IndexIntroductionThe social impact of religion according to DurkheimThe meaning of symbols and totems in religious lifeThe functions of religion in societyThe role of religion in gender and racial inequalitiesConclusionReferencesIntroductionThe Émile Durkheim's elementary forms of religious life was published to explain “how morality works by focusing on religion and his theory of religion” (Edles and Appelrouth 2015: 145) and studying what their origins and functions are. Durkheim believed that understanding religion would help enlighten us as to what constitutes some of the social foundations of humanity. He sees religion as one of many major components that make up a society with cohesion, social control, and purpose in life serving as the primary functions of religion. Durkheim also argues that religion is important in every society and in many ways is a requirement that supports the foundations of society. Religious lifestyle intrinsically emerges in all societies through collective effervescence, that is, when communities or a society come together and simultaneously communicate the same thoughts and participate in the same actions. Although many religious practices today operate very close to Durkheim's structure, it only shows the structure of his perception and experience of religion and its functionality. Durkheim explains how religion can promote social unity, but leaves out the fact that it can also be a divisive force. His ideas about religion aren't entirely wrong, but they aren't exactly correct overall either. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe Social Impact of Religion According to DurkheimAccording to Durkheim, religion and social life are linked in a way in which religion, as a component, influences how a society is formed and enables individuals within those society to share something in common. Historically speaking, humans are and have always been social creatures who gather in groups and rely on each other for survival. One way for humans to form or join a group is through religion, which allows them to collectively agree on an idea and provide a reason for coming together. This, in turn, would affect the society in which they reside and vice versa. Religion has helped create moral systems, community, and a sense of purpose in life for individuals, as well as promoting norms including morality, fairness, charity, and justice. However, this is also not to say that religion has never produced negative results. Looking back at the past, we can see a long history of bloodshed, tribalistic animosity, madness, corruption and exploitation of power and wealth, and other blatantly harmful acts of religion that still occur today. Ironically, religion can also give and receive. Durkheim argues that the primary function of religion is to promote cohesion and ideas that hold groups together. To strengthen and reaffirm these collective feelings, members of a religion practice community activities through rituals and associating with symbols. This is also known as collective effervescence, “…an experience of strong collective feelings and an original religious experience” (Ono 1996: 88). Durkheim discovered that religion emerges through collective effervescence when he observed Aboriginal peoples in Australia, who practiced what may be the oldest and most primitive form of religion. Participation in rituals strengthens the bonds between believers and their gods. For example, iCatholics would participate in Holy Communion services where believers will practice the same ceremony of eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ, but all with the same purpose of accepting the body of Christ. The activities a group takes part in symbolize or have a deeper meaning to the activity itself. “Religious practices allow members to collectively celebrate together as a society. In other words, society does not really worship God, but actually worships itself (Robertson 1970: 15)” (Edles and Appelrouth 2015: 145). Many religions also use certain actions that symbolize their deference to God. Catholics, for example, crossed themselves before praying, while Muslims fasted and faced the holy city of Mecca before praying. Baptism is also a very common ritual in Christian religions where the baptism water symbolizes the belief of purifying the soul. “These require the rationalizing power of collective representations and social institutions (e.g., rituals) to channel such forces productively and democratically” (Pearce 2001: 98). The Significance of Symbols and Totems in Religious Life Durkheim explains that symbols are fundamentally divided into sacred or profane, also known as the profane-sacred dichotomy, and is considered an essential characteristic of religion. It refers to the sacred as extraordinary things that are set apart and "above and beyond" the everyday world for the worship of a deity or something that inspires awe or reverence. The property of being sacred is usually attributed to objects and represents the interests of groups, especially unity. The profane, on the other hand, is the realm of the everyday world and the mundane routines that humans follow on a daily basis, as well as the common concerns of individuals, such as wondering what food to eat at a meal or attending school on weekdays. Durkheim explicitly emphasizes that the sacred and the profane must not be misinterpreted as good or bad; the sacred and the profane can be both good and bad. The distinction between the sacred and profane dichotomy imposes an ordered system on the intrinsically disorganized way of life. Symbols to represent the religious group an individual is part of are usually represented through totems. Totems can be represented by objects or emblems of a group of people, such as a family, clan, or tribe. Religions are recognized by their emblems, such as the Star of David for Judaism or the Cross for Christianity, but totems can also be represented through other forms. Totems can be identified