The Relationship Between Religion and Social Change

The Relationship Between Religion and Social Change

In this essay I will analyze and evaluate the relationship between

religion and social change in several ways. I will look at the work

of various sociologists and their findings and norm’s etc.

One simple argument is that in technologically underdeveloped

societies religion arises as a means of "explaining the unexplained".

Religion, in such societies, is organized into ceremonies that involve

strict hierarchical relationships between the various participants. As

countries begin to develop over a period of time many people don’t see

a need for religion because they have better lives and simply exclude

it.

One way of understanding the relationship between social change and

religion is to look at contemporary examples of the emergence and

growth of NRM‘s .Some sociologists argue that the explosive growth of

cheap communication systems especially satellite television, radio etc

have simply widened the potential audience for NRM's. In this respect

NRM's are simply seen to be tapping an audience that would have been

receptive in the past to the type of messages NRM's seek to get across

if the communications systems had been available. In this respect,

NRM's have only grown in the sense that they have been able to reach a

wider audience, mainly people already receptive to religious ideas.

They have then actually been very successful in converting people who

were not formerly very religious to NRM's.

Marxist and the Functionalist perspectives agree that religion is

essentially conservative. Functionalists say that it prevents social

change by promoting value consensus and cultura...

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... to understand contemporary society,

some people are brought together through religion, worshipping in the

same places or even just as a country accepting and tolerating other

religions or all believing in hard work. Social cohesion and

collective consciousness are still a large part of society however in

some places religion is still being used to control society, their

leaders use the idea of compensation. It doesn't matter if they are

poor because they have god, they can also draw from functionalism and

the idea of legitimization leaders using religion to justify their

position of power. Both views are relevant today in all societies. To

come to my conclusion I do believe the relationship between religion

and social impact exists but think it varies depending on the country

in which you live and religion you follow.