Religion: functionalist perspective

Society is defined and shaped by religion in a variety of dynamic ways. A constantly evolving religion leads to a shifting community. In a community, the church and society function as one. The relationship between society and religion is described from a variety of angles. The functionalism perspective, which Emile Durkheim established, emphasizes social solidarity and value consensus as the key pillar in upholding religion and the well-being of a community (89). He links religion and social life together and uses sacred symbols to acknowledge a higher power and serve as a model for how society should live. Conversely, Marx perspective agrees with the functional idea and adds by stating that religion is a conservative force shaping a social behavior (46). The author further tags religion as “the opium of people” which nourishes spirits. He claims that religion places people in a consciousness class that constrains people from seeking revolutionary change. The writer differentiates his perspective from Durkheim’s by adding consciousness to the idea. Perspectives employed in the paper assists in explaining the role of religion in a community.

The functionalist perspective

Durkheim approach to society and religion depends on self-worship of human society and celebration. He proposed that religion have three major functions in a society, which includes: maintaining social solidarity by sharing beliefs and rituals, value consensus and enforcing religious morals to control the society. Durkheim encloses himself in a positivist tradition and finding out why people’s love for religion is declining using scientific methods. He wanted to know the problem with the modern society on cohesion (Lukes and Steven 21). The author deprives essence of religion even though he acknowledges its actual existence. All the societies across the world belong to a religious group, which is real and expresses the face of a particular community. People perceive religion as a mightier force in the world, and we perceive it has a supreme being who we look up to in the various situation. Durkheim believes religion is powerful since it is carried out in masses with a common consciousness, which makes it be a reality (79). As a result, more complex societies have complex religions while less complex societies like Aborigines in Australia which have clans making their religion less complex. As different communities interact with other communities, a feeling of empathy may develop towards each religion to a greater extent across the universe. Moreover, differences arise in labor division, which is important to the individual as most religions focus on a personal conscience and salvation as a priority.

The major criticism that overlooks a religion’s dysfunction in a perspective of structural-function approach. For example, some churches justify violence and terrorism. The religion has been used for justification and motivation of violence, war, and terrorism. These religions still carry the structural-function characteristic that unites a social group with a common conflict of interest. In most scenarios, social cohesion brings members of a terrorist group together since various religious groups have conflicts without questioning another group on their actions against a member of a certain society.

The functionalist perspective faces various criticism since it is based on second-hand anthropology and elementary forms of religious life. Additionally, Durkheim had little knowledge about Totenism and Aboriginal tribes on which his perspective majorly relies on for an explanation. His analysis cannot be used universally since its application is limited to specific communities (50). Durkheim presents the idea of religions worshipping their societies, a perspective that faced many criticisms as the majority of individuals worship God and unlikely to perceive their communities in the same way (56). As a result, the existing religions are considered worshipping a false form in which its conscious based.

Durkheim believes that no religion, no society (60). He clarifies that society is greatly attached to religion and all the changes happening in the communities are as a result of changes happening in religion. The author claims that religion consists of value consensus and social solidarity which is necessary for the building a good society. According to the idea, he claimed all the communities belong to a certain religious group. He employs common consciousness which all the societies have a moral community to exist. Although there are several societies across the world, they all have a common structure. The writer supposes that more mature community has many people who support and rally behind them. Additionally, he blames the multiple religion for the insecurity status like; war, terrorism, and violence, which is a result of certain religion believing in certain common goal.

Marxism perspective

Marx perspective agrees with the functional idea and adds by stating that religion is a conservative force shaping a social behavior. Marx presents his argument saying that religion is ”the opium of the people.“ The author claimed that religion is present to make individuals accept their situations and condemn acts of oppression in a community. He acknowledges religion as nourishment to a person’s spirit, and it can shape individual’s life by making them live decently in society (Marx 35). Many religions preach to its people to believe that universe control is out of their reach and instead, they lead their member into believing in the existence and how powerful is their supreme being. The received perspective hinders individuals from changing the world by any means. Thus, the world rotates around the Sun, has a spherical shape and remains in the same state. Marx claims the religions deceive people by encouraging them into false consciousness rather than class consciousness, which will allow individuals to change the universe to their desires (37). Conversely, Marx believes that communism arises from the class structure developed by class consciousness with a high probability of creating a polarized community (47). Similarly, Marx blames religion for the community inequality and oppression in the society while hindering the evolution of the world (50). The above claims correlate with the perspective of conservative force since religion massively affects society’s activities limiting them to regulations offered by the religion. Majority of individuals in the world focus on the afterlife rewards as stated in various religion thus acting as a hindrance people from revolutionizing the universe from the present situation. People believe righteous ways will be rewarded by their supreme being (Marx 39). Depending on this situation with the values and consensus people allow inequality and oppressing to take a course in their lives.

