NATIONAL LAW INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY BHOPAL
FIRST TRIMESTER
SOCIOLOGY PROJECT
RELIGION AND SOCIETY
SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:
RADHA CHARPOTA DR.BIR PAL SIR
2019 BALLB [HONS] 30
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the Project titled – ‘Religion and Society’, has been
prepared and submitted by Radha Charpota ,who is currently pursuing her
BA LLB .(Hons.) at National Law Institute University, Bhopal in fulfilment of
sociology-1 course .It is also certified this is original research report and this
projecthas not been submitted to any other university ,nor published in any
journal.
Date:
Signature of the student:
Signature of the research supervisor:
Acknowledgement
This project has been made possible by the unconditional support of many people, I would
like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to Dr.Bir Pal Singh for guiding me
throughout the development of this project into a coherent whole by providing helpful
insights and sharing their brilliant expertise. I, also would like to thank the members of the
library staff and computer section for the cooperation in making available the books and
accessing the internet even during their free time. I am deeply indebted to my parents, seniors
and friends for all the moral support and encouragement.
Radha Charpota
2019 BALLB [HONS] 30
Contents
INTRODUCTION:....................................................................................................................................5
RELIGION AND SOCIETY.........................................................................................................................6
EMILE DURKHIEM’S THEORY ON RELIGION...........................................................................................7
KARL MARX’S THEORY AND CRITICISM ON RELIGION............................................................................8
CONCLUSION:........................................................................................................................................9
BIBLIOGRAPHY:......................................................................................................................................9
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM:
Religion is a matter of faith, or belief based on conviction rather than scientific evidence.
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:
1. To clearly understand definitions of religion given by Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim,
and Karl Marx.
2. To obtain a deep understanding theories of religion.
3. To understand the various aspects involved in religion in present time
4. To understand the Karl Marx criticism on religion.
HYPOTHESIS:
Religion is the set of common mind set, common practices, and common behaviour by the
human beings.
METHOD OF STUDY:
This project is largely based on the doctrinal method of data collection.
REVIEW OF LITERATURE:
Emile Durkheim has many purposes for studying elementary forms of Religion.
Firstly ,Durkheim wanted to clear all its obsession by writing a book on religion before his
death. His duty was to know the problem of the society.
Secondly ,Durkheim was influenced by two scholars.
1.W. Roberton Smith 1
Concluded that ancient religions consisted primarily of institutions and practices that is of
rites and ceremonies and that myths that is beliefs and creeds, were an outgrowth of these.
In fact his ideas later contributed to the formation of sociological theory of religion.
2. James Frazar 2
They have not talked about the origin of religion and not suggested to how modern religion
functions in the society. Durkheim developed the idea that study of religion in its most
complex form can be understood ,accomplished only when religion is studied in its most
primitive and elementary forms.
Thirdly ,The confusion of the relationship between religion and science. According to
Durkheim, science itself reveals that religion is merely the transfiguration of society. Emile
Durkheim has studied the Arunta tribes of Australian aborigines. To define religion, he says,
we must first free the mind of all preconceived ideas of religion. He discards the notion that
religion is concerned with the mysterious or supernatural phenomena, with gods, spirits and
ghosts. He also points out that religion is as concerned with the ordinary as the extra-
ordinary aspects of life.
INTRODUCTION:
Religion which is basically faith in supernatural powers which leads to warship of things in
the form of God. It is usually related to existence, believe and warship of deity. A religion of
the simplest elements; the first duties that everywhere exist commanded by the primal
sentiments, need no magnificent annunciation by ancient prophecy or special messengers
attended by angles from the skies religion is to set forth in a definition which can be justified
that principle which in the practice of the religious man brings about the miracle of the
harmony of the divine and human and lifts the secular to the level of the sacred.
It may be of use to recall our conception of religion as on the theoretical side a
point of view from which man sees what seems to him at the time to be ultimately real self-
sustained and absolutely worthy in the light of which conception re-interprets and revaluates
all the facts of the secular life. Religion is the cultural system of designated behaviour and
practice. Religion is not a bad ward. Religion does not encourage people to stop thinking, in
fact religion encourage people to think about how they can re-bind themselves or re-connect
with a God who is infinitely more intelligent and loving. The word religion originally derived
from the Latin word “religio” which means to bind, bond, obligation, reverence.
Religion commonly can be defined as a belief and faith in god or gods and perhaps
belief in an afterlife, but they also involve religious practices and building religious centres
such as churches, temples, mosques and doing religious things such as prayers, eating or not
eating certain kind of food items. However, religion is a contested concept. We cannot agree
on a particular definition and then debate on a matter of substance, since matter of substance
are build in any definition. There is not and will never be a universally agreed definition of
religion. But why not?
