{"id":1504,"date":"2016-05-20T19:24:09","date_gmt":"2016-05-20T19:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontosociology-waymaker\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=1504"},"modified":"2016-08-20T21:07:27","modified_gmt":"2016-08-20T21:07:27","slug":"reading-theoretical-perspectives-on-religion","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-intro-to-sociology\/chapter\/reading-theoretical-perspectives-on-religion\/","title":{"raw":"Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Religion","rendered":"Reading: Theoretical Perspectives on Religion"},"content":{"raw":"<figure id=\"import-auto-id1169033127162\" class=\"splash\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure><section id=\"fs-id2331778\"><\/section><section id=\"fs-id1381326\">\r\n<h2>Theoretical Perspectives on Religion<\/h2>\r\n<figure id=\"import-auto-id1169034221472\">\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"200\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/120\/2016\/04\/15204551\/Figure_15_01_01.jpg\" alt=\"Numerous people are shown from behind standing in a church.\" width=\"200\" height=\"450\" \/> Functionalists believe religion meets many important needs for people, including group cohesion and companionship. (Photo courtesy of James Emery\/flickr)[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034203824\">Modern-day sociologists often apply one of the major theoretical perspectives. These views offer different lenses through which to s<span style=\"color: #000000;\">tudy and understand society: functionalism, symbolic interactionism, conflict theory\u00a0and feminist theory. Let\u2019s explore how scholars applying these paradigms understand religion.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<section id=\"fs-id1331313\">\r\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Functionalism<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034178159\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Functionalists contend that religion serves several functions in society. Religion, in fact, depends on society for its existence, value, and significance, and vice versa. From this perspective, religion serves several purposes, like providing answers to spiritual mysteries, offering emotional comfort, and creating a place for social interaction and social control.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034196888\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In providing answers, religion defines the spiritual world and spiritual forces, including divine beings. For example, it helps answer questions like, \u201cHow was the world created?\u201d \u201cWhy do we suffer?\u201d \u201cIs there a plan for our lives?\u201d and \u201cIs there an afterlife?\u201d As another function, religion provides emotional comfort in times of crisis. Religious rituals bring order, comfort, and organization through shared familiar symbols and patterns of behavior.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034209298\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of the most important functions of religion, from a functionalist perspective, is the opportunities it creates for social interaction and the formation of groups. It provides social support and social networking and offers a place to meet others who hold similar values and a place to seek help (spiritual and material) in times of need. Moreover, it can foster group cohesion and integration. Because religion can be central to many people\u2019s concept of themselves, sometimes there is an \u201cin-group\u201d versus \u201cout-group\u201d feeling toward other religions in our society or within a particular practice. On an extreme level, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, and anti-Semitism are all examples of this dynamic. Finally, religion promotes social control: It reinforces social norms such as appropriate styles of dress, following the law, and regulating sexual behavior.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/section><section id=\"fs-id1337643\">\r\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conflict Theory<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034215695\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conflict theorists view religion as an institution that helps maintain patterns of social inequality. For example, the Vatican has a tremendous amount of wealth, while the average income of Catholic parishioners is small. According to this perspective, religion has been used to support the \u201cdivine right\u201d of oppressive monarchs and to justify unequal social structures, like India\u2019s caste system.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"250\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/120\/2016\/04\/15204553\/Figure_15_01_02.jpg\" alt=\"About a half-dozen older men wearing Roman Catholic priestly garb are shown from the shoulders up.\" width=\"250\" height=\"333\" \/> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Many religions, including the Catholic faith, have long prohibited women from becoming spiritual leaders. Feminist theorists focus on gender inequality and promote leadership roles for women in religion. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)<\/span>[\/caption]\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034209617\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conflict theorists are critical of the way many religions promote the idea that believers should be satisfied with existing circumstances because they are divinely ordained. This power dynamic has been used by Christian institutions for centuries to keep poor people poor and to teach them that they shouldn\u2019t be concerned with what they lack because their \u201ctrue\u201d reward (from a religious perspective) will come after death. Conflict theorists also point out that those in power in a religion are often able to dictate practices, rituals, and beliefs through their interpretation of religious texts or via proclaimed direct communication from the divine.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure id=\"import-auto-id1169034221473\"><\/figure>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034185634\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The feminist perspective is considered to be another\u00a0conflict theory view that focuses specifically on gender inequality. In terms of religion, feminist theorists assert that, although women are typically the ones to socialize children into a religion, they have traditionally held very few positions of power within religions. A few religions and religious denominations are more gender equal, but male dominance remains the norm of most.