their
poverty and thus not to revolt. For these reasons, said Marx, religion leads the poor to
accept their fate and helps maintain the existing system of social inequality.
◦ SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONALIST:
◦ It examines the role that religion plays in our daily lives and the ways in which we
interpret religious experiences.
◦ Symbolic interactionist study the ways in which people practice their faith and interact
in houses of worship and other religious settings, and they study how and why religious
faith and practice have positive consequences for individual psychological and
physical well-being.
◦ Religious symbols indicate the value of the symbolic interactionist approach. A
crescent moon and a star are just two shapes in the sky, but together they constitute
the international symbol of Islam. A cross is merely two lines or bars in the shape of a “t,”
but to Christians it is a symbol with deeply religious significance. A Star of David consists
of two covered triangles in the shape of a six-pointed star, but to Jews around the
world it is a sign of their religious faith.
◦ Religious rituals and ceremonies also explain the symbolic interactionist approach. They
can be deeply intense and can involve crying, laughing, screaming, illusory conditions,
a feeling of oneness with those around you, and other emotional and psychological
states. For many people they can be transformative experiences, while for others they
are not transformative but are deeply moving nonetheless.
◦ 5. MAJOR RELIGIONS OF WORLD:
◦ CHRISTIANITY:
◦ Christianity is the most widely practiced religion in the world, with more than 2 billion
followers.
◦ Jesus is the Son of God and in normal Christian denominations he is God the Son, the
second Person. He is believed to be the Jewish messiah (the Christ) who is prophesied
in the Hebrew Bible, which is called the Old Testament in Christianity. he died for the
forgiveness of sins and was raised from the dead and exalted by God, and will return
soon at the inception of God's kingdom.
◦ Christianity Beliefs
◦ Some basic Christian concepts include:
◦ Christians are monotheistic, i.e, they believe there’s only one God, and he created the
heavens and the earth. This divine Godhead consists of three parts: the father (God
himself), the son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit.
◦ The essence of Christianity revolves around the life, death and Christian beliefs on the
resurrection of Jesus. Christians believe God sent his son Jesus, the messiah, to save the
world
◦ Christians contend that Jesus will return to earth again in what’s known as the Second
Coming.
◦ SYMBOLE OF RELIGON:
◦ The cross is a symbol of Christianity.
◦ CEREMONIES:
◦ The most important Christian holidays are Christmas (which celebrates the birth of
Jesus) and Easter (which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus).
◦ THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE:
◦ The Christian Bible is a collection of 66 books written by various authors. It’s divided into
two parts: The Old Testament and the New Testament.
◦ The Old Testament, which is also recognized by followers of Judaism describes the
history of the Jewish people, specific laws to follow&details the lives of many prophets,
and predicts the coming of the Messiah. In new testament it is said that how the
messiah will come when the end of the world is near.
◦ 10 COMMANDMENTS OF JESUS:
◦ Love God.
◦ Love your neighbor as yourself.
◦ Forgive others who have wronged you.
◦ Love your enemies.
◦ Ask God for forgiveness of your sins.
◦ Jesus is the Messiah and was given the authority to forgive others.
◦ Repentance of sins is essential.
◦ Don’t be hypocritical.
◦ Don’t judge others.
◦ The Kingdom of God is near. It’s not the rich and powerful—but the weak and poor—
who will inherit this kingdom.
◦ PLACE OF WORSHIP:
◦ . A church is central to the Christian faith, and it is where the community comes
together to worship and praise God
◦ FORBIDDEN FOODS:
◦ The only dietary restrictions specified for Christians in the New Testament are to
"withdraw from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of inhibited animals“.
◦ JUDAISM:
◦ Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years.
Followers of Judaism believe in one God. God first revealed himself to a Hebrew man
named Abraham, who became known as the founder of Judaism.
◦ Jews believe that God made a special agreement with Abraham and that he and his
descendants were chosen people who would create a great nation.
◦ JUDAISM BELIEVS: Most Jews (with the exception of a few groups) believe that their
Messiah hasn’t yet come but will one day.
