Functionalism emphasises the social nature of religion and the positive functions it performs, however it neglects the negative aspects, such as religion as a source of oppression of the poor or women.
It ignores religion as a source of division or conflict, especially in complex modern societies where there is more than one religion (called religious pluralism), where it is difficult to see how religion unites people and promotes integration.
Whilst the idea of civil religion overcomes this problem somewhat, is it really a religion if it does not involve a belief in the supernatural?

Durkheim:

STRENGTH: evidence is provided for his theory - the Aborigines
STRENGTH: sacred objects present in most world religions
LIMITATION: Worsley said that there is no division between the sacred and the profane, as some clans shared totems. Also, even if Durkheim is right about totemism, it doesn't mean that he's right about all religions.
LIMITATION: Durkheim's theory may apply best to small scale societies with a single religion, as it is harder to apply it to larger, multi-faith societies where religions may be in conflict. His theory explains social integration within society, but not the conflict between them.
LIMITATION: Postmodernists such as Mestrovic argue that Durkheim's ides cannot be applied to contemporary society, because increasing diversity has fragmented the collective conscience, so there is no longer a single shared value system for religion to reinforce.

	Created by Summer Pearce almost 8 years ago

A-Level (Year 2) Sociology (1a) Theories of Religion) Slide Set on The Functionalist Perspective of Religion, created by Summer Pearce on 12/09/2016.

The Functionalist Perspective of Religion