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\r\n<h3>Rational Choice Theory: Can Economic Theory Be Applied to Religion?<\/h3>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034206445\">How do people decide which religion to follow, if any? How does one pick a church or decide which denomination \u201cfits\u201d best? Rational choice theory (RCT) is one way social scientists have attempted to explain these behaviors. The theory proposes that people are self-interested, though not necessarily selfish, and that people make rational choices\u2014choices that can reasonably be expected to maximize positive outcomes while minimizing negative outcomes. Sociologists Roger Finke and Rodney Stark (1988) first considered the use of RCT to explain some aspects of religious behavior, with the assumption that there is a basic human need for religion in terms of providing belief in a supernatural being, a sense of meaning in life, and belief in life after death. Religious explanations of these concepts are presumed to be more satisfactory than scientific explanations, which may help to account for the continuation of strong religious connectedness in countries such as the United States, despite predictions of some competing theories for a great decline in religious affiliation due to modernization and religious pluralism.<\/p>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034197133\">Another assumption of RCT is that religious organizations can be viewed in terms of \u201ccosts\u201d and \u201crewards.\u201d Costs are not only monetary requirements, but are also the time, effort, and commitment demands of any particular religious organization. Rewards are the intangible benefits in terms of belief and satisfactory explanations about life, death, and the supernatural, as well as social rewards from membership. RCT proposes that, in a pluralistic society with many religious options, religious organizations will compete for members, and people will choose between different churches or denominations in much the same way they select other consumer goods, balancing costs and rewards in a rational manner. In this framework, RCT also explains the development and decline of churches, denominations, sects, and even cults; this limited part of the very complex RCT theory is the only aspect well supported by research data.<\/p>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034205898\">Critics of RCT argue that it doesn\u2019t fit well with human spiritual needs, and many sociologists disagree that the costs and rewards of religion can even be meaningfully measured or that individuals use a rational balancing process regarding religious affiliation. The theory doesn\u2019t address many aspects of religion that individuals may consider essential (such as faith) and further fails to account for agnostics and atheists who don\u2019t seem to have a similar need for religious explanations. Critics also believe this theory overuses economic terminology and structure and point out that terms such as \u201crational\u201d and \u201creward\u201d are unacceptably defined by their use; they would argue that the theory is based on faulty logic and lacks external, empirical support. A scientific explanation for <em>why<\/em> something occurs can\u2019t reasonably be supported by the fact that it <em>does<\/em> occur. RCT is widely used in economics and to a lesser extent in criminal justice, but the application of RCT in explaining the religious beliefs and behaviors of people and societies is still being debated in sociology today.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><section id=\"fs-id3028478\">\r\n<h3>Symbolic Interactionism<\/h3>\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034203895\">Rising from the concept that our world is socially constructed, symbolic interactionism studies the symbols and interactions of everyday life. To interactionists, beliefs and experiences are not sacred unless individuals in a society regard them as sacred. The Star of David in Judaism, the cross in Christianity, and the crescent and star in Islam are examples of sacred symbols. Interactionists are interested in what these symbols communicate. Because interactionists study one-on-one, everyday interactions between individuals, a scholar using this approach might ask questions focused on this dynamic. The interaction between religious leaders and practitioners, the role of religion in the ordinary components of everyday life, and the ways people express religious values in social interactions\u2014all might be topics of study to an interactionist.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/section><\/section><section id=\"fs-id1662112\" class=\"short-answer\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Think It Over<\/h3>\r\n<div class=\"exercise\">\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1587450\" class=\"problem\">\r\n\r\nConsider a religion that you are familiar with, and discuss some of its beliefs, behaviors, and norms. Discuss how these meet social needs. Then, research a religion that you don\u2019t know much about. Explain how its beliefs, behaviors, and norms are like\/unlike the other religion.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\r\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1417905\" class=\"exercise\"><section>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id2376589\" class=\"problem\">\r\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034204980\">1. Which of the main theoretical perspectives would approach religion from the micro-level, studying how religion impacts an individual\u2019s sense of support and well-being?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1384557\" class=\"exercise\"><section>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id3033256\" class=\"problem\">\r\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\r\n \t<li>Functionalism<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Symbolic interactionism<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Conflict theory<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Feminism<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1169762625821\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\r\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">[reveal-answer q=\"114967\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"114967\"]b[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\"><\/div>\r\n<section class=\"ui-body\">\r\n<div>2. Which perspective most emphasizes the ways in which religion helps keep the social system running smoothly?