1. Defining Religion
A2 Beliefs in Society

3. “We have just enough religion to make
us hate, but not enough to make us
love one another.”
Jonathon Swift 1711

4. “Religion is the opium of the people”
Karl Marx 1843

5. “A Christian is a man who feels
repentance on a Sunday for what he did
on Saturday, and is going to do on
Monday.”
Thomas Russell Ybarra 1880

6. “So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind,
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.”
Francis Thompson 1913

7. “God seems to have left the receiver off
the hook….and time is running out.”
Arthur Koestler 1967

8. “Wherever God erects a house of
prayer,
The devil always builds a chapel there;
And t’will be found on examination,
The latter has the largest congregation.”
Daniel Defoe 1701

9. Definitions
Religion has been defined in many ways:
1. A belief in some kind of supernatural power
2. An expression of this belief in collective
worship
3. A set of moral values which guide action
4. A force which brings people together and
unifies society.

10. Substantive and Functional
definitions of religion
Substantive
This sociological definition focuses on
what religion is.
1. Belief in the supernatural
2. Relating to the scared

11. Belief in the supernatural
The supernatural refers to power
above the forces of nature.
Max Weber saw religion as a belief in
the supernatural.
Involves a belief in beings, powers or
forces superior to humans and which
cannot be explained by Science.

12. Relating to the Scared
Explanation provided by Emile
Durkheim
Key to religious beliefs is how society’s
members relate to things which they
view as sacred.
People divide the world in things
considered sacred and things
considered profane

13. Things or people seen as scared evoke
feelings of awe, respect and deference.
A supernatural being such as a god is
likely to be seen as sacred.
However it seems anything can be seen
as sacred. (e.g.) the resting place of a
saint to Christians, a cow to a Hindu.

14. Functional
Functional definitions stress how
religions contribute to societies.
According to Durkheim the key function
of religion is to strengthen social
solidarity and integration.

15. Functional definitions of religion are inclusive
– allows us to include a wide range of beliefs
and practices.
Do not specify a belief in God or the
supernatural.
However just because an institution helps
integrate people into society – it does not
make it a religion.

16. Not religion!

17. Criticisms
Not all cultures see a distinction
between the natural and the
supernatural-to many angels, spirits
and Gods are real and a natural part of
people’s experiences.
If religion involves belief in the
supernatural-is every supernatural
belief religious (e.g.) witchcraft?

18. Criticisms
Durkheim’s notion of the sacred has
also been challenged as not being
universally applicable.
E.g. a saint who does not respond after
long and repeated prayers may be
severely admonished, the statue turned
upside down and whipped.

19. Social constructionist definition
Interpretivist view
Based on how each member of society
chooses to define religion
No universal definition
Doesn’t always involve a belief in God.

20. Example: Scientology
Loved in some Banned in others!!
countries

21. NOW THAT YOU HAVE DEFINITIONS
OF RELIGION LOOK AT THE
FOLLOWING EXAMPLES AND MAKE
A DECISION….ARE THEY ACTS OF
RELIGION OR NOT????

31. Sociological definitions
McNeil (“Culture”, 1986)
“Religion involves beliefs that explain
experiences by claiming that there is a
superhuman or supernatural agency of some
kind, often a god or gods. It also involves
rituals to express these beliefs in public and
private ceremonies of worship. It provides a
moral code to guide our everyday behaviour.”

32. Bilton et al (“Introductory Sociology”, 1990)
“Religion may be said to be a system of
beliefs about the individual’s place in the
world, providing an order to that world and a
reason for existence within it. However we
cannot merely define religion as a system of
beliefs that guides social action since…this is
also true of science and magic. One must go
further and suggest that the beliefs are
supported by a community which we call a
“church”.

33. Giddens (“Sociology”, 1989)
“Religions involve a set of symbols, invoking feelings
of reverence or awe and are linked to rituals or
ceremonies (such as church services) practised by a
community of believers. Whether or not the beliefs in
a religion involve gods, there are virtually always
beings or objects inspiring attitudes of awe and
wonder…all religions involve ceremonials practised
collectively by believers which normally occur in
special places-churches, temples or ceremonial
grounds. The existence of collective ceremonial is
usually regarded as one of the main factors
distinguishing religion from magic.