by an individual's clothing and hairstyles, such as Buddhist monks' robes and shaved heads or Islams with full-grown beards and head bandages. Totems can also be worn to openly display one's membership in a certain religious group, such as rosaries or emblem necklaces. According to Edles and Appelrouth “the totem is the visible manifestation of a god. At the same time it helps a clan to distinguish itself from each other” (Appelrouth and Edles 2015: 152). Totems are significant in religious life, but they are not revered for what they physically are. The center of religion is not based on its face value, but on the physical symbol that represents a totemic principle. The Functions of Religion in Society In addition to the other functions of religion, Durkheim noted eight other important functions of religion in society. First, religion is an institution that helps solve problems related to relationships between individuals by helping them adapt to their environment. This most likely has to do with most of the relationship issues that are rooted intribalistic tendencies, which can be resolved if individuals are placed in a like-minded group. Second, religion provides answers for the unknown and unknowable. Human beings would naturally wonder what awaits after death, what celestial bodies are, and where human beings come from. We curiously and instinctively seek answers to such questions and demand explanations for the mysteries of life. Religion helps humans reach conclusions about the unknown and fill that void with curiosity and wonder. Third, religion promotes social order by defining boundaries between sacred and profane cultural elements. Humans are able to separate their habitually profane behaviors into the ordinary realm, such as going to school on weekdays, with sacred rituals, such as going to church every Sunday morning. Being able to separate and discern what behaviors are appropriate in both areas helps define what is and what is not appropriate in all areas of society. Fourth, religion promotes social control by making the norms and values ​​of established societies sacred to maintain the importance of prioritizing the group. objectives rather than individual ones. This can help individuals become more altruistic, but also exploited to the point where it is more harmful to the individual than benefits the group. Fifth, religion provides emotional support and security to believers. Humans can fall into disarray when they realize that we have little or no control over the natural world. Believing that something or someone is always there to support us can help lift our spirits and reduce the burdens of life knowing that life events, good or bad, are for the sake of a greater good or a “Great Plan.” . Emotional support doesn't always have to come from something intangible like the divinity of religion; emotional support can always be provided by something more concrete, such as the group members themselves. Sixth, religion is a mechanism for social change. Religion performs a “prophetic” function in which absolute standards take precedence over “earthly” ones. Because of this mechanism, many unethical policies were practiced to justify wars, political revolutions and social movements. When balanced with the third function of religion, setting boundaries, it can serve as an effective way to preserve humanity. However, all of this was inevitable due to the human nature of greed and power, yet still happens today. Seventh, religion is a source of identity. Just like ethnicity, religion provides individuals with an understanding of who they are and where they belong. Finally, religion is a source of socialization that guides the course of a person's life. Religions practice rites, privileges and responsibilities that correspond to the stages of life. This includes ceremonies for marriage, adulthood, and promotion to a higher position. An example of this is Philippine culture, where a young woman celebrates her adulthood when she turns eighteen. In what is called a debut, eighteen roses are presented to symbolize her preparation in the area of ​​romance. Eighteen men, including her father, dance with the debutante as a symbol of love that is both beautiful and "thorny". Religion is related to debut mainly because it is associated with the stages of a woman's life, the next stage is marriage and starting a family of her own. With more contemporary religious practices, some religions are oriented towards the individual and others are more targeted for the benefit of society. . For example, according to Max Weber, “religions based on an exemplary prophecy drive people awayadherents from work and everyday life seeking salvation through extraordinary psychic states achieved through mystical, orgiastic or ecstatic experiences” (Edles and Appelrouth 2015: 193). This individualistic idea of ​​self-preservation through salvation can be seen as the primary motivation behind all “selfless” and “group-beneficial” actions undertaken by a believer. Examples of exemplary prophecies are Buddhism and Hinduism because they do not necessarily focus on the worship of a god, but practice their teachings as a way of life. These religions promote the search for enlightenment and separation from the desires of the world. Believers meditate to achieve a deeply ingrained psychic state in the people who practice the religion. “…Buddhists, strive for a lasting state of rest through self-denial and inner purification; in Hindu philosophy, the Supreme Being is the transcendental reality that is truth, knowledge and bliss” (Nelson 2012: 57). Although Durkheim's theoretical orientation focused primarily on society as a whole, it could be argued that, precisely because Hinduism and Buddhism focus more on the individual, both religions could connect with what Durkheim had to say about its structure religious. Society can adopt the practical teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism to create a more functional