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Assess the extent to which different types of religious theory can encourage or inhibit social change.
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Assess the extent to which different types of religious theory can encourage or inhibit social change. Different religious theories have suggested their own concepts into explaining how religion functions within the society. Some have stated how it can encourage a social change and other theories have suggested how it is a conservative force and preserving the status quo. All the religious theories have their evidence explaining how religion encourages or prevents social change. One theory is functionalism. The functionalists approach to religion state that it has a positive effect in society. What they imply by this is that religion reinforces the societies norms and values so that everyone is socialised in the correct manner. A functionalist named Durkheim believed religion was a 'collective conscience' meaning that everyone in society shared and abided by the same norms and values and these for them were seen as sacred. Durkheim believed that religion was a...
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