Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding religion today Essay

Assess the usefulness of functionalist theories in understanding righteousness today (33 marks) There ar a variety of varied definitions of righteousness including substantive definitions, which refers to focusing on the content or substance of a religious belief much(prenominal) as God, functional definitions, which refers to religion in terms of the amicable or psychological functions it carries out for the individual and in that location are withal accessible constructionist definitions which focus on how members of golf-club truly define religion.Functionalists hold a consensus skyline and argue that monastic differentiate requires both social order and solidarity in order for it to run smoothly, and religion is 1 style of providing this as it encourages share norms and values. As previously mentioned, functionalists argue that social order and solidarity to run smoothly Durkheim argued that on that point are four primary(prenominal) ways in which religion curbs value consensus.One way is finished the set apart and profane, he argued that sacred referred to things that are separate from nightclub and pretend feelings of awe, wonder and fear whereas profane referred to things that were inferior with no real significance. Durkheim indeed argued that the only thing powerful enough to inspire pot in the way religion does is society itself thusly meaning people are non worshipping their religion or god, but in fact society this means that people unite under the same belief, spreading share norms and values entirely over and therefore creating consensus within society. Another way in which religion helps to maintain value consensus is through Totemism Durkheim argued that heart of all religions could be identified by examining its simplest form in the simplest type of society which he called a grade society.He carried out a cartoon in Australia with a tribe with a clan system. (Arunta) This tribe consisted of a close knit commu nity who carried out rituals together with involved the worshipping of a sacred totem, such as a plant of leaf that identifies the clan therefore creating a sense of social order and solidarity. Totemism is similar to the sacred and profane as it causes individuals to unknowingly worship society instead of a God or supernatural being, therefore again spreading shared norms and values. However, there are criticisms to this view Worsley argues that there is no difference mingled with the sacred and profane and his view of totemism would only apply to small denture communities with a single religion, but not larger scale communities with duple religions as there are ordinarily conflicts between them,meaning there is no longer social order and solidarity.Malinowski argues that religion promotes social order and solidarity through it psychological functions, which helps individuals who are going through hardship therefore preventing them from going against societys shared norms and v alues. Malinowski suggested deuce different types of state of affairs in which religion helps to perform this role. One way is when the outcome is measurable but is uncontrollable he compared the differences between two different ways of fishing when acquiting out a study in the Western Pacific, he argued that lagoon fishing is predictable, safe and has a to a greater extent successful mode of catching fish meaning there is no ritual. However, when the islanders were ocean fishing, he identified it as more dangerous and uncertain which required the islanders to carry out rituals in order to ensure their safety whilst fishing. Malinowski argued that the ritual gave the islanders a sense of control and more confidence, again highlighting solidarity.The other blank space was at times of life crises, this meant events that cause significant change such as birthdays, weddings, and death religion is useful as it helps bring miniscule disruption. Similarly, Parsons argues that relig ion helps individuals to handle unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes. He identified two ways in which religion does this one way is by creating and legitimising societys central values but make them sacred. For example, in the USA, Protestantism helped recognize the American core values of meritocracy, individualism and self-disciple sacred.This therefore helps to promote social order and solidarity as the vast majority of Americans would have the same norms and values, creating little(a) conflict and greater social cohesion. The other way is by respond peoples ultimate questions, such as who created the earth, and why do some people die young. It gives individuals a sense of security and makes people less likely to rebel against society. However, not all sociologists agree with the functionalists and their view of religion and its role.Feminists argue that the role of religion is to oppress women and help maintain patriarchate within society. One way in which religion maintains patriarchy is through religious organisations these are significantly male dominated, for example, Orthodox Judaism and universality do not allow women to become priests. Armstrong argues that this is evidence for the marginalisation of women in religion and society. Places of worship often separate the sexes, placing men on more holy ground with women sitting behind a screen. Women are also not allowed to preach or read from sacred texts.Additionally, menstruating women are not allowed to touch the Quran, this therefore reinforces patriarchy as women are forbidden from doing master(prenominal) rituals within their holy ground and are also discriminated against. Sacred texts are often focused on the actions of male gods and prophets and are commonly scripted by men. Women who are featured in sacred texts are commonly portrayed through stereotypes such as Eve, who caused the fall of humanity and riddance from the Garden of Eden. Lastly, religious laws and customs ensure that women are given fewer rights than men, such as access to divorce, how many spouses they can have, decision making etc. In conclusion, there are a variety of different theories as to the usefulness of lack of in regards to religion.