3.2 Religion as a Social Institution

LO 3.2: Examine religion as a social institution.

The simplest definition of religion is that it is a belief system concerned with the sacred. French sociologist Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) explained that religion separates the sacred (or holy) from the profane. The sacred are those objects and ideas held as extraordinary, awe-inspiring, or otherworldly, such as the Ganges (or Ganga) River in India. Hindus view the Ganges River as sacred. For Hindus, washing in the Ganges River is believed to wash away sins. Profane objects and ideas are part of everyday life. For example, some religious groups observe a weekly holy day (Sunday for Christians, Saturday for Jews, Friday for Muslims). However, other religions, like Hindus and Buddhists, do not view any specific day as sacred. Therefore, the same day of the week is sacred for some religions and profane for others.

Photo 3.4

Émile Durkheim

But religion is also about more than separating the sacred from the profane. Religion is a system or community that connects people through a shared belief or worldview, shared rituals and symbols, a sense of belonging, a set of guiding values and ethics, and regular social practices (Roberts & Yamane, 2012). All of these features contribute to religion as a social institution. It endures beyond the individuals who belong to it and it fulfills various social needs or functions.