Marx observed the way God created human beings as used by the ancient societies to account for the world structure, which grew gradually becoming perspective of legitimization of the state of their religion (Marx and Friedrich 72). Marx believes that religion has interfered with reality since they portray them as ideological apparatus, which appears to be educational in Althusser’s eyes. Marx’ idea tries to prove the basis of false consciousness and class consciousness.

The writer blamed religion for the existence of communism in the world and claimed that communist society would disappear with the disappearance of religion. Marx despises religion stating that is an opiate and offers no solutions to the existing problems. Instead, it suppresses pain and suffering in the world. The state made Marx deduce that religious movements arise from the oppressed class (Marx and Friedrich 72). His findings state that Christianity originated from the oppressed class in the society. Max believed that emancipated slaves and religion of slaves were deprived rights and subjugated and dispersed by Rome due to poverty.

According to Early Marxism, it is possible to live without religion in the society (Marx and Friedrich 72). Corresponding to his idea, he states that religion has a conservative force that hinders people from developing fully, rather, they focus on seeking salvation. He tries to demonstrate that the universe is stack in exploration. Max added that people had left their responsibility to a ”false” and non-existing supreme being. Max admits that religion is oppressing and making people suffer and there is nothing in the afterlife (79). He sees people suffering from fasting, and he states that it is useless to pray to a supreme imaginary being to change the world. Marx believes that someone religious is justifying their social class; poor people, while non-religious people have high living standards. Additionally, he considers religion is the creation of the slaves and low-class people. The writer stated that ending religion is the beginning of a greater achievement of man in the world.

Question 3

In this world, not everybody possesses the liberty to act in the manner in which they desire. Individuals are frightened of remaining who they are as for the prices they have to pay. in today’s world, Societal discrimination is the primary concern. It is the actuality of unbalanced chance and recompenses for distinct social ranks in the public. Some common causes of shared disparities are sexual category and orientation, race and culture, the perception of age, immigration, earnings, and psychological health and level of education. Studies reveal that disparities are still in existent at the moment as it was in the earlier. However, some little changes are differing from nation to nations. Various researchers have described social inequality mainly as financial disparity or as class and stature inequity.

Weber noted that group inequalities are the organization of individuals established on their monetary status. Individuals are separated corresponding to their societal gauge (56) Max describes that group disparity happens because of classifying societies in line with their livelihood for instance Career and prominence for example physicians, engineers (458). In-between experts as well as managerial staffs for example educators and agriculturalists; skilled for non-physical occupation for instance subordinates and skillful for labor-intensive such as mineworkers, blacksmith; semi-trained for example farm labors, train conductors; inexperienced such as construction site laborers.

Weber illustrates that in understanding societal disproportion rank is as substantial as wealth and supremacy (89). As a small-scale object for conduct, prestige is as noteworthy as money and power. At a large-scale level, status steadies’ money and control disproportion by converting it to social ranking attitudes regarding societal discrepancies on who is ”outshine” (respected as well as capable). Nonetheless, social rank attitudes regarding which classifies are ”superior” set up societal diversities as self-regulating factors of inequity that produce substantive benefits owing to class affiliation itself. Standing in for minor-level group relationships in places of work, academic institution, and to different areas. Standing views partiality competency assessments and appropriateness for power, prejudice relationship inclinations and induce conflict of stature confronts from lower-status grouping. The effects build up to direct adherents of upper-class society to positions of possessions and control at the same time as keeping back lesser class grouping. Through the courses, standing composes group dissimilarities for instance sex, ethnic group, and class-based way of life into managerial of wealth and power configurations, fabricating permanent inequity. Rank is, therefore, a universal design after permanent discrepancy patterns centered on social dissimilarities.

Max remarked that reputation is propagated not only by inherent personalities, for instance, sex, but likewise through socio-demographic aspects, such as marital standing, families, as well as educational qualifications (486). A person’s professional track similarly accredits to upper or minor classes. The excellent reasonable description for this difference in status and earnings is that managers use to pigeonhole, expectations, and beliefs to direct their appointment habits.

