Chapter 17

Religion
In Conflict and Order:
Understanding Society, 11th edition
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 Sociological Study of Religion
• Sociologists study religion for two
fundamental reasons
– Religion is a ubiquitous phenomenon that has
tremendous impact on human behavior.
– Sociologists study religion because of its
influence on society and society’s influence on
religion.

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 What is Religion?
• Religion is a social construction.
• Religion deals with the ultimate of human
concerns—the meaning of life and death.
• There is an emphasis on human conduct.
• There is a distinction between the sacred
and the secular.

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 What is Religion?
• Because the sacred is held in awe, there
are beliefs to express and reinforce proper
attitudes among believers about the
sacred.
• Rituals consist of symbolic actions that
reinforce the collective remembering of the
group’s shared meanings.
• An essential ingredient of religion is the
existence of a community of believers.

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 Classical Sociology’s Differing
Interpretations of Religion
• Religion from the Order Perspective of
Emile Durkheim
– As people meet to affirm common beliefs and
values, they are bound together in a moral
community.

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 Classical Sociology’s Differing
Interpretations of Religion
• Religion from the Conflict Perspective of
Karl Marx
– Religion inhibits societal change by making
social arrangements seem right and
inevitable.
– Religion promotes the status quo.
– Religion is the ultimate tool to promote false
consciousness.

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 Classical Sociology’s Differing
Interpretations of Religion
• Max Weber’s view of Religion and Social
Change
– Religious ideology serves as the catalyst for
economic change.
– Weber’s analysis of the relationship between
Calvinist ideology and the rise of capitalism
demonstrates this.

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 Some Distinctive Features
of U.S. Religion
• Civil Religion is the belief that “God and
country” are one.
• Although most people in the U.S. identify
with Christianity, there is a wide variety of
religious belief in the U.S.
• Religious Organizations
– Church
– Sect
– Cults

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 Class, Race, Gender,
Sexuality, and Religion
• The Relationship between Social Class and
Religion
– The lower the social class, the greater the
probability of belonging to a religious sect.
– There is a relationship between social class
and denomination.
– The higher the social class of the member, the
greater his or her involvement and influence in
the local church.

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 Class, Race, Gender,
Sexuality, and Religion
• Religious groups hold beliefs or behave in
ways that support the racial, gender, and
sexuality norms of society.

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Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007
 Religious Trends
• Decline in the Mainline Denominations
– The reasons for the decline in the mainline
denominations are not altogether clear.
– These churches are often bureaucratic and
impersonal.
– Their beliefs are pluralistic.

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Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007
 Religious Trends
• Rise of Christian Fundamentalism
– Emphasis on converting other people to their
faith
– Emphasis on community
– Offer the truth
– Instance that society has made wrong choices
and that we must go back to laws and customs
based on biblical truths
– Evangelicals appeal directly to youth and young
adults
– Some of these churches have become huge
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 Religion from the Order and
Conflict Perspectives
• From the Order Perspective
– Emphasis is placed on the solidarity functions of
religion, which is seen as good.

• From the Conflict Perspective

– Religious beliefs have negative consequences
because they sanctify the status quo.
– Religion legitimates the interests of the powerful while
also justifying the existence of inequality.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007