Another Functionalist is Bronislaw Malinowski carried out a similar study to that of Durkheim’s. Malinowski’s study was also small-scale and from non-literate societies, with many of his examples of fieldwork from the Trobriand Islands of New Guinea. Malinowski shared similar aspects to Durkheim with the belief that religion reinforces social norms and values and promotes social solidarity. Yet Malinowski connects religion with situations with emotional stress and anxiety in society. He reported that major events in the life cycle are surrounded by religious ritual, death being the most traumatic. Yet he suggested that the ceremony of the funeral and the ‘life after death’ theory comforts the participants and furthers social integration. Malinowski also commented on the religious rituals such as fishing activities. Malinowski concluded that religious rituals functioned to reduce anxiety and provide a feeling of control.
Another functionalist believer is Talcott Parsons; he believes that religion is an institution which is a significant contributor to the norms and values of society. Parsons argues that Religion helped form the value consensus which is needed for stability in society. Parsons expanded on this by adding that the Ten Commandments act as a moral and ethical foundation. Like Malinowski, Parsons expressed that Religion acts as a mechanism to come to terms with when people die, by restoring a normal pattern to life. Parsons commented on his belief that religion provides answers. For instance, suffering is imposed by God to test one’s faith; suffering with courage will bring the reward of heaven, whilst also suffering is a punishment for sins.
However, the functionalist perspective doesn’t touch on the dysfunctional aspect of religion, for instance; the conflict and division on Northern Ireland and the Middle East.
On the other hand, there is the Orthodox Marxist perspective. The founder of Marxism, Karl Marx, believes that religion is an illusion, and is there to help ease the pain of inequalities, oppression and exploitation of the capitalist class society. Marx suggested that religion is based on money issues, and is dominated by the ruling class. He also suggested that religion is subordinated on the subject of class. Marx also elaborated that religion is the opium of the people. Marx went on to add that religion is an ideological tool to maintain and legitimate capitalist economic inequalities.
Lenin who’s a Russian communist shared similar beliefs to that of Karl Marx. He also associated religion to be capitalist, and full of exploitation.
The Marxist perspective also believes that religion is an agent of social control, and instrument of oppression and a force to maintain an exploitative class based system. Marxists believe that the promise of heaven and eternal life is to soften the blow of exploitation of their lives on earth. It gives the idea that those who suffer in misery will be rewarded in the end with heaven. A quote which coincides with this ideology is that of, “ it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven”.
Both perspectives suggest totally different elements of religion. The Functionalists argue that religion is needed for society to function as it provides the norms and values, whereas on the other hand, the Marxist perspective argues that religion is a capitalist stunt to reinforce class inequalities.
However, although both express different arguments, they both portray a similar aspect. Both perspectives suggest that religion and the ‘eternal life of heaven’ are used to comfort people during their life on earth.