The Impact of Sociological Theories, Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism on Religion - Research Paper Example

? The Impact of Sociological Theories, Functionalism, Conflict, and Interactionism on Religion In the humansociety religion has been occupying an important place since time immemorial. It is considered to be a “powerful” and “influential” force. The relationships of the people with each other, and influence on personal, economic, and political life is molded by religion. Beliefs and values of religion guides human action, both at the individual as well as from the society level. Thus religion and social dimensions are corollary to each other. The interest of sociologists in studying religion can be attributed to the increasing importance of it in motivating people. Further it is studied to understand the influence of society and religion on each other. Theories related to religion are also very crucial. Attempts to explain religion, its role in the society and at the individual level had begun in the nineteenth century and twentieth century. Writers such as Marx, Weber, Freud, and others had expressed their opinion through various theories (Swatos, n.d). In this light the paper would focus on the impact of sociological theories, functionalism, conflicts, and interactionism on religion. Sociological theories In the last two centuries the topic which has attracted the attention of the scholars is the nature of religion. Definition and any sort of discussions of religion have been based upon a close understanding of “humanity” and “human nature.” Hence most of the theories in the 19th century have an influence of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection. Here it is important to note that such theories are not unmotivated. Instead their existence is there because of a particular social context and as a response to a particular scenario they are written (Kunin, 2003). Impact on religious institutions and individuals Religious institutions perform a religious mission which is backed by faith. The existence of such institutions lies in the fact that their main work is to serve the vulnerable. A potential source of social platform is provided by religious institutions (Pearce & Denton. 2011). Sociologists while writing anything about religion are not concerned with the fairness of the religion. Their main concern is what the religion can do in future. The sociological theories also have impact on individuals who together constitute a family. Family is an institution and sociological theories affect it significantly. Functionalism in case of family implies that there is a head of the family responsible for earning income. The members are interdependent and they develop a “psychological bond” which gives them the required social support. Sociological theories by eminent sociologists attempted to explain their views about religious institutes. The existence of such institutions will be there as long as they are defended and not out of any “functional necessity or human need” (Edbaugh, 2005 p.416). Impact on social change Weber’s social theories were based on the fact that there was need to break away from the “materialistic” and “idealistic” methods of explanation. His views were neither scientific nor revolutionary. They were basically an outcome of the political scenario in Germany (Deflame, 2004). However the theories do form a basis for running a State irrespective of the fact that which country was kept in mind while it was formulated. Functionalism Functionalism has been a popular theory of religion in the 20th century. It has been of immense importance to social scientists. The term was “coined” by Bronislaw Malinowski but Emile Durkheim is considered the founding father of functionalism. It provides a guideline for those who study cultures and even religions. He wanted scholars to interpret the beliefs and rituals in terms of the function that they fulfill. In other words he wanted scholars to emphasize what the beliefs do for the culture. Purpose is not the function according to the functionalists. For example, praying for rain is not the purpose instead such activities fulfill one’s biological and psychological needs (Ellwood & Alles. 2007, p.160). The focus of functionalism is the “socialization” of groups or individuals in a society. According to the functionalists religion is central to the society and it performs many essential functions. Impact on religious institutions and individuals Durkheim believed that religious institutes are very important as they formed the “observable part of the religion. As religion is very important in the modern world these institutions becomes a medium of the functions associated with religion. For example we go to temples. They serve the function of being the place or medium where we can communicate with god and get spiritual satisfaction. The foundation of structural functionalism is highly inspired from Emile Durkheim’s ideas. Durkheim’s main question was regarding the maintenance of internal stability and survival over time. During the primitive time everyone did the same task and hence they were held together by a bond of “shared values, symbols or system of exchanges.” However in the modern complex world people perform different task and as a result there is a strong interdependence among individuals. Here one can say that the main concern of the structural functionalism would be the continuation of explaining the importance of stability and internal cohesion to ensure continuity (Cragun, et. al, n.d, p. 28). Thus in the modern age we find cohesion in the form of laws initiated by the State to maintain law and order among various diversifications to stabilize the existing system. Impact on social change The proponents of functionalism are of the view that religion plays an important role in integrating people of the society by encouraging ‘collective worshipping’. However this view of the functionalists has been criticized in the modern world because only a handful of people are religious and goes to churches. Under that circumstance the act of socializing a large number of people by religion comes under the scanner. The essence of functionalism lies in the fact that individuals who are born in a society are held together by social forces. These forces bring about conformity in the behavior of the individuals (Stephens & Leach, 1998. p.53). Conflict It has been argued by many sociologists that an integral part of social life is “social cohesion” and “conflicts”. Karl Marx had always seen conflicts as the road to social change. He firmly believes that the main struggle of the society is class struggle and religious conflict is just an expression of the “underlying class struggle.” On the other hand George Simmel thought conflicts as form of human interaction on one hand and on the other hand a form of association. He believed that conflicts can be constructive and at times very tragic also (Furseth & Repstad, 2006, p. 153). Impact on religious institutions and individuals The term conflict has become synonymous