Religion in the Modern Age Essay - 993 Words

Religion in the modern age has been seen by some sociologists as being refreshing to the morals of society, while other sociologists feel that religion has for too long placed restrictions and limitations upon those who partake in it. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Both functionalists and Marxists have identified that religion does have the main function of providing guidelines and restrictions to how someone should behave in society., albeit both perspectives have a different outlook on the result of the social restrictions. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Functionalists such as Durkheim seen religion as being a vital part of society’s structure and form. Durkheim and Parsons believed that by laying down a social consciousness of agreed†¦show more content†¦This can be compared to modern day when many armed forces pray to gods for protection when entering battle. Each member of the groups is expected to perform this act and can be seen as a regulation of behaviour and as setting down a code of behaviour through religion. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Marxists agree with the functionalist perspective that religion has the main function of laying down a code of behaviour which regulates personal and social life. Though unlike the functionalist perspective they do not believe that religion is mandatory in a society’s structure and that in many cases religion is detrimental to the liberation and security of society. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Marxists believed that religion is used as a way of laying down a code of behaviour that is built with the welfare of the ruling classes in mind, that the code of behaviour that is promoted by many religions is a form of control upon the masses, and indeed lead to Marx referring ‘religion is the opium of the people’. Marx noted also that religious beliefs were as a result of the alienation that people felt from society as a whole and that the behaviour code produced by religion is only accepted by the masses because society is such that they have nowhere else to turn. This can be partly seen in society today where although individuals do not have a personal faith they attach themselves to religious groups in order to feel as if they are part of community. Such examples areShow MoreRelatedThe Transition Of Medieval And Modern Times1235 Words   |  5 Pagestransition of Medieval to Modern happened over a long period of time. The middle ages mark ed a dark time in Europe’s history, and the people were anxious to get out. The Renaissance began, and art emerged to create a brighter society. During the Reformation, the country shifted away from the Roman Catholic Church, and many Protestant religions emerged. 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