Someone that supports Durkhiems view that religion has reinforcing social norms and values is Malinowski. However unlike Durkheim he does not see religion as a reflection of society as a whole in addition he does not see religious ritual as the worship of society itself. Malinowski says that throughout life we have to deal with many crises’ and these are all surrounded with religious ritual. Malinowski’s basic argument is that one of the main functions of religion is to check and reduce emotions, which threaten to disturb society. For example the religious ceremony after a person dies helps people come together to worship as a community and ultimately come together as a social group. Subsequently Malinowski also believes that religion acts as a conservative force.
Marxists and Feminists both criticise Functionalists perspective on religion however they agree that religion is a conservative force. Marxists criticise Functionalists view on religion, as they do not say that it gives you a false consciousness. Marx described religion as the ‘opium of the people’ as it led them into a false sense of happiness. Many people give money that they don’t have to the church as religion has led them to believe they will receive their reward in heaven. Marxists also believe that religion can create conflict this can be seen in Northern Ireland with the ongoing battle of the Protestants and the Catholics. Marxists also believe that religion maintains and perpetuates inequality in society and it is just accepted. An example of this is the role of women in the church and the fact that women cannot become priests in the Catholic Church. Feminists also share this criticism, as they too believe that Patriarchy is an extremely prominent thing in religion.
The interactionists also criticise the functionalist view on religion. However they do not feel that religion acts as a conservative force. They criticise the Functionalists as they feel that their theory does not explain social change. In addition it fails to explain the personal dimension of religion and rather than focusing on the individual it concentrates on society as a whole. Interactionsists feel this is wrong as religion means different things to different people. Berger and Luckman focus more on the individual as they feel that religion is socially constructed within the individual.
Although Functionalists, Marxists and Feminists to a large extent see religion as a conservative force there are numerous examples of when religion has promoted change. For example Bishop Tutu in South Africa wanted to stop violence and believed that this could be done through religion.
Weber did not say that religion could never be a conservative force however he did focus on the role of religion in the process of social change. Weber discussed the relationship between religion and capitalism. He based his discussion on three elements the ‘spirit of capitalism’; the Protestant ethic and ideas about religious salvation. In the combination of these three elements Weber concluded that certain religious beliefs and practices played a crucial role in the capitalist development. He thought that this offered an explanation into why certain parts of Europe and the United States were more progressive than others.
Calvinists also believe that religion can cause social change. Calvin was a theologian of the 16th century. He based his theodicy on the ‘elect’ he believed that at birth some individuals were pre-destined to go to heaven. Thompson believes that Calvinist teaching, especially the belief in pre-destination, provided a strong incentive for a disciplined and very active life in the world.
To conclude it would be necessary to address how far religious does act as a conservative force in society. One can ascertain that it is a conservative force through the arguments of the Functionalists, Feminists and Marxists. They all feel that religion supports traditional values in society. On the contrary though the views of Weber and the outlook on Calvinism has shown that religion can also bring about social change. It can be said the view that religion is a conservative force can differ from person to person depending on their beliefs and views.