How Religion works today

The Social Function of Religion Religion is assuredly one of the more tangible markers of both culture and civilization. This fact is particularly true when one considers the role of religion in contemporary American life. Anyone doing so would find it difficult to divest the notion of religion from its sociological functions, especially if they were familiar with Durkheim’s theory of religion and the emphasis the author places on its social origins.

Albeit from a slightly less specific viewpoint, Marx’s conception of ideology is also applicable to the role of religion in 21st century American society. A comparison of the points of similarity and differences between each of these tenets advanced by these renowned Occidental thinkers reveals that Durkheim’s theory is more revealing of how religion functions in America today—although Marx’s views are surely manifest in a number of different conceptions of religion here as well.

The most paramount similitude between Durkheim’s theory of religion and Marx’s notion of ideology is the fact that the power of belief that underpins both religion and ideology is not inherently rooted in divinity or a higher power. This point is pivotal to understanding some of the later social repercussions each author imputes to his respective tenet, as well as to understanding the role religion plays in American society today.

For his part, Durkheim unequivocally asserts that religion was devised as a means of educating people about, and actually getting them to act in accordance with, normative social values. He buttresses this stance by noting “there are great religions from which the idea of gods and spirits is absent, or… plays only a secondary and minor role” (Durkheim, 1915). There is nothing Marx wrote about ideology which suggests that it is something engendered by a divinity.

In fact, the notion that some believe ideology stemmed from a divine power is solidly refuted by the assertion that, in such an instance, “the creators, have bowed down before their creations” (Marx, 2000). This quotation adequately sums up the view of both Marx and Durkheim regarding divinity in relation to the organized social principles implicit to religion and ideology. Both writers believe that man is the author of religion and ideology, and that no power spawned from these two concepts could create those concepts.

The capital distinction between Durkheim’s theory of religion and Marx’s notion of ideology is that Marx is largely discussing ideology from an overarching perspective which considers this phenomenon both outside of religion and in accordance with it. Durkheim, however, is only preoccupied with religion (which, of course, is an ideology). Thus, when determining which of these two ideas is more illuminating when evaluating the role of religion in modern America, Durkheim’s is more trenchant simply because it pertains to religion only.

It is readily apparent that Marx addresses the notion of ideology in general—not as something necessarily denoting religion—in his seminal work The German Ideology. Marx is analyzing the very tenet of ideology, which includes aspects of religion but which is actually “the rule of thoughts” (Marx). Again, some of these thoughts involve religion, yet others decidedly do not.

Since Durkheim only writes about the effects of religion, its origin, and how its pretexts actually affect society, there is more insight in his works about religion’s place in the U.S. today. Specifically, Durkheim seeks to detail how religion “has as its object the explanation of some actual reality which is near to us, and which consequently is capable of affecting our ideas and our acts” (Durkheim, 1915). This quotation offers a synopsis of the role religion has in American society today.

It impacts actions and ideas in a way that supersedes that of other ideologies. Religion is largely used as a means of providing demonstrations for expected social behavior in the U.S. today, which certainly affects people’s actions according to Durkheim’s description of religion in the preceding quotation.

Another key differentiator between Durkheim’s theory of religion and Marx’s conception of ideology as they relate to religion’s role in modern day America is each other’s treatment of the various forms of behavior involved. As previously indicated, in contemporary America religion is a means of disseminating socially accepted modes of behavior to people. Specifically, these modes of behavior are referred to by Durkheim as “rites” (Durkheim, 2000)—meaning specific stages or even rituals which people engage in for certain occasions.

There are numerous examples of how rites are used in the U.S. today. There are several rites practiced within the Christian church, such as those pertaining to the seven sacraments, which require strict mechanisms of behavior. Typically these forms of behavior include solemnity, a dearth of speech until spoken to or asked to speak, and minimal touching permitted. These rites—and the behavior they implicitly involve—“are a manner of acting which takes rise in the midst of assembled groups” (Durkheim, 1915).

This manner of acting is widely practiced in other parts of the public sphere in America today. Whenever people assemble in a movie theater, a coffee house, a restaurant, or a nightclub, they typically observe this mode of acting. The preceding quotation of Durkheim, then, is an apt descriptor for how religious rites can impact behavior or actions in general, as well as those which take place in the U.S. today.

In comparison, Marx’s notion of ideology is less based on how people interact with each other as it is based upon what specific activities they do. This point is critical to understanding why Durkheim’s theory of religion offers more insight into the role of religion in contemporary America than Marx’s concept of ideology. The chapter in The German Ideology devoted to the foundation of ideology, appropriately entitled “The Real Basis of Ideology”, is largely dedicated to various manifestations of labor.

Specifically, this chapter details numerous facets of labor in town and country sides (Marx, 2000) and in relation to manufacturing. It is clear that the notion of labor, including its division and factors which affect its production such as manufacturing, are central to the very basis of ideology. All of these factors largely determine what people do because of ideology. They do not necessarily include how they do these things, or how they interact with each other in general—which is discussed in relation to religion by Durkheim.

Labor is certainly a vital component of the United States today. However, it has very little to do with religion in modern day America. Yet, the rites described by Durkheim and their effect on behavior and action definitely help elucidate the very role of this social institution in contemporary America. Further analysis of the emphasis Durkheim places on rites in relation to his theory of religion certainly illuminates the role of religion in America today.

Although Durkheim was writing about the utility of rites in general as discerned through a prolonged case study featuring indigenous people in Australia, his thoughts on this subject seem to echo—if not presage—religion’s role in the 21st century United States. The author adds that not only do such rites provide the basis for how people interact with each other, but also that these rites are purposefully “destined to excite, maintain, or recreate certain mental states in these groups” (Durkheim, 1915).

The diction in this passage helps clarify religion’s role in the U.S. in modern times. The author is acknowledging that rites correlate to particular mental states, which must be those that are appropriate for certain rites. For instance, there are certain Christian denominations in which it suitable to echo approbation of the preacher or speaker, which implies a mental state of acquiescence. In this instance (which his.