"Religion is essentially a Conservative Force in Society." Explain and discuss this statement.

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"Religion is essentially a Conservative Force in Society." Explain and discuss this statement.

   Describing Religion as a 'Conservative Force' seems to imply that Religion is an inhibitor of social change and used as a means by which to maintain the existing order of Society and the Status Quo. Some Sociologists such as Durkheim and Marx would agree with this and there are others who would argue against such a claim. It is a debate, one side says Religion inhibits change and the other says it sets social change in motion.

  As already mentioned Durkheim believed that Religion acts as a Conservative Force. In more detail what he actually thought was that Religious worship is like worshipping Society, in other words the beliefs in religion actually strengthen the values of the Society from which Religion originates. Durkheim used the practice of Totemism among Australian Aborigines as an example, the Totem pole is a sacred object and each clan has an individual symbol on the Totem. The carvings on the pole are incredibly meaningful to that Society, everything from the group's history to it's very existence is invested in the pole (Not unlike the Church's significance in some societies such as Britain). Durkheim saw religion as a means of reaffirming the collective conscience although there have been many criticisms of this view. One is that the theory doesn't meet modern times, Durkheim's view is more relevant to small pre-industrial societies, in more complex societies with so many varying beliefs and only a small proportion attending church then it seems impossible that religion can affectively reaffirm society. Another criticism is that religion does not always act as an integrative force, the current states in Ireland and Israel are prime examples of how religion sometimes weakens the collective conscience. Anthropologists have also criticised Durkheim for describing Totemism as being a religion and finally Durkheim is only tentative on how this relationship between Society and Religion works.

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  Marx agreed with Durkheim in that Religion inhibits social change but for very different reasons. Marx's view is that religion is a form of idealogical control. It provides people with a sense of 'False Class Consciousness' with such religious ideas as "Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the Earth", it gives the working class the idea that they will be rewarded in Heaven therefore they never become fully class conscious which means they never question their status which means they never form a revolution against Capitalism. Religion is the means by which it ensures that Capitalism ...

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