and successful society by instilling ideas of altruism and growth that can still benefit both the group and the individual. Followers of Buddhism gather to celebrate the Buddha's teachings and students who have achieved enlightenment. However, Buddhism is not considered a religion because they do not worship a god. According to Durkheim, one of the functions of rituals is to strengthen the bonds that unite the believer with God. His ideas of the sacred and the profane are also not in line with Buddhism and Hinduism. Durkheim explains that the sacred is practicing things that are holy and not considered profane, however Buddhism daily practices the profane as a sacred form as a synonym: living a life of pacifism, becoming spiritually enlightened and losing all attachment to the desires of the world. real world. With Hinduism, there is no deity and God is within Hindus, who must be achieved through enlightenment by practicing yoga and performing good deeds in the physical realm to enjoy the next afterlife through reincarnation. Furthermore, they are more consistent with the sacred than with the profane. It is very unlikely that a monk would go to a nightclub and indulge in alcohol and sexual activity. Max Weber mentions the emissary prophecy that “requires devotees to actively shape the world according to the will of their god” (Edles and Appelrouth 2015:194). Religions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam are religions that involve a form of "aesthetic work" according to Weber. People who practice the religion believe that they were put on this earth to become an instrument to serve God. All monotheistic religions have their own stories, but they revolve around a single omnipotent God. Christian faith religions use the Bible or Torah to inform their followers what events and activities to follow as an instructional guide for life. The Islamic version of the Bible is the Quran where their God is called Allah. Another example of a more extreme religion is Calvinism, whose followers help the vainglorious to become humble and cooperate for the benefit of the society in which they live. The founder, John Calvin, believed that only a select few were predestined to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This sparked fear and curiosity in his followers because no one knew who would go to heaven, even after some believed they were one of the chosen few. Calvino promoteddiligent work and the idea of ​​spending money on basic necessities such as food, taxes and other forms of sustenance. Unfortunately, Calvinists cannot enjoy the fruits of their labor. Calvinists believed that those who continue to live a life of pleasure and indulgence will remain enslaved to evil and banished to hell, where no man, whether royal or holy, is excluded from this punishment. There are definitive differences between religion and religion. Durkheim's painting. In the Elementary Forms of Religious Life, he defines social life as "intrinsically religious." From your perspective, I agree that religion will always be a part of human societies because of the way it will always be a part of our recorded history. But to say that we cannot conceive of a society without religion seems ridiculous to me. It is entirely possible to have a functional society without religion, that is, once the impractical aspects of religion are eliminated. Perhaps the conception of a functional society without any memory of religion is unlikely, but one way to conceive of a society without religion would be to take from religion all the practices that make a society functional and replace the impractical beliefs of religion with practical ones. A society requires a collection of people, a government, and laws; it does not need divinities or rituals. Instead of doing sacred activities like going to church or temple once a week, why not hit the gym or master a skill that can directly impact society and show observable results? If societies relied completely on religion to sustain social order, they would inevitably collapse once the inhabitants abandoned religion. However, today we see that people can be without religion and still uphold the structural integrity of their society. The Role of Religion in Gender and Racial Inequalities Durkheim states that religion's main priority was to promote social unity, but he failed to mention that it is also a divisive force. Creating these groups that identify as part of something that other groups disagree with will definitely create a conflict of interest, especially when trying to claim that one religion reigns supreme over the others. According to social conflict theory, Carl Marx saw religion as an agent of social stratification. Religion served those already in power by legitimizing the state of social and political affairs, convincing believers that existing inequalities are part of a divine plan. Many people already in power believed they had been given the divine right to rule and people simply accepted it. It was once believed that Chinese emperors had a mandate from heaven: that there could only be one true ruler of China at a time, which the Zhou used to overthrow other rulers, known as the Shang. British monarchs today are the formal heads of the Church of England, another example of people already in power staying in power. Christian religions support the belief in predestination, further strengthening the idea of ​​a divine right to rule. Marx saw religion as a barrier to revolutionary change and an “opium of the masses” that hinders social progress. Religion also contributes to gender and racial inequalities. When you look at the divine figures depicted in art, most of them are male and revered as the wisest and most powerful. When we see Christianity's belief in the creation of man, Adam was created in the image of God, while Eve was created from Adam's ribs, which makes her seem inferior to Adam. Eve, a woman, is also depicted as the cause of man's fall when he has 10(1): 59