Assess the view that sociological arguments and evidence support functionalist views of the role and functions of religion in

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Assess the view that sociological arguments and evidence support functionalist views of the role and functions of religion in contemporary society.

Functionalists see society as based upon consensus, where each institution functions to help society work together as a whole with shared ways of thinking and behaving. So for functionalists such as Durkheim and Parsons religion is a way of integration and social control. They believe that the shared rituals and collective worship of religion help reinforce the consensual values and norms of society, and that without these shared values society could not function. Secondly it is thought to be a form of social control, providing divine backing and answers for society's rules, so people will abide by them. Functionalists such as Malinowski also believe that it is a way of coming to terms with life challenging events like death, marriage etc. For example the religious ceremonies enable individuals to cope with the life crisis by controlling their stress and anxiety whilst getting support ensuring they remain part of society.

There is also the concept of civil religion, Durkheim argues that religion is in actual fact the worship of society and not a supernatural god. He claims that it unities society and reinforces the collective conscience. For Durkheim social life is impossible without shared values and moral beliefs which he called the collective conscience, he saw religion as promoting unity, respect for social duties and obligations in society, and providing social solidarity. Examples that back up Durkheim's view are firstly Americanism. America is a nation of many cultures but what unities them is their faith in their country. The people are very patriotic and every morning across the country children swear allegiance to the flag at school, and many homes have the flag proudly displayed outside their homes etc. Their faith in America is practically a religion in itself and the symbol that they worship is the flag.
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There are however many arguments against Durkheim's theory of civil religion, firstly Durkheim only studied a small amount of aboriginal groups which some claim were 'untypical of other tribes' therefore it would be misleading to generalise about aborigines never mind other religions. He has also been criticised for overstating the collective conscience because some religions can go against society's values. Other Sociologists agree that religion helps reinforce social values but not that this means they are worshipping society his case is more relevant to small, rural and non-literate societies less so to the modern society.

Malinowski ...

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