Durkheim believed that the essence of all religion could be found by studying it’s simplest form, in the simplest type of society. He studied totems, which he said was a society worshipping sacred symbols and rituals which were meant to symbolize all of society.
In Durkheim’s view, sacred symbols represent society’s collective conscience or consciousness. The collective conscience is the shared norms and values of society. For Durkheim shared religious rituals reinforced the collective conscience and maintain social integration. Durkheim also says that religion helps individuals with cognitive functions, as it teaches us basic concepts.
Anthropologist, Malinowski says that religion promotes solidarity. He says it performs important psychological functions in two situations. When the outcome is important but uncontrollable, and at times of crisis. In these times, religion will be important in performing psychological functions for people.
Parson sees religion as helping individuals cope with unforeseen events and uncontrollable outcomes. He also says that it creates and legitimates society’s central values and it is the primary source of meaning. Religion makes society’s central values sacred and this helps to promote value consensus and social stability. Religion also provides meaning, as it is able to answer ultimate questions about why some people die young and why the good suffer. Religion provides examples to these questions by saying that bad things are a test.
A criticism of this is Marxism and Feminism. Marxists and Feminists say that religion exploits people. Marxists say that religion is used by the r/c to exploit the w/c in order to preserve their position in society. Feminists say that religion is used to keep men on top in society, and women at the bottom.
Therefore, functionalists say that religion is positive in society, and Marxists and Feminists say that religion is negative.