Compare and contrast Marxist and Functionalist views on Religion
Compare and contrast Marxist and Functionalist views on Religion
Functionalists and Marxists both have very different views on the impact of religion on society. Functionalists believe that religion is intended for everyone and Marxists see it as religion was proposed for the ruling class and their own benefits. Some inclusive approaches to religion classify science as a form of religion. On the terms of faith being a belief, for example, the thoughts that the natural world is governed by physical laws of development.
A Functionalist called Durkheim who carried out his work in the 1890’s decided that he wanted to get to the inner core of what religion was, not just how the institutions played their part in it. He chose to study the Australian Aboriginals, who went out in the desert in separate clans all over the country, to survive. They each carried a totem pole carved with distinguishing patterns. They decided to meet up at specific times in the year, taking with them their own totem pole, which then identified which clan they belonged to. This totem pole became sacred to each clan, it created unity. Durkheim saw religion as worshipping society, as the totem pole which they chose to worship was a representation of each other. By this, we can notice that Durkheim was an atheist himself. The functions that the Aboriginals created were ‘social solidarity’, harmony within the group and ‘collective consciousness’, a combined way of seeing the world.
