RELIGION- According to Anthropologists, Religion is “a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices,

pertaining to supernatural beings and forces. Such beliefs may vary within a culture as well as among
societies, and they may change over time” (Ember, Ember, & Peregrine, 2010).

EXAMPLES– –Kikuyu of Kenya Vomiting is a religious practice as it eliminates all the evil in a person’s
body. But in most societies, vomiting is not considered religious, as it is understood as a typical
biological event.

RELIGION DURING THE ANCIENT PERIODS– Early societies (Egyptians, Greeks, and Sumerians used
religious symbols and practiced ritualistic ceremonies, which made religion one of the central parts
of the development of human societies.

FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION

Major Sociological Theories and Their Major Assumptions Concerning Religion

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

MAJOR ASSUMPTIONS— Functionalism

Emile Durkheim– Religion serves several functions for society.

1. Giving meaning and purpose to life. 2. Reinforcing social unity and stabilityn3. Serving as an agent
of social control of behavior.. 4. Promoting physical and psychological well-being 5. Motivating
people to work for positive social change

Conflict Theory

Karl Marx– Religion reinforces and promotes social inequality and social conflict. It helps convince
the poor to accept their lot in life, and it leads to hostility and violence motivated by religious
differences.

Symbolic Interactionism Max Weber– This perspective focuses on the ways in which individuals
interpret their religious experiences. It emphasizes that beliefs and practices are not sacred unless
people regard them as such. Once they are regarded as sacred, they take on special significance and
give meaning to people's lives.

RELIGIOUS PATTERNS

ANIMISM- Belief that the natural world, as a whole or in parts, has a soul or spirit.

POLYTHEISM– Belief in more than one deity which is characterized by the worship of many deities
that illustrate the ways of life including beliefs, practices and traditions.

Hinduism- Considered as the world’s oldest religion still being practiced today. There is only one
supreme god in Hinduism, Brahma, and all other deities are his aspects and reflections. Since
Brahma is too immense a concept for the human mind to comprehend, he presents himself in the
many different versions of himself which people recognize as deities such as Vishnu, Shiva, and the
many others.

3. MONOTHEISM– Belief in one god, which is accountable for all the things happening in the world
including the world's creation and existence.