◦ PLACE OF WORSHIP: Jewish people worship in holy places known as synagogues, and
their spiritual leaders are called rabbis.
◦ SYMBOLE OF JUDAISM: The six-pointed Star of David is the symbol of Judaism.
◦ HOLY BOOK: TORAH( torait) The Jewish sacred text is called the Tanakh or the “Hebrew
Bible.” It includes the same books as the Old Testament in the Christian Bible, but
they’re placed in a a little different order.
◦ JEWISH CEREMONIES:
◦ Passover: This holiday lasts seven or eight days and celebrates Jewish freedom from
slavery in Egypt.
◦ Rosh Hashanah: known as the Jewish new year.
◦ Yom Kippur: This “Day of Apology” is considered the holiest day of the year for Jews
who typically spend it fasting and praying.
◦ Hanukkah: This Jewish celebration, also known as the “Festival of Lights,” lasts eight
days.
◦ KOSHER FOODS:
◦ meat(cow,sheep,goats), milk ,fish. Pork is haram.
◦ 3: ISLAM:
◦ Islam is the second largest religion in the world after Christianity with about 1.91 billion people. People
◦ who follow Islam are known as Muslims. Islam was created in the 7 th century, the youngest religion in
◦ the world. Islam was started in Mecca Saudi Arabia during the time of Prophet Muhammad’s life.
◦ Muslims are monotheistic and worship one God who is known as Allah. Followers of Islam believe that
◦ nothing can happened without the permission of Allah. Islam teaches that Allah’s word was revealed to
◦ the prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Muslims contend that Muhammad was the final
◦ prophet.
◦ PLACE OF WORSHIP
◦ Mosques are places where Muslims worship together. Muslims can also pray separately at home on
◦ Janyamaz. Some important Islamic holy places :include the Ka’aba shrine in Mecca, the Al-Aqsa
mosque in Jerusalem, and the Prophet Muhammad’s mosque in Medina.
◦ SYMBOL: The symbol of Islam is Crescent and star.
◦ HOLY BOOK OF ISLAM: The holy book of Islam is Quran.
◦ HALAL AND HARAM FOOD: In Islam pork and any product prepared with alcohol or animal fats is haram.
◦ 4: BUDDHISM:
◦ Buddhism is a faith that was founded by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) more than
2,500 years ago in India.
◦ There are 507 million followers of Buddhism. Buddhism one of the major world religions.
◦ Buddhists do not believe in any kind of god because they believe that the human life is
one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior
are the ways to achieve enlightenment, or nirvana.
◦ PLACE OF WORSHIP: Followers of Buddhism can worship in temples or in their own
homes.
◦ SYMBOL: There is no single symbol for Buddhists because there are number of images of
Buddhists.
◦ HOLY BOOK OF BUDDHISM: There are three holy books of Buddhism, Tipitaka, Sutras and
the book of the dead.
◦ HALAL AND HARAM FOOD:
◦ Buddhists do not eat any kind of meat or fish. They are purely vegetarian.
◦ HOLLYDAYS IN BUDDHISM:
◦ Magha Puja Day and Sangha Day This celebration usually occurs on the day of full
moon in March. On this day, it is believed that the Buddha gave his disciples a
message.
◦ Buddhist New Year For three days after the first full moon of April.
◦ Wesak birth and death of Buddha is remembered.
◦ Dharma Day This day honors the start of the teachings of Buddha
◦ 6: ELEMENTS OF RELIGION:
◦ Following are the 7 most basic elements of religion in sociology.
◦ Beliefs on supernatural. It is the awareness of brain we have beliefs in one God, Dooms
day, Angels, Sacred books, good and bad Luck, while Hindus believe in more than one
God.
◦ ACTS DEFINED AS SINFUL Every religion define some acts as profane or sinful. The
follower of religion avoid sinful activities because it is prohibited. It can be food, acts
like murder, abusing etc.
◦ SOME METHOD OF SALVATION: All religion consider salvation as an ultimate goal of life.
