What is the realtionship status of religion and society.

As we grew up. There are some of the queries which come to our mind. And some of these queries are related to religion.

Let us Understand what actually  religion is and what kind of phenomena it is.

First what we need to understand is that RELIGION IS A SOCIAL PHENOMENON.

And  when I say that religion is a social phenomena. 

Then what do I mean when  something is “social”.

Social broadly refers to...

(a)Experience of human beings as a connectivity in all parts of the world,

(b) relationships between human beings, probability in all walks of their life, and

(C) to all facets of everyday human life, for example education ,politics ,economy etc.

We know that every society has religious beliefs, rites and organisations. Religion very often affects our understanding of the everyday life. The way in which we relate to each other is very often influenced by our religious beliefs.

I want to clear somethings before continuing this that when I used the term social, I am totally discussing this matter in the perspective of sociology.

So continuing it, it is also related to politics and  economic activities 

. Religion can unite human being together but also sow hatred among them.

Religion may produce differing impacts in different places.

At one end of the globe, it serves to justify oppression and unequal distribution of resources.

And on the very other end of the globe the same religion you may find, serves as a reason to resist and struggle against oppression and the unequal distribution of resources.

So now the question arises if religious beliefs are the same, then how do we explain why people react differently in different parts of the world?

We all know that all religion teach love and universal brotherhood.

Even then why do people fight amongst themselves and‘die’ in the name of religion?

There are different sets of question that continue to poke us.

So we will try to understand the sociology of religion

And make an attempt to understand the relationship between religion and society.

But firstly we have to to make a clear cut distinction between sociology of religion and philosophy of religion and theology of religion.

Because these different aspects can shuffle the whole content.

(A) Sociology of religion.

Sociology of religion does not ask, whether God exists, but rather sociology of religion asks, if people believe that God exists‘why do they believe’ how do they come to believe?,

How do they describe their God?,

and is there any relationship between there description of God and their social conditions?,

Sociological perspective aims at a sociological analysis of religion. Not a religious analysis of of society.

(B) Philosophy of religion

Philosophy has many specialisations like metaphysics, epistemology and ethics.

Metaphysics is broadly put the study of the abstract,

So as a metaphysician a philosopher has to deduce arguments for and against the existence of god.

(C) Theology of religion

Theology is a different aspect. Theologians are necessary believers. They believe in the existence of god and try to understand the nature of divine beings by studying the faith of its believers.

By analysing the people's experience of God theologians try to understand God and god's plan.

So we have made a clear cut distinction between the the main three aspects of religion and as we know we are discussing the social phenomena of religion so we will discuss the sociological aspect of it.

We should understand the definition of a religion first in a sociological perspective.

Religion involves simply a group of people with shared system of beliefs and practices. Every religion emphasis the need for collective worship.

According to Durkheim(a well decorated sociologist) “god is a human creation and the social creation at that”

God is ,in fact, born in the collective experience of coming together ,leading to rituals.

Let us understand the existence of religion in human society.

The significance of of religion in the organisation of social life is immense. It appears to help people in approaching and addressing the crisis situation in life.

Different scholars have argued that religion gives meaning to human life to such an extent that it is characterized as the relief to the people who are trapped in The hardship of life

Its impact on human affairs is intoxicating like opium.

There are some different theories explaining the relationship between religion and society.

Basically I will discuss with you the  most  influential work of people regarding religion and their perspective of How they see this relationship between religion and society.

1) Emile durkheim

Emile durkheim was a French sociologist.

Durkheim was concerned with the origins and causes of religion in society.

he studied various primitive groups of Australia and North America to study the most rudimentary religious forms.

According to him the most elementary form of religion would be found in those primitive tribal communities which are having an elementary social organisations.

According to him there are two basic components of religion.

Beliefs

And

Rites

He calls beliefs as collective representation which are product of of the  social structures in society.

He classified beliefs into two separate spheres of sacred and profane.

He identifies sacred as the most fundamental religious phenomenon.

Sacred is that part of the religion which is set apart and forbidden and considered Holy.

Sacred is placed in higher position to profane things.

Profane stands in opposition to sacred.

And refers to the normal aspects of everyday life.

That means that things which are sacred  to human are being idolized and worshiped.

 this distinction between profane and sacred things gave rise to the idol worship in future somewhere. It is also related to the theory of toteism

There was another scholar from Germany called Max Weber.

According to Max Weber, he argued about religion in a very different manner.

He argued that religion has the the economic relevance in society.

For example he argued that Asian countries like India they could not develop the concept of capitalism because of their religious ethics of Hinduism.

He considered Hinduism, as another worldly religion.

Where caste imposed structural restraint on economic development.

He  argued that different religions have different meaning to the work of their life. For example the Jain community is more dedicated towards the businesses of their.

For them their work act as a religion to them. So he argued religion in the economic relevance.

There was a another scholar from Germany he was a philosopher and still being studied by the whole world today “Karl Marx”.

Marx has came very long way his theories and his vision is shared among the society till date.

Even some of the communist political party's ideology came from Marx itself.

He argues that, how religion generate a false consciousness of the existing social reality thereby normalising and justifying the unequal social structure and giving people an illusory happiness.

He wasn't theorizing the relationship between society and religion. But he was addressing how to change the unequal structure of society which is discussed in religion.

So he was primarily dealing with the political aspect of religion rather than the functional.

He gave an interesting materialistic conception of history, in which he argues that “religion is actually a reflection of the material condition of society”

We can quote him as“it is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but on the contrary, their social existence determines their consciousness”

These are the main sociological explanation of relationship of religion and society by different scholars.

In Indian context there is a different perspectives on religion and society in India.

