What Are the Main Purposes of Religion in Society?

Definition and Conceptual Questions


1. Introduction

The purpose of religion in society is a multi-dimensional question studied across sociology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, and theology. Religion performs functions ranging from individual meaning-making to maintaining social order and cultural continuity.


2. Theoretical Perspectives

2.1 Emile Durkheim: Social Cohesion

In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912), Durkheim argued:

  • Religion creates collective conscience, integrating individuals into moral communities.
  • Rituals reinforce social solidarity and group identity.

Example: Totemic rituals among Australian Aboriginal clans symbolise unity and shared ancestry.


2.2 Karl Marx: Ideological Control

In contrast, Marx (1844) saw religion as:

  • “The opium of the people,” providing illusory comfort in oppression.
  • Legitimising existing social structures and inequalities by projecting them as divinely ordained.

2.3 Max Weber: Motivation for Social Action

Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905) argued:

  • Religious ideas shape economic behaviour (e.g. Protestant asceticism fostering capitalism).
  • Religion provides meaning frameworks for rationalising life choices.

2.4 Bronisław Malinowski: Psychological Functions

In his Trobriand studies (1948):

  • Religion reduces anxiety in uncertain contexts (e.g. oceanic fishing rituals).
  • Provides emotional security and coping mechanisms.

2.5 Clifford Geertz: Cultural Systems

Religion offers:

  • Models of reality (cosmologies explaining existence)
  • Models for reality (moral and behavioural templates)

This shapes how societies interpret natural and social events (Geertz, 1973).


3. Main Purposes of Religion in Society

3.1 Providing Meaning and Purpose

Religion offers existential answers:

  • Origin and destiny of life
  • Purpose of suffering and death
  • Ultimate meaning of human existence

Example

Christianity: Life as preparation for eternal relationship with God.
Buddhism: Existence as opportunity to achieve enlightenment and escape samsara.


3.2 Social Cohesion and Identity

Religion fosters community bonds through:

  • Shared beliefs and rituals
  • Collective worship and festivals
  • Group identity and moral solidarity

Example

Friday prayers (Islam), Sunday worship (Christianity), Sabbath observance (Judaism) unify believers across space and time.


3.3 Moral and Ethical Guidance

Religions provide:

  • Prescriptive moral codes (e.g. Ten Commandments, Sharia, Dharma)
  • Principles of justice, compassion, and social responsibility

This regulates behaviour and promotes social order.


3.4 Psychological Comfort and Coping

Religion helps individuals deal with:

  • Grief, fear, and suffering (funerals, prayer, afterlife beliefs)
  • Uncertainty and existential anxiety

Example

Studies show religious belief correlates with greater resilience during trauma (Koenig et al., 2012).


3.5 Social Control and Regulation

Religious doctrines often reinforce social hierarchies, gender roles, and political structures.

Example

  • Hindu caste system historically linked to religious cosmology (Dumont, 1980).
  • Divine right of kings in medieval Europe legitimised monarchical authority.

3.6 Cultural Transmission

Religion preserves and transmits cultural heritage:

  • Myths, scriptures, and rituals encode historical memories and ethical teachings.
  • Sacred languages (e.g. Sanskrit, Arabic, Hebrew) preserved through liturgy.

3.7 Inspiration for Art, Architecture, and Literature

Religious beliefs inspire:

  • Temples, cathedrals, mosques
  • Iconography, sacred music, and literature (e.g. Dante’s Divine Comedy, Hindu epics, Quranic calligraphy)

3.8 Social Change and Justice Movements

Religion has also motivated reform and liberation:

  • Martin Luther King Jr.’s Christian ethics driving civil rights movement.
  • Liberation theology in Latin America advocating for the poor (Gutiérrez, 1973).

4. Critical Perspectives

4.1 Feminist Critiques

Religion can reinforce patriarchy and gender inequalities (Ruether, 1983).


4.2 Postcolonial Critiques

Religions were instrumentalised in colonial control, yet also became tools of anti-colonial resistance (Comaroff & Comaroff, 1991).


4.3 Secularisation Thesis

Modernisation theorists argued religion’s public role diminishes as societies become more secular (Berger, 1967), though global resurgence challenges this thesis (Casanova, 1994).


5. Conclusion

What are the main purposes of religion in society?

✔ To provide meaning, purpose, and existential grounding
✔ To foster social cohesion, moral order, and identity formation
✔ To offer psychological comfort in suffering and uncertainty
✔ To regulate social structures and power dynamics
✔ To preserve and transmit cultural traditions and knowledge
✔ To inspire artistic, architectural, and literary achievements
✔ To motivate social justice and reform movements

Overall, religion is a multi-functional system integrating beliefs, practices, and moral visions, shaping individual lives and collective cultures throughout human history.


6. References

  • Berger, P. L. (1967). The Sacred Canopy. Doubleday.
  • Casanova, J. (1994). Public Religions in the Modern World. University of Chicago Press.
  • Comaroff, J., & Comaroff, J. (1991). Of Revelation and Revolution. University of Chicago Press.
  • Dumont, L. (1980). Homo Hierarchicus. University of Chicago Press.
  • Durkheim, E. (1912). The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. Allen & Unwin.
  • Geertz, C. (1973). The Interpretation of Cultures. Basic Books.
  • Gutiérrez, G. (1973). A Theology of Liberation. Orbis.
  • Koenig, H. G., King, D. E., & Carson, V. B. (2012). Handbook of Religion and Health. Oxford University Press.
  • Malinowski, B. (1948). Magic, Science and Religion. Doubleday.
  • Marx, K. (1844). Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right.
  • Ruether, R. R. (1983). Sexism and God-Talk. Beacon Press.
  • Smart, N. (1996). Dimensions of the Sacred. HarperCollins.
  • Weber, M. (1905). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Allen & Unwin.