Durkheim and Webers Views on the Social Role of Religion in Society - Essay Example

Durkheim and Weber’s Views on the Social Role of Religion in Society Agreeably, religion is one of the mechanisms to socialize individuals in the society, and so it influences the society’s social stability. It creates regulations in the society and ensures that societal members behave appropriately and receive necessary comfort especially when they have problems. Scholars such as Emile Durkheim and Marx Weber spent their time doing research on religion and its social role in the society. According to Durkheim, religion is an expression of individuals’ collective consciousness and society and every society has its own religion. He argues that it is only religion that provides a clear distinction between what is sacred from that which is considered profane (Cipriani, n.d). The main function of religion in social life is to unite societies. Durkheim stated the functions of religion such as stability and cohesion, social identity, and social control among others, and he claims that these functions are very important for society to maintain order. He stated that religion was an indication of social cohesion in the society, and so he argued further that modern societies are more secularized and this has diminished mechanical solidarity in these societies (Giddens, 1971). On the other hand, Weber’s views on religion were centred on the connection between religion and economy as he reasoned that Protestantism greatly influenced the emergence and development of capitalism in the society. This paper critically assesses Durkheim and Weber’s views on the social role of religion in society. Durkheim defined religion based on its function within the society, and he viewed religion as a means of social cohesion arguing that it helps maintaining the society stable and integrated. He defined religion as “a unified belief system relative to sacred things, and that the sacred things are those that are set apart and forbidden” (Cipriani n.d, p.73). Religious beliefs and practices significantly contribute to unity of individuals into a single moral community like the church. He argues that religion is more than just a set of beliefs; it involved prescribed ritual practices and definite institution, which in this case is the church (Giddens, 1971). Religion provides a framework for the values and perceptions that societal members hold, and that the primary role of religion in the society is social integration. Actually, to present a clear understanding of the effects of religion on social solidarity, Durkheim studied a primitive society. His aim was to show how religion connects people and regulate their behaviour. Durkheim reasoned that religion helps in establishing social solidarity because it provides a means of understanding the world. Durkheim was convinced that religion is all about community since it creates togetherness among people, controls individuals’ behaviours and strengthening individuals during difficult moments. He views religion as a community activity and that these activities involved in religion help in strengthening the society. He argues further that social institutions are formed based on religion and that “society is the soul of religion” (Durkheim and Pickering 2011, p.282). Ideally, Durkheim’s view on religion does not focus more on God but the solidarity of society. He focused on how religion influenced society and he agreed with Marx that religion is a reflection of society and not an external supernatural reality. Durkheim views God as society itself and he tries to relate the characteristics of God and that of the society, for instance, he argues that God is a superior being that humans depend on. Consequently, society promotes the sense of perpetual dependence. In doing this, he shows the importance of religion in stabilizing the society and binding societal members. Durkheim’s view on religion is based on the theory of functionalism (Back, 2012), and according to him, the purpose of religion is to enhance and maintain social stability in the society by eliminating social tensions that are likely to disrupt social order. In addition, he argues that religious rituals play a significant role connecting people as they meet together to support societal values (Jordan, Lockyer, Tate and Haisley, 2004). Durkheim believes that religion assist in maintaining and fostering social order in the society allowing individuals to live harmoniously. Accordingly, he strongly believed that a cohesive society can be achieved and maintained effectively through religion. He believes that religion is capable of bringing about social solidarity, social cohesion and value consensus. According to him, church creates an ethical system that helps in maintain relationships within and beyond the community. The religious rules promote social order and enhance the relationship of members of the society (Jordan, Lockyer, Tate and Haisley, 2004). According to him, religion is a very important entity in the society since it helps in maintaining peace and order and keeps the society out of chaos. Religion creates the mentality that society is sacred and so there is need for societal members to worship. Durkheim reasoned that everything in the society can be divided into the sacred and the profane and this helps in understanding the society. He states further that people are born selfish and individualistic and that religion is necessary as it assists societal members to shift from individualism. He states that religion helps society to teach its members respect and how to control their behaviour, live and interact harmoniously. Despite the positive arguments on religion and its social role in the society, Durkheim argued that political and community ideals like human rights would replace religion as a unifying agent in the society. Although Durkheim wrote about religion when religion was a highly valued institution as compared to the contemporary world, he has been criticized for overemphasizing the positives of religion. Durkheim presented only positive aspects of religion in the society and ignored any negativity that can be associated with religion. His work on religion is still popular in the contemporary societies especially in societies where religion is valued as the most important entity in the society addressing morality and questioning individuals’ behaviours. Max Weber viewed religion as a mechanism of society and he argues that society is made up many individuals and so religion is one important system that assists societal members to regulate and change themselves to survive. While Durkheim argued that religion is a very important system in creating social change in the society and strengthening society’s basic values, Weber claims that it is individuals’ ideas play a leading role in initiating change. He mentioned religious movements to be important agents of social change, and that religion was a major force behind social change (Jordan, Lockyer, Tate and Haisley, 2004). Weber particularly focused on the interrelationship between religion and economics, that is, he argued that the spirit of capitalism originated from the Protestant Work ethic. The Protestant Work ethic is guided by the principle of hard work and individualism, that is, it offers a moral and spiritual framework which can help an individual to live a good life. According to him, the Protestant Ethic and the spirit of capitalism promoted the emergence of modern capitalist society (Weber, 2001). In his work on religion, Weber observed the manner in which Protestantism resulted in the rise and development of capitalism, and capitalism in turn contributed to the reduced importance of religion in the contemporary world (Jordan, Lockyer, Tate and Haisley, 2004). Weber argues that religion particularly Calvinism facilitated the rise of modern capitalism because religion assists in defining motivation. Moreover, he reasoned that Protestantism focused on the individual and the individual’s need to work for the glory of God, that is, he argued that Protestantism reinforced material gain by convincing and motivation followers to work hard and be successful. Today, individuals’ persistent hard work and desire to be successful is influenced by this tradition (Weber, 2001). Weber argues further that societal members pursue their interests and the religious leaders and societal structures assist them to achieve these goals. In conclusion, the role of religion in the society has been a topic of discussion and many scholars including Durkheim and Weber did extensive research on this issue. Religion helps in strengthening the relationship and bond between individuals in the society. Religion creates rules that enhance societal social norms and values and control individuals’ behaviours. Notably, the primary function of religion is social integration that is, uniting societal members and creating values that control behaviour. Individuals are expected to behave in manner that is in line with what is considered sacred. Durkheim argues that religion is an important entity in the society since it helps the society to create and maintain social order. Some of the religious practices such as prescribed rituals serve as a ground where societal members meet together and affirm the values of the society collectively. He mainly focuses on the positives of religion in the society particularly in relation to social solidarity. On the other hand, Weber’s views on religion were based on the role of Protestantism in facilitating the rise and development of capitalism. He claims that the principles of the protestant work ethic like hard work and individualism helped in fostering capitalism as Protestants worked hard to be successful and live a good life. References Back, L. (2012). Cultural sociology: An introduction. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. Cipriani, R. (2000). The Sociology of Religion: An Historical Introduction. New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. Durkheim, E., & Pickering, W. S. F. (2011). Durkheim on religion: A selection of readings with bibliographies and introductory remarks. Cambridge [England]: James Clarke & Co. Giddens, A. (1971). Capitalism and modern social theory: An analysis of the writings of Marx, Durkheim and Max Weber. Cambridge [U.K.]: University Press. Jordan, A., Lockyer, N., Tate, E., & In Haisley, N. (2004). Philosophy of religion: For A level, for OCR. Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes. Weber, M. (2001). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. London: Taylor & Francis. Read More