The Role of Religion in Society

Okay you lovely theists and atheists, time for a debate on something other than theology!

Lovely.

There's a big debate amongst sociologists as to if religion is a conservative force or a force for social change.

Functionalists (society is like a big machine) and Marxists (damn the capitalist pig-dogs) agree that religion is a conservative force in society. Functionalists believe it keeps society in order, by promoting social solidarity, while Marxists firmly see it as a way of legitimizing inequality, due to the idea of peoples standing in society being 'gods will'.

Now, Social Action theorists (more specifically Weberian followers) think a little differently, they believe that religion can promote great change in society. The believe that if used right, it can intentionally and unintentionally bring about great change. For example Weber believed that protestantism unintentionally spawned capitalism, while other Social Action theorists point to 'Liberation Theology' in South America, the practice of using Catholicism to promote a Communist Revolution.

Now, I'd like some real opinions here. Can religion change society? Does it keep it constantly the same? If there is change, is it always positive.

I think it would be nice to talk about something different to if we believe in god or not for a change.

Religion DID hold back civilization a few thousnd years... So.... Yea. ;).

Well in the dark ages in England. Any new technology was deemed evil or witchcraft for a period also many "witches" were burnt,hanged,drowned even though what made them witches, such as a great understanding of herbal medicine,could have drastically pushed our medical knowledge forward. So religion did change society then. It is similar to Stalin in Russia. People were encouraged to spy on neighbors and report anyone who wasn't being a good communist, but basically you reported anyone you didn't like as quickly as possible so they didn't report you.

Another thing religion helps to do is make people accept their social class and life. Those at the top will thank God for their success, those at the bottom will thank God they are alive or that they have the basic tools to survive with.

On a positive note it can help unify a nation, like America, the nation under God. Obviously it depends what they are unifying against but it does help raise community spirit and encourages people to help one another.

Also religion can help nudge those members of society who may become criminals onto the "good" path. If they are religious then they should repent and change their ways as fear of Hell would be a pretty pressing issue to them.

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Originally Posted by Seismosaur

Religion DID hold back civilization a few thousnd years... So.... Yea. ;).

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This is a very broad statement. Can you be more specific?

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Originally Posted by Seismosaur

Religion DID hold back civilization a few thousnd years... So.... Yea. ;).

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It didn't really hold it back, just slowed down the progress. If you ignore bush and look at the big picture, we've been moving in the right direction. There was a time when you could get killed just because superstitious morons thought you were.... "a witch"... While we still have a ways to go before a proper separation (church/state, that is), at least I can't be stoned to death for saying "Jehovah".

Jehovah!! Jehovah!!! Jehovah!!!

.......see? nothing happened!

We still could be more knowlegable now of the universe, and earth if we could have just accetped existence for what it is, existence. Insted we had to make up answers to unanswerable questions, thus slowing our growth in science, and maths, and biologies, and chemistry, and astrology, etc.

It's true that if we were to do it over again, we'd do it differently. But that's true of every project, and the takeaways are not just the fruits of your labour, but also the lessons learned. People will always think differently, and some will always be more vocal about it. That's fine, and we should accept it. It's all about tuning the machine we've got going, and clearing out the biggest bottlenecks, one at a time. Currently, the big bottleneck are the people who want to keep religion and government as one. Once we clear that out, we can move forward again, until we hit the next snag (who knows what it is).

I feel that religion can often aid as a crutch for society. Most people of faith mean well.
However they can also use faith to justify means to uncivilized acts.
As like Politics the powerful seem to be most corrupt. Power corrupts. religious or otherwise.
The biggest example of this is the catholic religion suppressing the people, keeping them ignorant. Making them easier to control. It still is this way today.
Just tell me what you want me to do. it's easy this way. If you get more than one (power by numbers) you may see the advent of a new church. A new church started because they wanted to interpret the Bible as they see fit. To their liking.

We are reaching an age that I also feel that we have never seen the likes of.
The Ages of technology - The S word. Science.
How long can these religious misfits twist, reword, rekindle and reinterpret the same fable in the face of factual reason and the means to back that reason up?

