RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

• Who really determines your religion? When

does an individual obtain a certain religion?
Do you really have a choice when it comes to
choosing your religion? These are a few
questions that you may ask whenever the
word religion comes into the picture.
• Anthropologists define religion as “a set of
attitudes, beliefs, and practices, pertaining to
supernatural beings and forces.
• Religion can be found in all human societies
which makes religion a cultural universal.
 Functions of Religion
• Functionalism
Emile Durkheim argues that religion serves many functions
for societies.
Religions
• give meaning and purpose to life
• reinforces social unity and stability
• serve as an agent of social behavior control through the
teachings they provide.
• promote physical and psychological well-being by being the
source of other’s comport and happiness in times of
obstacles and distress.
• serve as a motivation toward social change
 Functions of Religion
• Conflict Theory
Conflict theory understands religion in relation to
inequality and conflict as inspired by the works of
Karl Marx who stated that “religion is the opiate of
the masses”.
 Functions of Religion
Symbolic Interaction
Looking into the micro perspective of religion,
Max Weber’s symbolic interactionism
approach argues that religion is integrated
with symbols and interpretations.