SOC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Vedas, Easter Bunny, Nontheistic Religions
Document Summary
Here we focus on the role religion plays in society. The sociology of religion: historically, contemporarily, this is not the science of religion, but rather, how the sociological perspective is used to understand religion, history, culture, and time all intertwine. Sociology looks to early civilization to understand the relationship between religion and society: rely on anthropology, early belief was that religion grew as a function of the shift from agrarian lifestyles to more communal (village) societies. The social construction of religion: does not seek to prove the beliefs of any religion. Social organization of religion: includes social solidarity (durkheim) Social context influences culture, which thereby influences the language used to explain religion: language is culture. Sociology looks to early civilization to understand the relationship between religion and society. Durkheim studied aborigines: noticed they divided their world into two parts. Totems ordinary objects believed to have spiritual qualities: believed sacred was disappearing from the modern world.