<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1441476\" class=\"exercise\"><section>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1675099\" class=\"problem\">\r\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\r\n \t<li>Functional perspective<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Symbolic interactionist perspective<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Conflict perspective<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Feminist perspective<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1169760372073\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\r\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">[reveal-answer q=\"622291\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"622291\"]a[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\"><\/div>\r\n<section class=\"ui-body\">\r\n<div>3. Which socialist perspective most emphasizes the ways in which religion helps to maintain social inequalities within a society?<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1452284\" class=\"exercise\"><section>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id2850647\" class=\"problem\">\r\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\r\n \t<li>Functional<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Symbolic interactionist<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Conflict theory<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Feminist perspective<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1169762599211\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\r\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">[reveal-answer q=\"873560\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"873560\"]c[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\"><\/div>\r\n<section class=\"ui-body\">\r\n<div>4. Which of the following do the functionalist and conflict perspectives share?<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1370186\" class=\"exercise\"><section>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id2303044\" class=\"problem\">\r\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\r\n \t<li>Position that religion relates to social control, enforcing social norms<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Emphasis on religion as providing social support<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Belief that religion helps explain the mysteries of life<\/li>\r\n \t<li>None of the above<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"fs-id1169762331392\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\r\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">[reveal-answer q=\"888556\"]Show Answer[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"888556\"]a[\/hidden-answer]<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<h2>Self-Check: Sociological Views on Religion<\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">You\u2019ll have more success on the Self-Check, if you\u2019ve completed both Readings in this section.<\/span><\/p>\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/1037","rendered":"<figure id=\"import-auto-id1169033127162\" class=\"splash\"><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<section id=\"fs-id2331778\"><\/section>\n<section id=\"fs-id1381326\">\n<h2>Theoretical Perspectives on Religion<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"import-auto-id1169034221472\">\n<div style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/120\/2016\/04\/15204551\/Figure_15_01_01.jpg\" alt=\"Numerous people are shown from behind standing in a church.\" width=\"200\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Functionalists believe religion meets many important needs for people, including group cohesion and companionship. (Photo courtesy of James Emery\/flickr)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034203824\">Modern-day sociologists often apply one of the major theoretical perspectives. These views offer different lenses through which to s<span style=\"color: #000000;\">tudy and understand society: functionalism, symbolic interactionism, conflict theory\u00a0and feminist theory. Let\u2019s explore how scholars applying these paradigms understand religion.<\/span><\/p>\n<section id=\"fs-id1331313\">\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Functionalism<\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034178159\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Functionalists contend that religion serves several functions in society. Religion, in fact, depends on society for its existence, value, and significance, and vice versa. From this perspective, religion serves several purposes, like providing answers to spiritual mysteries, offering emotional comfort, and creating a place for social interaction and social control.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034196888\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In providing answers, religion defines the spiritual world and spiritual forces, including divine beings. For example, it helps answer questions like, \u201cHow was the world created?\u201d \u201cWhy do we suffer?\u201d \u201cIs there a plan for our lives?\u201d and \u201cIs there an afterlife?\u201d As another function, religion provides emotional comfort in times of crisis. Religious rituals bring order, comfort, and organization through shared familiar symbols and patterns of behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034209298\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of the most important functions of religion, from a functionalist perspective, is the opportunities it creates for social interaction and the formation of groups. It provides social support and social networking and offers a place to meet others who hold similar values and a place to seek help (spiritual and material) in times of need. Moreover, it can foster group cohesion and integration. Because religion can be central to many people\u2019s concept of themselves, sometimes there is an \u201cin-group\u201d versus \u201cout-group\u201d feeling toward other religions in our society or within a particular practice. On an extreme level, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, and anti-Semitism are all examples of this dynamic. Finally, religion promotes social control: It reinforces social norms such as appropriate styles of dress, following the law, and regulating sexual behavior.