Reasons for statement that social inequity is bad

1. Economic inequality can offer wealthy individuals degree of control over other people’s lives that is unacceptable

If wealth is not evenly allocated in the community, well-off individuals are the ones who always end up controlling several factors of the lives of poverty-stricken people: over what such people can purchase, how and where they can work, also overall how their lives will turn out to be (Weber 458). Such as, proprietorship of a public media outlet, like television channels and newspapers, be able to offer control over how other persons see themselves and the life they are living, likewise in what way they understand their societies.

2. Economic inequality can undermine the fairness of political institutions

In the case individuals working in political offices have to rely on big donations to conduct their campaigns, their demands together with the interest of wealthy contributors will be responded to faster, and the poor will be unfairly represented (Weber 458).

3. Economic inequality demoralizes the fairness of the economic system itself

Economic inequality makes it tough to make equality of opportunity. Income inequality implies that other kids will join the staff when they are more prepared than others (Weber 458). It is always hard for persons with few properties to get the initial slight stages to a bigger opportunity, for example, a loan to pay for an advanced degree or to start a business.

The extent which different authors consider social inequity a problem

Inequality Stifles Growth

Weber observed that inequality could act as a constructive impact on economic development in the short period (28). Nevertheless, Marx, eight also noted that when a high level of economic in inequality exists for a long-term, then people would experience high-level poverty. Poverty is directly connected to increased misconduct and pathetic community health that affect the economy of a nation. In instances where a country experiences swelling food prices and lower incomes than the support of government policies declines. Rich citizen sustains uneven political power compared to the citizen who is poor hence encouraging the creation of insufficient tax structure where the wealthy individuals are favored. Uneven distribution of income surges political instability, which discourages capital accumulation, surges the risk of state repudiated contracts and threatens property rights. A widening poor-rich gap tends to surge the rate of predatory market and rent-seeking behaviors that hamper economic growth. Marx depicts a positive relationship between crime and income inequality. According to the research survey that was conducted between 1968 and 1990, it was evident that economically unequal communities tend to have higher crime rates. Weber concluded ”inequality is the single factor most closely and consistently related to crime” (360).

Inequality Decreases Education

Marx reveals the relationship between poverty and education. A nation that upholds economic equality and tends to have small low-income population tends to have a significantly higher level of education (6). Whereas in economically unequal society average level of education decreases while the number of educational elites increases. Weber observed that there was a relationship between education and inequality in unequal society since there is a lesser investment in education. In an unequal society, there are no private and public scholarship program hence the poor find it difficult to fund for education or devote their time in school but they would rather spend their time working. When children are not able to access education, their future salaries or wages potential decreases and the probability of the child’s family to dwell in poverty is high. CU Marx observed that in an unequal society the support that the government accords public education program is limited 219). Weber noted ”Public education programs incline to be ostracized with the rich because they include taking public funds, which frequently mainly comprise of taxes levied on the rich, and rearranging those resources to the underprivileged” (29). In an unequal society, the rich do not care about the education of the poor citizens since they aim to secure the future of their children by ensuring their children get the best education (Max 29). The rich tend to take their children in expensive within the country and sometimes outside the country.

Inequality Decreases Health

Weber observed that in an unequal society the rich tend to be richer whereas the poor remain poor (360). As a result, the defining feature of economic inequality is a less effective in, higher mortality and disease rates, progressively deepening poverty for afflicted groups, higher health care costs, and lower-income workforce. In unequal society the rich access fresh and balanced foods whereas the poor access foods that are not fresh and are detrimental to their health. Marx depicts that in an unequal society the government tends to focus less on funding or promoting agricultural activities in the country (316). As a result, the quantity of the quality of the food decreases immensely, and people start consuming unhealthy food that may have long-term effects on their health. The productivity of Citizen who are unhealthy reduces hence affecting the economy of the country. Poor health increases the poverty level of a person since the little income they earn or have saved is used to for treatment.

Works cited

Marx, Karl. The Coming Upheaval (218-219). 1986.

Durkheim, Emile, and Joseph Ward Swain. The elementary forms of the religious life. Courier Corporation, 2008 21-225.

Lukes, Steven. ”Durkheim’s ‘Individualism and the Intellectuals’.“ Political Studies 17.1 (1969): 43-57.

Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The economic and philosophic manuscripts of 1844 and the Communist Manifesto. Prometheus Books, 2009 70-81.

Marx, Karl. Writings of the young Marx on philosophy and society. Hackett Publishing, 1997 35-39.

Marx: Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy (3-6). (1979).

Weber: The Nature of Social Action (7-13, 28-32). (1989).