Religion
- Brian Lynn Bentley
- Mar 30, 2015
- 3 min read
Religion
Brian Lynn Bentley
Introductory Sociology
Colorado Technical University
March 16 2015
Religion
Abstract
A function of a religion is to bring some sort of order to your life and emotions. Religions can be good things as a community and establish a system of rules and customs that make it easier to deal with others in a society. Though questions remain among the secularists if religion was gone what would we replace it with? Without religion we would have no manners or moral code unless we found a suitable replacement. It is a necessary part of society for most people to keep the peace.
Emile Durkheim
Emile Durkheim devoted some time to writing about religion out of concern for social order; Emile Durkheim was concerned that without a religion would anything go. Would we decay into anarchy? Without a social order what would guide us? One of those controversial thinkers of the "God is Dead Philosophy."
He was mostly focused on the communal aspects of a religion as opposed to the individual rights and sacred pageants. He referred to it as a "collective thing" it assembles men and women together for a common communal repeated event. Though he believed we could live without religion without going into moral decay but only if we had something to replace it.
He believed that people were drawn to religions for social order communal bonding establishing relationships in the days served as some sort of law enforcement bad or good that was its function. It gives people a feeling of well-being.
Religion
The old saying two things you do not talk about at the dinner table and one of them is religion however we seem to tolerate other peoples beliefs for the most part without starting a holy war> we can be respectful and discuss others peoples religions denominations or personal beliefs in a civil manner.
Most religions have a diarchy the national or the regional definitional Headquarters, Board members, Staff, clergy, lay clergy, teacher’s members, and volunteers. Organized means they follow a set system of rules and beliefs. And hold certain things sacred to the religion.
A person’s personal beliefs and values impact their well-being as well as thinking about how one’s own behavior appears to another person. For example doing the right thing when no one else is even if you know there will not be any good or bad consequences to your action. Being happy motivated also reflects well on your origination of religion. Not that everyone has mastered this tactic without looking a bit hypocritical but it is possible and if it is done right the individual will not care if someone is thinking bad about them for they have an inner peace and a self-confidence. Most seem to. Though you do not have to be in any religion to be kind to others but it is the goal and main guideline in most religions.
Definitions
Profane: anything that is not scared does not have to be bad, just anything that does not have a religions motive or belief towards it. Another word that is often used at least with in some Cristian traditions to referee to the profane is "Worldly".
Sacred is anything that has been assigned a value that is important that isn’t monetary like a cross for Christianity which is a sacred to the religion. But an old family album or a family tradition can also be sacred and important.
Faith is complete trust, confidence, a deep belief a strong allegiance in someone or something as it pertains to religion someone or something higher then you. A faith makes one’s mind uneasy to change.
Rituals are pageants rites and acts of a religious origination that are traditional and repeated at every service or function.
Religion is a function of society that we have to maintain asocial order for most people to have unless some ones got a better idea how to enforce manners and moral code without an oppressive government. Bring etiquette classes back in elementary school middle school high school is a suggestion.
References
The Nature of Religion - Boundless Open Textbook. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2015, from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/religion-14/the-nature-of-religion-104/the-nature-of-religion-587-3516/
Emile Durkheim - The Sociology of Religion. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2015, from http://www.cf.ac.uk/socsi/undergraduate/introsoc/durkheim6.html
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