Sociological Theories of Religion

What is the Social Constru

ctionist view of religion?
The Sociology of Roadmaps?
The starting point in a Social Action perspective on religion is that it is a
belief system:
- To make sense of the things we experience in our daily lives
- To build the “mental maps” that chart a course for our journey
through the social world
- To organise our behaviour and expectations
What “belief systems” do we draw on to help make sense of the world?
However, even with a map surprises still occur (e.g. a road that has been
closed since the map was printed). Nevertheless, the map generally
makes our journey more predictable and less stressful.
Berger – Cosmologies
 Without belief systems, we would experience what Berger calls normative
confusion – a sense of meaninglessness in which we would not be able to predict
the behaviour of other social actors or expectations of our behaviour.
Which other sociological concept is normative confusion similar to?
A world without any meaning would be a frightening and complicated; why would it
make social life impossible?
 We organise our expectations into what he calls a “universe of meaning” or
cosmology – establishing the basic ground rules for understanding social life.
These cosmologies are informed by belief systems – which provide general
explanations of the world that we can draw on in the same way.
 We are socialised into a particular cosmology, drawing on political, magical,
scientific and religious belief systems (or a mixture of these). They are socially
constructed, and through our actions, we constantly recreate and reaffirm them
so that they become legitimate and shared “ways of seeing”
Berger – Marginal Situations
 Religion has a special place in the social construction of a
cosmology. However all encompassing our “mental map” of the
social world is, there will still be periodic threats to meaningful
stability – e.g. death
 These marginal situations push social actors to the boundaries
of meaningful stability. They represent moments in an
otherwise stable world where commonsense understandings are
called into question.
“Death radically challenges all social definitions of the world, of
others and of self. Death radically puts in question the taken-
for-granted, business-as-usual attitude in which one exists in
everyday life”
Berger - Religion as a Sacred Canopy
Religion acts as a sacred canopy – an all-encompassing cover under which
people can shelter from these marginal situations. It allows people to
give meaning to the meaningless using reference to the supernatural and
consequently avoid normative confusion (think about the popular phrase
“God moves in mysterious ways”…”)
“Religion, then, maintains the socially defined reality by legitimising
marginal situations in terms of an all-encompassing sacred reality.
This permits the individual who goes through these situations to
continue to exist in the world of his society … in the knowledge that
even those events or experiences have a place within a universe which
makes sense.”
1. Which other theorists give a similar argument?
2. How could it be described as Functional?
3. What elements distance it from a traditionally Functionalist theory?
Weber –Theodicy of Privilege

NB: Weber is not strictly a Social Action theorist

 For Weber, religion offers a story by which people gain answers to
fundamental questions. In particularly, he argues that religion tells us
how to make sense of a world filled with difficulties and
contradictions, unfairness, inequality and danger.
 Religions answer questions such as “why am I poor whilst he is
rich?” and “Why did my loved ones have to die?”
 Theodicy allows people to deal with the problem of suffering. All
religions see their God as being essentially good. How, then, can God
allow such awful things to happen in the world.
Q: What examples are there of religious theodicies?
Stark and Bainbridge - Compensators
As well as allowing people to explain the meaningless by referring to the
supernatural, religion acts as a type of IOU or compensator. Religious
beliefs allow people to give meaning to marginal situations in the form
of a later reward (e.g. in the afterlife).
Give 2 criticisms of Stark & Bainbridge’s theory, beginning with the lines:
1. Marxists would argue that…

2. Stark & Bainbridge’s theory that religion could not decline…

Evaluation

These theories differ from a structuralist argument, in that

they see religion as meeting the needs of the individual,
rather than those of a society as a whole – it allows people’s
lives to continue without dramatic disruption. They argue
that in providing this source of meaning, religion answers
universal questions and provides compensators that meet
universal human needs – and that, consequently, religion can
neither decline nor disappear.
Just because a theorist argues that a religion has functions,
does not make them a functionalist.
“The incomprehensible events of September 11th have led some to
suggest that it was the result of mysterious and influential forces
associated with the number eleven.
The number 11 has long been linked with mystery and power since
ancient times. All forms of number research and study, including
Numerology, the ancient science of Gematria, and the secret wisdom
of Kabbalah, all give significant importance to 11, and 11 derivatives:
22, 33, 44, 55, etc.
The first Great War, World War 1, ended on the 11 th hour, of the 11th
day, of the 11th month. To this day, victims and veterans are
remembered at that specific time. The USA skipped sequence
numbers on the Apollo moon missions to ensure it was Apollo 11 that
landed on the moon. In ancient Egypt, King Tutankhamen’s tomb had
combinations of 11 in the jewellery he wore, and he had 11 oars
placed on the floor surrounding his tomb. The number 11, and
particularly the number 33, has significance to Freemasons and other
secretive groups.
The overwhelming quantity of elevens, surfacing from the events,
people, and places related to the 11-9-2001 attacks, is remarkable. It
is as if someone or something planned the events to occur around
the number eleven. If it was not planned, then the coincidence of the
numbers seems even more mysterious and improbable.”
Plenary Questions

 How might those who believe the extract above

explain the events of September 11th?
 Use the idea of Theodicy to explain this thinking.
Matching Exercise

Theorist Definition Essential Role of religion

Features
Marx - - Conservative OR
Radical
Durkheim Substantive & - Conservative OR
Functional Radical
Simmel Functional Theodicy Conservative
Weber - Community & Conservative
the Sacred