SOC101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 19: Protestant Work Ethic, Verstehen, Mass Media
Document Summary
Religious beliefs so common that most societies had no word for religion. Imbued every aspect of human social life with meaning (birth, death, rites of passage) Substantive definitions: to be religious is to believe in something, to be religious entails actions, to be religious involves emotions, religion is a social phenomenon. Functional definitions: provides meaning and purpose to life, promotes social cohesion and a sense of belonging, provides social control. Religion: as a system of beliefs, symbols, rituals, based on some sacred or supernatural realm, that guide human behaviour, and gives meaning to life, and unites believers into a community. Beliefs vary in content and intensity, articulate the nature of the sacred and its symbols. Practices vary in form and frequency, provide guidelines as how people should act in the presence of the sacred. People from community come to share common sentiments that form collective conscience.
