| A | B |
|---|
| Yinger | 'a system of beliefs & practices by means of which a group of people struggles with the ultimate problems of human life' |
| Durkheim (1961) | defined religion in terms of teh sacred and the profane. |
| Sacred | objects that produce a sense of awe |
| Profane | objects that do not produce a sense of awe & respect |
| Durkheim studied | aboriginal tribes |
| society is more important and powerful than the individual | like god is |
| collective conscience | term used by Durkheim to describe teh shared values that hold society together |
| social solidarity | used by durkheim this term realtes to the importance of the worshipping of social groups and their dependance on it |
| collective worship | durkheimiam term: through acts of this members of society express, communicate and understand the moral bonds which unite them |
| Bronislaw Malinowski (1954) | like Durkheinm focuses on small scale non-literate societies (Trobiand Isalnds) |
| the role of religion according to Malinowski | is to relieve emotional stress |
| crises of life | birth, puberty, marraige & death are all surrounded in religious ritual |
| rituals | reduce anxiety by providing confidence & a feeling of control |
| Parsons | sees religion as a way to make sense of all experiences. Religion provides an answer to a range of answers to questions. |
| Functionalism critique | religion has a dsyfuntional side |
