RELIGION

 Religion is a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on a conception of the sacred.  Profane-an ordinary element of everyday life  Sacred-set apart as extraordinarily, inspiring awe and reverence

 Emile Durkheim identified three major functions of religion that contribute to the operation of society

1. Religion unites people through shared symbolism, values, and norms. Religious thought and ritual establish morality and rules of fair play that make organized social life possible

 2. Society uses religious ideas to promote conformity

 3. Religious belief offers the comforting sense that our brief lives serve some greater purpose. Strengthened by such beliefs, people are less likely to despair in the face of change or tragedy. This is why we mark major life transitions with religious observances

 From the vantage point of a symbolic interactionist religion is socially constructed.  Through ritual people sharpen the distinction between what is sacred and profane

 According to theorists such as Marx, religion serves elites by legitimizing the status quo and diverting people’s attention form social inequities

 Max Weber asserted that religious ideas set into motion, waves of change that brought about the industrialization of Western Europe  Calvinists and predestination