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"fs-id1337643\">\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conflict Theory<\/span><\/h3>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034215695\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conflict theorists view religion as an institution that helps maintain patterns of social inequality. For example, the Vatican has a tremendous amount of wealth, while the average income of Catholic parishioners is small. According to this perspective, religion has been used to support the \u201cdivine right\u201d of oppressive monarchs and to justify unequal social structures, like India\u2019s caste system.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/120\/2016\/04\/15204553\/Figure_15_01_02.jpg\" alt=\"About a half-dozen older men wearing Roman Catholic priestly garb are shown from the shoulders up.\" width=\"250\" height=\"333\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Many religions, including the Catholic faith, have long prohibited women from becoming spiritual leaders. Feminist theorists focus on gender inequality and promote leadership roles for women in religion. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034209617\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Conflict theorists are critical of the way many religions promote the idea that believers should be satisfied with existing circumstances because they are divinely ordained. This power dynamic has been used by Christian institutions for centuries to keep poor people poor and to teach them that they shouldn\u2019t be concerned with what they lack because their \u201ctrue\u201d reward (from a religious perspective) will come after death. Conflict theorists also point out that those in power in a religion are often able to dictate practices, rituals, and beliefs through their interpretation of religious texts or via proclaimed direct communication from the divine.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"import-auto-id1169034221473\"><\/figure>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034185634\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The feminist perspective is considered to be another\u00a0conflict theory view that focuses specifically on gender inequality. In terms of religion, feminist theorists assert that, although women are typically the ones to socialize children into a religion, they have traditionally held very few positions of power within religions. A few religions and religious denominations are more gender equal, but male dominance remains the norm of most.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox exercises\">\n<h3>Rational Choice Theory: Can Economic Theory Be Applied to Religion?<\/h3>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034206445\">How do people decide which religion to follow, if any? How does one pick a church or decide which denomination \u201cfits\u201d best? Rational choice theory (RCT) is one way social scientists have attempted to explain these behaviors. The theory proposes that people are self-interested, though not necessarily selfish, and that people make rational choices\u2014choices that can reasonably be expected to maximize positive outcomes while minimizing negative outcomes. Sociologists Roger Finke and Rodney Stark (1988) first considered the use of RCT to explain some aspects of religious behavior, with the assumption that there is a basic human need for religion in terms of providing belief in a supernatural being, a sense of meaning in life, and belief in life after death. Religious explanations of these concepts are presumed to be more satisfactory than scientific explanations, which may help to account for the continuation of strong religious connectedness in countries such as the United States, despite predictions of some competing theories for a great decline in religious affiliation due to modernization and religious pluralism.<\/p>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034197133\">Another assumption of RCT is that religious organizations can be viewed in terms of \u201ccosts\u201d and \u201crewards.\u201d Costs are not only monetary requirements, but are also the time, effort, and commitment demands of any particular religious organization. Rewards are the intangible benefits in terms of belief and satisfactory explanations about life, death, and the supernatural, as well as social rewards from membership. RCT proposes that, in a pluralistic society with many religious options, religious organizations will compete for members, and people will choose between different churches or denominations in much the same way they select other consumer goods, balancing costs and rewards in a rational manner. In this framework, RCT also explains the development and decline of churches, denominations, sects, and even cults; this limited part of the very complex RCT theory is the only aspect well supported by research data.<\/p>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034205898\">Critics of RCT argue that it doesn\u2019t fit well with human spiritual needs, and many sociologists disagree that the costs and rewards of religion can even be meaningfully measured or that individuals use a rational balancing process regarding religious affiliation. The theory doesn\u2019t address many aspects of religion that individuals may consider essential (such as faith) and further fails to account for agnostics and atheists who don\u2019t seem to have a similar need for religious explanations. Critics also believe this theory overuses economic terminology and structure and point out that terms such as \u201crational\u201d and \u201creward\u201d are unacceptably defined by their use; they would argue that the theory is based on faulty logic and lacks external, empirical support. A scientific explanation for <em>why<\/em> something occurs can\u2019t reasonably be supported by the fact that it <em>does<\/em> occur. RCT is widely used in economics and to a lesser extent in criminal justice, but the application of RCT in explaining the religious beliefs and behaviors of people and societies is still being debated in sociology today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"fs-id3028478\">\n<h3>Symbolic Interactionism<\/h3>\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034203895\">Rising from the concept that our world is socially constructed, symbolic interactionism studies the symbols and interactions of everyday life. To interactionists, beliefs and experiences are not sacred unless individuals in a society regard them as sacred. The Star of David in Judaism, the cross in Christianity, and the crescent and star in Islam are examples of sacred symbols. Interactionists are interested in what these symbols communicate. Because interactionists study one-on-one, everyday interactions between individuals, a scholar using this approach might ask questions focused on this dynamic. The interaction between religious leaders and practitioners, the role of religion in the ordinary components of everyday life, and the ways people express religious values in social interactions\u2014all might be topics of study to an interactionist.