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Originally Posted by Howie

We are reaching an age that I also feel that we have never seen the likes of.
The Ages of technology - The S word. Science.
How long can these religious misfits twist, reword, rekindle and reinterpret the same fable in the face of factual reason and the means to back that reason up?

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I find this a very interesting point indeed. Science is something that comes hand in hand with modern society, so where does that leave religion? There's a few ideas on it, Bellah talked about 'Civil Religion', the worship of an icon or idea replacing normal religion. Hell atheists (which I am personally) can be seen as an example of this. You often find an sense of almost evangelicalism about their idea, which completely mirrors the traditional way of spreading religion. Celebrities like Paris Hilton can be seen as a Civil Religion too, but yeah... :rolleyes:

There's also New Religious Movements to consider, with secularization, as a fun result comes greater religious plurality. People are more able to pick and chose what to believe and new age movements, such as transendental meditation, supplement science in life as opposed to going against it.

Maybe the role of religion now has changed from a controlling grand-narrative for life to a nice extra we can chose to have?

Just throwing ideas up here.

I'll tell ya why traditonal religion is going to get wiped out... Because we don't have a need for a god. Not much else of the universe can be blamed on the Supernatural, so, we gradually reduce this idea.

It all depends on a system of beliefs. Now, I am a Catholic feel free to ask any questions that you like (be sure to be tolerant) and I will do my best to answer them.

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Originally Posted by Alex D

I find this a very interesting point indeed. Science is something that comes hand in hand with modern society, so where does that leave religion? There's a few ideas on it, Bellah talked about 'Civil Religion', the worship of an icon or idea replacing normal religion. Hell atheists (which I am personally) can be seen as an example of this. You often find an sense of almost evangelicalism about their idea, which completely mirrors the traditional way of spreading religion.
Maybe the role of religion now has changed from a controlling grand-narrative for life to a nice extra we can chose to have?

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I find atheists do, for the most part, have a good heart and are good natured. Take in mind that this is only my little view on things. Without the threat of hell or some type of punishment, how many religious people would be so true?
Philanthropy and the shear means to make our survival the best it can be for living humans, seems like a an ideology that one should follow.
Is it that they love their god so much that they would do anything?
Is it they feel that they have no other road to take without repentance? Even at a somewhat unconscious level, let's face it. They know these things. Death or hell or go on living. That is a very heavy plum bob hanging along side your conscience your entire indoctrinated life.

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I'll tell ya why traditional religion is going to get wiped out... Because we don't have a need for a god. Not much else of the universe can be blamed on the Supernatural, so, we gradually reduce this idea.

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Yes. Today what they call a natural disaster beck then was a plague or a miracle.
As science advances and knowledge is gained, the more outlandish the Bibles tails will seem.

Exactly why i don't follow religion literally. It is just an excuse for the unknown, some people are just a tad slow on the backswing ;). But don't worry, the scientists and Athiests will enlighten the rest soon enough :meditate:

For a while, I've looked at religion as a complicated form of propaganda; a set of fictional "divine" rules made to make the public unconsciously submit to the will of those in society's upper echelons.

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Originally Posted by Alex D

Can religion change society? Does it keep it constantly the same? If there is change, is it always positive.

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Religion , like government, or any other mass body, is there in the beginning to serve the individual. Such has the purpose of providing the individual with the necesary framework for that individual to provide for and empower him/herself.

The individual is the only means to changing society or the mass. The individual is also the author of and the power behind the mass.

When the mass begins to delve into indoctrination and control, then the individual is negated. This is when the individual loses themselves in the mass.

It seems a histroically repetative cylce. A Mass organization starts out in service and ends up alway being the served. Who does all the suffering in the process, the individual, of course.

Nothing of lasting good can come from society left in the hands of a mass organization. The only lasting good and lasting peace and lasting proseperity can come from the individual, each individual working hand in hand , one on one with one another.

Governmnts and religions , or any mass organization creates the divisions present in the world. Without such, individuals would likely get along quite fine.