in the political and social life. However in many cases it has turned violent leading to loss of life, property, and humanity. Religion which is an important factor for peace building is viewed as a reason for such conflicts. The connections between religion and conflicts can be traced way back in the first century like the Jewish Roman war to the wars that took place in the 20th century like the Irish civil war. The impacts of religion on different people are different. It basically depends on how one incorporates religion in one’s life. Often religious teachings are used by people to justify a condemnable action (Religion, conflict and peace building, n.d). Religious institutions have often been accused if initiating conflicts. “Madrassahs” or “Islamic seminaries” in Pakistan in recent years have been accused of being linked to terrorism (Ali, 2009). Recently we have seen that conflicts on the basis of religion have increased a lot. Genocide on grounds of “jihad” has taken place, the most notable being the 9/11 attacks. Impact on social change American sociologist Lewis Coser is of the opinion that social conflicts can have a positive as well as a negative impact on the society. Conflicts can often lead to the weakening of the society. On the other hand conflicts can lead to stronger bond and maintenance of a social structure. Religious conflicts can also take place at different levels (Furseth & Repstad, 2006. P. 154). The attacks of 9/11 had developed anti Islamic views among many Americans. This type of conflicts often results in weakening of the society if not curbed at the onset. Interactionism Interactionism is basically the study of individuals. It tries to find out how human beings act within the society. It has become a topic of immense importance in the 20th century. Herbert Blumer thought symbolic interactionism to be a study of “human group and conduct.” The theory is very useful for analyzing human interaction (Nelson, 1998). The main tenet of symbolic interactionism is that the fact that human interactions are never one sided, instead there is always a “reciprocal influence.” In other words we can say that human beings can interact with each other with the aid of symbols. They understand it meaning and this in turn induces them to act in a particular way. Similarly religion is understood in terms of symbols in various forms like written works, place like temple, object like the cross or a higher power. This notion is applicable for all religions across the world. Impact on religious institutions and individuals The application symbolic interaction to the growth of the religious organization is almost negligible. It appears as if they lack the required contact and hence in many religious research works interactionist assumptions are not considered (Reynolds & Herman-Kinney, 2003. p. 625). Homosexuality had always been viewed as an abnormal feature in the personality of a person. Some consider it as a “condition” but for most people it is seen as s “sickness”, “a neurosis”, or even “a psychosis.” However the views of the interactionists while looking into homosexuality is different. They feel that homosexuality cannot be understood on the basis of society’s reactions as they are highly “stigmatized.” Interactionists opine that one should see homosexuality as an “interactive phenomenon.” Moreover they feel that it is a process and not a sudden leap (Seidman, 1996. P. 65-66). The views of the interactionists have not changed the position of the homosexuals completely but to a certain extent it reduced the hostility of the people towards it. Today people are more open in declaring about their sexuality unlike in the past. Impact on social change The process of interaction among people leads to the formation of society. Our thoughts and views are very much affected by it. The existence of society is there because individuals with their conscious minds are able to be a part of the society. The consciousness of an individual is nothing but an outcome of interactions (Burr, 2003, p.193). Further the views of the interactionists on homosexuality have to a certain extent brought a change in the attitude of the society towards such people. Comparative framework Sociology is basically concerned about the study of the human society. It is not a mere theoretical concept; it is scientific in approach and often backed by empirical work. It has its contribution in different fields and religion is one of them. The role of sociology in terms of religion deals with practices, developments and the role played by religion. The views have been written in the form of theories by eminent sociologists who depict the scenario from human perspective. The common feature in all the different forms like conflict, interactionism and functionalism has that they all have been formed keeping the human society in mind. All that differed was the area in which they dealt. Conflicting theories were more related to the class struggle and its eminent outcome. It was more revolutionary in nature. Functionalism on the other hand was more practical in nature. Interactionism on the other hand explained interaction from the point of view of symbols and has connected it very smoothly with religion. Conclusion Religion has occupied a very important role in our society since the inception of human beings. Its form and manner has evolved over the years. Many new religions came up and there was also the disintegration of existing religions to suit the changes. The advent of a sociological view through different theories by different schools of thought gave a new direction towards thinking. The theories in their own way paved the way for a broader analysis. Marxian theory of historical materialism clearly pointed out the transition of the society whereas interactionism theory voiced the implication of symbols in our life. The theories are not forced upon us yet in their own way sociological theories, functionalism, conflicts and interactionism has affected religion. References Burr, V. (2003), Social construction, London: Routledge. Ali, S.H. (2009). Islam and Education: Conflict and Conformity in Pakistan’s Madrassahs. Columbia, retrieved on September 21, 2011, from: http://jia.sipa.columbia.edu/reshaping-religious-institutions-studying-impact-state-involvement-and-regional-conflict-pakistan%E2%80%99s-0 Cragun, R. et al (n.d), Introduction to Sociology, Blacksleet River Deflem, M. (2004), Classical Sociological Theory, Cas, retrieved on September 21, 2011, from: http://www.cas.sc.edu/socy/faculty/deflem/zclassics.htm Ebaugh, H.R.F. (2005), Handbook of religion and social institutions. Switzerland, Birkhauser. Ellewood, S.R. & Alles, D.G. (2007), The encyclopedia of world religions. New York: Infobase Publishing. Furseth, I. & Repstad, P. (2006). An introduction to the sociology of religion: classical and contemporary perspectives. London: Ashgate Publishing. Kunin, D.S. (2003), Religion: the modern theories. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Nelson, D.L. 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