One of the reasons is that sociology is a variety of general theoretical perspectives
and they differ in how actually the reality can and should be studied.Hence, religion exists
objectively and has real effects on individuals and also the society as a whole. Generally,
sociological definitions of religion can be categorised as exclusives definitions, inclusive
definitions and definitions in use. Inclusive definitions are those which tends to be
functionalist in viewing religion as central to human life. On this view religion provides
people with answers to the fascinating questions of existence, creates hope, and helps to bind
people in the society. However, the Exclusive definitions rejects the fuctionalism of inclusive
ideas instead, defining religion as the substance of their varied beliefs. In contrast, exclusive
definitions contains the idea that all religions make a distinction between a worldly empirical
reality and a super-empirical reality.
The third type of definition, that is, Definition in use is similar to that what we call
as social constructionism. This approach of definition of religion says that rather than
assuming that there is a real concept of religion, it sees religion as more productive to study
and understand all of situations in which people themselves make reference to Religion or
Religious meaning and get engaged in so-called religious practices. They see how the
meaning and aspects of religion have changed over past and how people use the concept of
religion for their own purposes and whether this use is increasing day by day or seem to be
declining.
RELIGION AND SOCIETY:
The totality of sentiments and beliefs of the people belonging to the same society forms as
distinct functional system which has its own life, one may call it the collective or common
conscience. To understand the role of religion in society, the relationship between sacred
symbols and what they represent must be established.
Durkhiem does not connect religion basically with the inequalities in the society,
infact it revolves around the nature of the system and institutions of the society He described
that any subject could be approached from a sociological perspective but also that without
sociology, we are likely to misunderstand the social life in a society. He defined religion as
the contrast between sacred and objects and profane objects in which sacred objects produce
admiration as well as respect and disrespect.
Sacred symbols must be symbols, they must represent something. It refers to the
existing supernatural beings that have a governing effect on life. It focuses on the relationship
between religion and the social institutions and this was taken forward by the founder of
structural functionalism , Talcott Parsons. However, religion has a strong ideological
perspective because of which religious beliefs, values and practices often leads to the
justifications for inequalities in the society on the grounds of wealth and power. And thus
what Karl Marx stated that religion has been working as an opiate for the people in the
society.
EMILE DURKHIEM’S THEORY ON RELIGION:
Emile Durkhiem, the most known and the founding father of sociology was born on 15
November, 1858 was a Jewish scholar. Durkhiem believed that social life is impossible
without the shared values and moral beliefs that form the collective conscience. In their
absence there will be no social order, social control, social solidarity or cooperation. In short,
there would be no society. Religion reinforces the collective conscience. Religion in society
provides a notion of respect for the sacred and religious practices which is the same notion
that is applied for the social orders, social duties and obligations in the society.
Religious activities according to Durkhiem basically consists the rituals and
practices of worshipping one or more than one god due to which people are influenced by the
idea that social groups have an importance and their dependence upon these social groups. In
this way religion strengthens the unity of the various religious groups and thus, promotes
social solidarity. The totality of sentiments and beliefs of the people belonging to the same
society forms as distinct functional system which has its own life, one may call it the
collective or common conscience. To understand the role of religion in society, the
relationship between sacred symbols and what they represent must be established.
Durkhiem does not connect religion basically with the inequalities in the society,
infact it revolves around the nature of the system and institutions of the society He described
that any subject could be approached from a sociological perspective but also that without
sociology, we are likely to misunderstand the social life in a society. He defined religion as
the contrast between sacred and objects and profane objects in which sacred objects produce
admiration as well as respect and disrespect.
Sacred symbols must be symbols, they must represent something. It refers to the
existing supernatural beings that have a governing effect on life. It focuses on the relationship
between religion and the social institutions and this was taken forward by the founder of
structural functionalism , Talcott Parsons. However, religion has a strong ideological
perspective because of which religious beliefs, values and practices often leads to the
justifications for inequalities in the society on the grounds of wealth and power. And thus
what Karl Marx stated that religion has been working as an opiate for the people in the
society.
Emile Durkhiem, the most known and the founding father of sociology was born on 15
November, 1858 was a Jewish scholar. Durkhiem believed that social life is impossible
without the shared values and moral beliefs that form the collective conscience. In their
absence there will be no social order, social control, social solidarity or cooperation. In short,
there would be no society. Religion reinforces the collective conscience. Religion in society
provides a notion of respect for the sacred and religious practices which is the same notion
that is applied for the social orders, social duties and obligations in the society.
Religious activities according to Durkhiem basically consists the rituals and
practices of worshipping one or more than one god due to which people are influenced.
Durkhiem focused on the importance of collective worship. The social group together
practices the religious practices and beliefs such as rituals full of drama and reverence. The
belief in one or more than gods, spirits and supernatural powers which majorily provides the
mindset for religious ceremonies originated from belief in the ancestral spirits of dead
relatives, according to Durkhiem. Also, he believes that the worship of gods is really the
worship of ancestor’s souls. Since Durkhiem also believes that souls represent the presence of
social values and also that the collective conscience is present in individuals. It is through
individual souls that the collective conscience is realized. Since religious worship involves
the worship of souls. Durkhiem again concludes that religious worship is really the worship
of the social group or society.