Every religion have their own method of salvation.
◦ PROCEDURE OF WORSHIP: Everyone religion has its own specific procedure of
worshipping. The follower of religion worship the supernatural power in the form of a
statue.
◦ PLACE OF WORSHIP: Every religion has its own definite place of worship in which people
offer their prayers. The Hindu worship in a Temple, Muslims in a Mosque, Christians in
Church etc.
: RITUAL: Every religion have different rituals which are practically performed. These rituals
are performed by individual or group of individuals with reference to their religion. If an
individual failed to perform rituals related to their religion it is considered as a sin. For
example Muslims do Namaz alone or collectively in a Mosque. Hindus pray in temples
and Christians give flower to Jesus Christ and then pray.
BELIEF IN THE HOLY: In every religion people belief in different sacred things and they
started to believe that this is the heart of the religion. This belief in the holy things are
mentally constructed because they are not visible. It is only based on faith rather than
evidence. For example in Hindu religion cow is holy because of the faith of Hindus.
◦ 7. CATEGORIES OF RELIGION:
◦ Prayer: addressing the super natural, custom in all cultures ,public or private, includes
exorcism and speaking to the soul of a human. Prayers reflect culturally conceived
nature of divine, frequency important in many cultures.
◦ Music: singing and playing instruments. Dancing- can represent supernatural world,
means of telling religious stories and often involves manipulation of physical symbols.
◦ Exhoration: addressing another human being...like preaching
◦ Reciting: the code mythology, morality, and other aspects of the belief system. Sacred
oral or written literature, which asserts what is truth in religion. Myths, moral injunctions.
◦ Simulation: imitating things, ritual to control the supernatural. Copied magic,
contagious magic involves taking something from a person like voodoo. Involves ritual
procedure, divination like reading palms etc.
◦ Mana: touching things the passage of valuable qualities from touching things like
Apollo or baseball players.
◦ Taboo: not touching things to come into contact with certain objects or individuals.
◦ Feast: eating or drinking a sacred meal that contains a supernatural force or power.
Power believed to be derived from spiritual being. Power safely acquired if consumed
in context of ritual.
◦ Sacrifice: immolation, offerings and dues.
◦ Worshipers: processions meetings and convocations, social expression of religious
behavior all come together at some time.
◦ Inspiration: sudden, spontaneous interruptions of mood and thought. Auditory or visual
hallucination thought to be communication for the divine. States of disassociation in
which individuals act.
◦ Symbolism: direct symbol- representation, indirect symbol-something that can be
agreed apon 2 represent certain things.
SOCIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION:
Social institution are there to fulfil men needs. Durkheim saw religion as worship of society not as
worship of a deity. Following are the functions:
1: PROVIDING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT AND SECURITY FOR BELIEVERS:
Religion have positive impact on mental health. Religion gives people something to believe in and it gives
a group of people to connect with over similar beliefs. Through interacting with other people it gives
emotional support and security for believers because it reduces suicide rates, drug usage etc.
2: RELIGION PROVIDES SOCIAL CONTROL:
Religion teaches people moral behavior and thus helps them learn how to be good members of society.
For example most of the people do not hurt or kill a person or commit any other sin due to fear of God. So,
it bring control in social life to a great extent.
3: RELIGION PROVIDES SOCIAL CHANGE:
Religion provides social change. It bring the people from the darkness of illiteracy and ignorance to the
light of education and development. It also brings changes in economic, cultural and social life.
4: RELIGION GIVES AN INDIVIDUAL IDENTITIES:
Religion serves as a powerful influence on an individual identity assuming that the person involved is
deeply religious or significantly committed to his religion. Religion intentionally offers beliefs, moral codes,
and values from which a young person can build a personal belief system.
5: RELIGION IS A FACTOR IN DIRECTING THE INDIVIDAL LIFE COURSE:
Religion prescribes rights, responsibilities and privileges that are associated with the life stage such as the
identity of the elders, ceremonies of marriage etc.