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"fs-id1662112\" class=\"short-answer\">\n<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Think It Over<\/h3>\n<div class=\"exercise\">\n<div id=\"fs-id1587450\" class=\"problem\">\n<p>Consider a religion that you are familiar with, and discuss some of its beliefs, behaviors, and norms. Discuss how these meet social needs. Then, research a religion that you don\u2019t know much about. Explain how its beliefs, behaviors, and norms are like\/unlike the other religion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox examples\">\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\n<div id=\"fs-id1417905\" class=\"exercise\">\n<section>\n<div id=\"fs-id2376589\" class=\"problem\">\n<p id=\"import-auto-id1169034204980\">1. Which of the main theoretical perspectives would approach religion from the micro-level, studying how religion impacts an individual\u2019s sense of support and well-being?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1384557\" class=\"exercise\">\n<section>\n<div id=\"fs-id3033256\" class=\"problem\">\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li>Functionalism<\/li>\n<li>Symbolic interactionism<\/li>\n<li>Conflict theory<\/li>\n<li>Feminism<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1169762625821\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q114967\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q114967\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">b<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<section class=\"ui-body\">\n<div>2. Which perspective most emphasizes the ways in which religion helps keep the social system running smoothly?<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1441476\" class=\"exercise\">\n<section>\n<div id=\"fs-id1675099\" class=\"problem\">\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li>Functional perspective<\/li>\n<li>Symbolic interactionist perspective<\/li>\n<li>Conflict perspective<\/li>\n<li>Feminist perspective<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1169760372073\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q622291\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q622291\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">a<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<section class=\"ui-body\">\n<div>3. Which socialist perspective most emphasizes the ways in which religion helps to maintain social inequalities within a society?<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1452284\" class=\"exercise\">\n<section>\n<div id=\"fs-id2850647\" class=\"problem\">\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li>Functional<\/li>\n<li>Symbolic interactionist<\/li>\n<li>Conflict theory<\/li>\n<li>Feminist perspective<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1169762599211\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q873560\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q873560\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">c<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\"><\/div>\n<section class=\"ui-body\">\n<div>4. Which of the following do the functionalist and conflict perspectives share?<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1370186\" class=\"exercise\">\n<section>\n<div id=\"fs-id2303044\" class=\"problem\">\n<ol style=\"list-style-type: lower-alpha;\">\n<li>Position that religion relates to social control, enforcing social norms<\/li>\n<li>Emphasis on religion as providing social support<\/li>\n<li>Belief that religion helps explain the mysteries of life<\/li>\n<li>None of the above<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"fs-id1169762331392\" class=\"solution ui-solution-visible\">\n<div class=\"ui-toggle-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q888556\">Show Answer<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q888556\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">a<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<h2>Self-Check: Sociological Views on Religion<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">You\u2019ll have more success on the Self-Check, if you\u2019ve completed both Readings in this section.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"lumen_assessment_1037\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/load?assessment_id=1037&#38;embed=1&#38;external_user_id=&#38;external_context_id=&#38;iframe_resize_id=lumen_assessment_1037\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:400px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-1504\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Revision and Original Content related to feminist theory. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Self-Check: Sociological Views on Religion. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Cathy Matresse and Lumen Learning. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Introduction to Sociology 2e. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: OpenStax CNX. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d\/Introduction_to_Sociology_2e\">http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d\/Introduction_to_Sociology_2e<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em>. <strong>License Terms<\/strong>: Download for free at http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d@3.49<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":29,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Introduction to Sociology 2e\",\"author\":\"OpenStax CNX\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d\/Introduction_to_Sociology_2e\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"Download for free at http:\/\/cnx.org\/contents\/02040312-72c8-441e-a685-20e9333f3e1d@3.49\"},{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"Revision and Original Content related to feminist theory\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"Lumen 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