Durkhiem believed that social life is not possible without the moral values and
shared beliefs that form the collective conscience. In the absence of such collective
conscience, there would be no social control, social order, social solidarity or cooperation. In
short, there would be no society. Religion promotes social solidarity by dealing with the
situations of emotional stress that threaten the social solidarity. Religion provides general
principles to be followed by the people in the society which are expressed in a variety of
norms. By establishing these kind of general principles and moral beliefs in the society,
religion helps to provide the consensus which is necessary for order and stability in the
society and also for proper functioning of the social system in the society.
KARL MARX’S THEORY AND CRITICISM ON RELIGION :
Karl Marx was born on 5 May, 1818 in Germany. He was a German philosopher, economist,
historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist and socialist revolutionary. According to
Marx, religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world and the
soul of soulless conditions. He believed that religion is the opium for people. Religion acts as
an opiate to reduce the pain produced by oppression and provide a kind of relief. It is both ‘an
expression of real suffering and a protest against these suffering;, but it does little to solve the
problem because it helps to make life more tolerable and therefore dissolves the demand for
any kind of change in the society. As such religion strengthens its base in the society rather
than bringing them true happiness and fulfilment in return of their faith and beliefs in the
religion in the society.
For a Marxist viewpoint, religion does not simply cushion the effects of oppression,
it is also an instrument of the effects of that oppression but also act as an instrument of that
oppression. It acts as a tool of social control, maintaining the existing social system. By
providing explanations and justifications for social situations, it diverts reality. It helps to
produce a false class consciousness that blinds members of the subject class to their true
situation and their real interests. In this way it distorts and diverts people’s attention from the
real source of their oppression and so helps to maintain ruling class power.
And hence, according to Marx, ruling class adopt religious beliefs to justify their
position both to themselves and to others. The lines ‘god made them high and lowly/and
ordered their estate show clearly how religion can be used to justify social inequality, not
simply to the poor, but also to the rich. Religion is often directly supported by the ruling
classes to further their interests.
Marx himself did not study religion in much detail but followed the theory of
Feuerbach’s theory and study on religion that religion represents human self alienation. And
although it is often been thought that Marx on religion was entirely dismissive, that is, far
from true. According to him, about religion, he writes is the ‘heart-less world’- a heaven from
the harshness of the daily realities of capitalism. In Marx’s view, religion in its traditional
form will and should disappear; yet this is because the positive values embodied in religion
can become guiding ideals for improving lot of humanity on earth, not because those ideals
and values are themselves mistaken.
Once human beings recognize that religious powers are really their own, those
values become capable of realization on earth, rather than being deferred to an afterlife. The
result is that human values and ideas become transferred onto gods, spirits and supernatural
beliefs. Along with Marx, other sociologists also often see religion as an important aspect of
social solidarity. Religious beliefs, rituals and collective worship help to create a moral
community in which all the members know how to behave towards one another. However,
religion has also been a factor in destructive social conflicts, such as struggles between
different religious communities. The question that religion per se produces harmony or
comfort in the society is, for contemporary sociologists, a historical and empirical, and the
classical founders were the first to tackle such questions in a sociological manner.
Also, religion such as Christianity differ happiness and rewards to afterlife,
teaching the resigned acceptance of existing conditions in thus life. Attention is thus diverted
away from inequality and injustice by the promise of what is to come. Hence, religion has a
strong ideological element; religious beliefs and values often provide justifications for
inequalities of wealth and power. For example, the teaching that the meek shall inherit the
earth suggests an attitude of humility and an acceptance of worldly opposition.
CONCLUSION:
According to Karl Marx, ‘man made religion and religion does not made man’. However,
Muslims believe in the spiritual concept of the infinite in which Islam describes the man as
the ground; land, or it can be said that religion, in this case, god created man, not vice versa.
He was entirely dismissive on religion as he believed that religion was an important part of
social solidarity.
The belief in god or spirits and supernatural powers which majorly provides the
mindset for religious ceremonies originated from belief in the ancestral spirits of dead
relatives ,according to Durkhiem. Also, he believes that the worship of god is really the
worship of ancestor’s souls. Since Durkhiem also believed that souls represent the presence
of social and cultural values and also that the collective conscience is present in individuals.
It is through individual souls that the collective conscience is recognised. Since religious
worship involves the worship of souls, Durkhiem again concludes that the worship of the
social group or society. Emile Durkhiem does not connect religion basically with inequalities
in the society, infact, it revolves around the whole nature of the systems and institutions of
the society.
Thus, reliogion has been playing a very important part in the society by creating
various rituals and ceremonies as well as different kinds of beliefs for the people to worship
god or more than one god and also binding groups in the society of the people of same
mindsets and shaping the society with different ideologies and perspectives.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Books :
Emile Durkheim’s book-“The elementary forms of Religious life” (1912) publisher New
York :G. Allen & Unwin; Macmillan
The religion of semites(1894) New York : D. Appleton
Haralambus and Holborn:- Sociology themes and prospective
Net sources :
http://www.victorianweb.org/philosophy/comte.htmlL
https://www.enotes.com/research-starters/sociological-theories-religion-conflict-analysis
http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/the-durkheims-sociology-of-religion-and-its-
function/43749