India has a diversity of religion.

given the complexity and diversity of the religious tradition in India it is difficult to enumerate and generate them especially here in this blog.

but I will try to describe only some of these major religions in India for your understanding.

Hinduism.

There are different scholars who argue that the term Hinduism is a western coinage and it is not a religion.

According to Weber the term Hindu was introduced by British colonials India. This term was used to describe the religious complex rather than one religion.

But historians have argued that Hinduism is not a monolithic religion but an umbrella category used for a diversity of sects.

It is also defined as the way of life rather than a religion.

Dr Ambedkar remarks that. “Hindus” find it baffling to answer the question‘why is she or he a Hindu, due to multiplicity of gods ,beliefs customs and practices.

Historical method in forms that the term “Hindu” originated with the Arabs who referred to people living beyond Indus river known as Hindu.

The Indian scholar M.N Srinivas.

Argues that Hinduism is entangled with Hindu social order to such an extent that it become difficult to demarcate them.

Hindu social order that describe the divine origin of four varnas.

According to Srinivas.

In reality it is not Varnas but innumerable jaaties that exist.

when the Hindu sacred aur legal text discuss caste, it is mostly Varna that they have in view and very rarely jati.

Caste system to Hinduism is also discussed by Weber where he described it as “the ritual rights and duties which gives and imposes the position of the Brahmins, the fundamental institution of Hinduism. Before everything else, without caste there is no Hindu”.

the idea of Dharma, Karma and moksha provide the ideological justification for caste system.

There are ideas regarding purity and pollution are also cardinal in Hinduism.

Islam

Islam emerged  in Arabia in 6th century. It is monotheistic religion.

Quran being the only holy book.

Quran major teaching is summarised in five pillars.

Having faith in the creed,

Offering namaz five times a day,

Paying legal alms i.e zakat,

Fasting during Ramzan,

And pilgrimage to Mecca.

These beliefs and practices, according to Islam theology, make Muslim win over his passions and desire and attain a place in heaven.

In fact the world “Islam” means an absolute submission to God.

With regard to the founder of religion, there are two major sects which have emerged claiming one founder,

Sunni and Shia

sunnis believe in the authority of prophet Muhammad,

Where shia claims that succession belong to imams.

Islam in India has different character with comparison to the the world.

the caste system emerged in Asian India and Central to Hinduism has its impact on Islam, thereby giving birth to system of stratification different from the place of Islam's origin.

although the acceptance of caste principle among the Muslims is considered only weak and does not enjoy any section for justification in their great traditional religious ideology.

Caste and social stratification among the Muslims argues that caste exists among Muslims ,

Although caste type categories based on purity and pollution do not exist among.

Sikhism

Sikhism is one of the youngest being fairly 500 years old religion.

Sikhism emerged as a challenge to the feudal social norms in Indian society.

It is essentially a religious philosophy that stands in opposition to the vedantic philosophy.

it was founded by Guru Nanak in 15th century who's teaching formed the foundation of Sikhism.

Guru Nanak carried forward The legacy of Kabir's thought that rejected caste and religious differences espousing opposition to scriptural knowledge and rituals.

Kabir and Nanak are bhakti saints who questioned and rejected the cast differences.

He emphasis on ikk (one)God who could be apprehended within the hearts rather than by adherence to empty rituals.

There are three principles of Nanak's teaching  which are expressed in three Punjabi words.

Naam japna, kirti karni , wand chakna.

Which means always remembering God,

Earning one's livelihood through honest means,

Sharing the fruits of one's labour with others,.

To implement the idea of equality, Guru Nanak was accompanied by Mardana, a Muslim musician.

The Aadi Granth the holy book of Sikhs, contains the poem of bhakti and Sufi saints such as Kabir ,Namdev and Ravidas. Who come from the lower strata of the Hindu and Muslim communities.

Buddhism

Buddhism emerged in India during 6th century BC

It is known by the name of its founder Gautama Buddha. By the time Buddhism emerge in Asian India a highly complex structure of stratification on the lines of caste had taken its root in society.

it was a period of rapid transformation and reformulation of political structures.

There were two kind of political structure of governance existing in the time of Buddha

Monarchial kingdom

And gana sanghas

The gana Sanghas were ruled by clans.

Buddha himself was a prince being the son of the chief of sakya clan.

the philosophical ideas of Buddhism were innovative and remarkably different from the existing philosophy of brahminism of 6th century BC.

Buddhism is essentially a rejection of the basic beliefs of brahmanism thereby challenging the authority of Vedas.

within India Buddhism has appeared as an alternative to the hierarchical and inegalitarian ideology and practice of Hinduism.

in simple language Buddhism is viewed as a system which was more sympathetic to oppressed groups and it has been considered and economic, political and social solution to the problem of cast oppression.

Buddhism emphasized on the materiality of this world. It did not emphasize on the creation and preservation of universe by God.

It believed in the natural cosmic rise and decline.

And did not talk much about gods.

Buddha developed a theory of cause and effect which is different from the vedic theory of Karma.

independence from the diet is was also evident in Buddhist ideas about the origin of Government and the state.

In the end we can see a direct relation between society and religion in different perspectives of different scholars and in different religions.

And we can say that religion is a social phenomenon.

the common aspect of these theories that I have discussed with you is that religion is the creation of humans unlike the theological perspectives that emphasis on the divine origin of religion and society.

Hence we can say that the relationship status of religion and society is woven into the fabric of everyday social life.

It seems to play a solid define function in society.

And also has been used to spread hatred and crimes against humanity.

We should see what religion actually mean to us on an individual level first. Before condemning others religion.