All of these people can agree that religion is a system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person holds sacred or considers to be spiritually significant. Some people associate religion with places of worship (a synagogue or church), others with a practice (confession or meditation), and still others with a concept that guides their daily lives (like dharma or sin). He went on to elaborate: Religion is “a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say set apart and forbidden, beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community, called a church, all those who adhere to them” (1915). What is religion? Pioneer sociologist Émile Durkheim described it with the ethereal statement that it consists of “things that surpass the limits of our knowledge” (1915).
To understand a culture, sociologists must study its religion. Much social conflict and even wars have resulted from religious disputes. Archaeological digs have revealed ancient ritual objects, ceremonial burial sites, and other religious artifacts. Religion, in one form or another, has been found in all human societies since human societies first appeared. Why do sociologists study religion? For centuries, humankind has sought to understand and explain the “meaning of life.” Many philosophers believe this contemplation and the desire to understand our place in the universe are what differentiate humankind from other species. Describe current North American trends of secularization and religious belief.Understand classifications of religion, like animism, polytheism, monotheism, and atheism.Explain the differences between various types of religious organizations.Understand how the major sociological paradigms view religion.Discuss historical view of religion from a sociological perspective.
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