Paper 2: Culture & Identity- Sociologist Views On: Religion In The Socialisation Process

[MARXIST]

Argued that religion is a series of myths that justify and legitimate the subordination of protletarian and the domination and privilage of the ruling class. Thus, religion is an ideological apparatus that serves to reflect the ruling class ideas and interests.

According to him, religion socialises the working class into three sets of false ideas;

1) It promotes the idea that material success is a sign of God's favour, whereas poverty is interpreted as caused by wickedness, sin and immortality.

2) Religious teachings and the emphasis on blind faith serve to distract the poor and powerless from the true extent of their exploitation by the ruling class.

3) Religion makes exploitation, poverty and inequality bearable by promising a reward in the afterlife for those who accept without questioning their suffering or poverty here and now.

'Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.'

[FUNCTIONALIST]

According to him, the major function of religion is to socialise society's members into value consensus by investing certain values with a sacred quality (i.e, by infusing them with religious symbolism and special significance).

These values consequently become 'moral codes'- Beliefs that society agrees to revere and socialise children into.

Such codes regulate our social behaviour with regard to crime behaviour and obligation to others.

The ten commandments are a good example of a set of moral codes that have influenced both formal controls, such as the law (e.g, 'thou shalt not kill', 'thou shalt not steal'), as well as informal controls such as moral disapproval (e.g, 'thou shalt not commit adultery').

He believed that social life is impossible without the shared values and moral beliefs that form the collective conscience.

In worshipping, society are recognising the importance of the social group and their dependence on it. It is this way religion strengthens the unity of the social group: it promotes social solidarity.

He also emphasized the importance of collective worship. The social group comes together in religious rituals full of drama reverence. Together its members express their faith in common values and beliefs. In this atmosphere of collective worship, the integration of society is strengthened. Members of society express, communicate and understand the moral bonds which unite them.

[FEMINIST]

For her, religion acts for women in very similar ways to those in which Marx suggested religion could act oppressed classes. Religion can be used by the oppressors (men) to control the oppressed group (women) and it also serves as a way of compensating women for their second class status.

She notes that men have generally exercised control over religious beliefs. She says, 'Man enjoys the great advantage of having a God endorse the code he writes'. -That code uses divine authority to support male dominance.

She also says, ' For the Jews, Mohammedans and Christians, among others, man is master by divine right- The fear of God will therefore repress any impulse towards revolt in the downtrodden female.

Like Marx's proletariat, religion gives women the false belief that they will be compensated for their sufferings on Earth by equality in heaven. In these ways the suggestion of women through religion helps maintain a status quo in which women are unequal.

[FUNCTIONALIST]

He argued that human action is directed and controlled by norms provided by the social system via religion. Religion general guidelines for action in the form of beliefs, values and systems of meaning.

As such, religious beliefs provide guidelines for human and standards against which people's conduct can be evaluated, for the benefit of everyone.

[FEMINIST]

She sees religion as playing a role in women's oppression: Men distort and misinterpret religion to serve their own interests.

For example, the 'story of Adam and Eve', which accepted by both Christians and Muslims as a part of the story of creation. Eve is usually portrayed by males as a temptress who created sin is n the world, but was created by Adam's spare rib. However, if we read the original story as described in the Old Testament, it is easy to us to clearly see that Eve was gifted with knowledge, intelligence and superior mental capabilities.

She concludes that female oppression is not essentially due to religion, though has played a large part. She says 'The great religions of the world uphold similar principles in so far as the submission of women to men is concerned. They also agree in the attribution of masculine characteristics to their God.

However, it should not be assumed that all religions are, and always have been, equally oppressive to women. Furthermore, even apparently oppressive practices may be open to various integrations. One example is the veiling of Islamic women. To many Muslim women, the hijab or religious modesty, actually has advantages for women, which can reduce or allow them to cope with male oppression than happens regardless of religion. The veil has the potential both to constrain and to liberate.