RLG210Y1 Lecture : October 5, 2012 Lecture
Document Summary
Most theoretical perspective on religion offer variations on 2 fundamental insights: Religion as projection/reflection - that is, representations understandings of the divine or transcendent correspond to aspects of particular social- historical conditions human beings are reflecting upon themselves in imagining the divine realm. Religion as social control that is, religions are part of the power structures of society, and functions to legitimize existing hierarchies, while also disciplining and controlling the members of the group or society. With projection theory, the divine is modeled after the human order our hopes, fears desires practices etc,, find reflections and legitimization in the depiction of a divine order. With social cotrol theory, the divine functions as a form of. Supernatural police , monitoring human conduct, rewarding and inflicting punishments(now or later, here or in the beyond, ) afterlife or heaven-hell distinctions provide political moral support for the world. Ludwig feuerbach (1804-72) offers a historical-philosophical analysis of religion.
