Question

How does sociology study religion?

Answer 1

Sociology studies religion as an institution and conducts it in three ways:

(i) An empirical study on the various functions of religion and its interrelatedness to society.

(ii) It uses a comparative method.

(iii) It investigates the religious beliefs and practices in relation to other aspects of society.

There are different groups of religions that originated with the change and need of the society such as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Jainism, etc.

Religion has certain beliefs, norms, rules, and regulations that are expected to be followed by its members, which govern and regulate their behaviour.

Further, religion has had a very close relationship between power and politics. There have been many social movements which were carried out on the basis of religion.

Classical sociologists believed that as societies have modernised, the influence of religion on the lives of individuals has decreased, which has led to secularism.

Many thinkers of sociology have presented their theories upon religion and their origin. For example, Max Weber in his study, The Protestant Ethic and The Rise of Capitalism viewed that capitalism was a result of Calvinism and their thinking of increasing the economic activity, in order to please the god.

Similarly, Emile Durkheim presented the view of differentiating the sacred from the profane that existed in religious societies.

Further religion is not only a private matter of individual but it also has a public character, as it holds strong ties with other institutions like politics, economics, education and marriage, and kinship.