Perspectives of Religion
Religion has always been a part of society; it has played a key role in many social events and will continue to. Within all these religions there are many things they have in common and it's interesting to see that even though they still continue to have conflict. Religion has many aspects and different ways to perceive it. Throughout this paper I will look at religion in four key perspectives, which are Conflict, Functionalism, Feminism, and lastly the Interactionist perspective.
God is seen as the ruler and creator of the world. People must be dedicated and behave in a particular manor in order to be rewarded. Religion gives an explanation for everything in life, influencing people to follow a specific path in order to reap the benefits in life. When following a religion they teach ideas, such as sacrificing and facing adversities in life to receive benefits in the afterlife.
English: McGraw-Hill Building at Rockefeller Cente...
Emile Durkheim
English: Cover of the French edition of the Divisi...There might never be just one religion but each one is constantly expanding to accommodate the different types of people. To appeal to the younger generations, these religions have changed their books and incorporated activities for followers to participate in.
Within every culture there are different types of religions. By having several religions, there are conflicts between them. Each religion being ethnocentric, asserting their culture is the "social norm" (Summer W.G., (1906), p.56). Therefore religions will be seen as their social status, and will impact their course of life. When a religious group starts to act in a specific social status, from that point on the world will be associating their society's views with their religious beliefs. There are many of these situations in today's world, a prime example are how the terrorist attack on 9/11 are automatically associated with the Muslim religion, rather than it being...