|
The workshop are designed to be an
interactive process between the lecturer and the listeners so that the
learning process can work at its best. These will give the opportunity
to the attendees to intellectually participate in what is being
taught. The first workshop was titled: “What is religion?”
To
conduct it was Sheikh Mohammad Zakaria a lecturer in A' Level
Sociology, Islamic Studies and Religious Education at the Islamic
Collage for Advanced Studies, with many years of experience as a
teacher.
The
workshops are open to all brothers and sisters, Muslims and non -
Muslims.
You
can bring along any of your friends (no invitation needed!).
What is Religion?
by Mohammad Zakaria
 The
main aim of the lecture was to clarify what is meant by the term
Religion in light of three factors, which are as follows:
1.
The linguistical origin of the word Religion and its
implications.
2.
Religion as understood in light of the research and
writings of one of the most forceful and accomplished Sociologists the
West has produced, Emile Durkhiem.
3.
How Religion is used to maintain harmony within
Society.
The word
religion has a Latin origin coming from the word Religio,
meaning to establish an obligation which in turn is derived from the
verb Religare, which has the meaning of to tie back or to tie
tight.
In light
of what has been mentioned above the term Religion would then mean
that which establishes a tight bond or an obligation between the human
and Deity
Emile
Durkhiem the Founder of Functionalist Sociology
 Emile
Durkheim was born in 1858, in the French town of Tpinal a short
distance from Strasbourg which is situated in the North Eastern region
of France. Durkheim’s family background was stepped in Rabbinical
scholarship. He was educated at one of Frances premier institutions
of learning the Ecole Normale Superieure, where he studied both
Philosophy and History.
At the
age of 29 he became a Professor at the University of Bordeaux, which
fell under the spell of his outstanding academic expertise and
originality that it created a new Chair of social science and
education specifically to accommodate his Sociological research.
Functionalism
Emile
Durkhiem founded the Functionalist school of Sociology, the school
adopts a unique and novel view of society and the social
institutions found within it. Functionalism also known as the
Consensus Theory, portrays society as a living organism, much like the
Human body. Each limb of the body can be likened to a social
institution, the limbs work in harmony to bring about the continued
existence and comfort of the body. In the same manner all social
institutions work in harmony with each other to bring about a
continuation of society.
Durkheim
conducted a study of the religious practices and beliefs amongst one
of the many Australian Aboriginal tribes. What resulted from his
research was the groundbreaking book Elementary Forms of Religious
Life, first published in 1912.
The
Major themes of the book
Durkheim
divides the world into two distinct realms those of the Sacred and the
Profane. Each of these having their own particular peculiarities
rules, norms and values.
The
concept of the Sacred
The sacred
realm is typified by being inhabited by the supernatural that which is
over and above the ordinary existence of those which inhabit the world
of the Profane/ Mundane. The sacred is to be honoured,
supplicated and revered, the sacred as a direct impact on the
lives of the individuals who hold that thing to be sacred.
Anything can take on the attributes of being sacred, a Tree,
Rock, Plant or an Animal; it is usually those things which appear
within the immediate environment which take on this sacred
nature.
The
Concept of the Profane
 The
Profane is the world of the Mundane, the world which is in need. A
world of everyday things with no special character of their own. In
this sense Trees, Rocks, Plants and Animals, which have not be
consecrated [the origin of the word sacred] are all part of the
Profane/Mundane or ordinary world.
Totemism
The
concept of the Totem is fundamental to the understanding of
Durkheim’s schema of Religion in its moist elementary form. Durkheim
claims that the Totem which
in most cases takes the shape of an Animal or a Plant is in reality
a symbol whitish distinguishes the group having adopted it from
others; they are set apart via their association with the all
important Totem. It is this Totem which is worshipped
via ceremonies, rituals and rites.
The clan’s people of the crow believe they are descended from
the Dreamtime's crow spirit who became a man.
Totemism is a view of nature and life, of the universe and man, which
colors and influences the Aborigines' social groupings and
mythologies, inspires their rituals and links them to the past. It
unites them with nature's activities and species in a bond of mutual
life-giving, and imparts confidence amidst the vicissitudes of life’.
The totem provides a tangible expression of a man's relationship to
his deities. Everything in the Aboriginal world contains an essence or
spirit that had its beginnings in the Dreamtime.
Each person descended from one of these spirits and possessed some of
its life force. The spirit it
descended from is the
person's totem, images of totems make-up a large part of Aboriginal
art. They were painted on cave walls, which we title rock art, drawn
on the interiors of their huts, drawn on their bodies, and carved in
wood. Totemic spirits are celebrated in ceremonies and rituals, and
played a prominent part in Aboriginal myth.
Durkheim
further explains that the Totem is inviolable or what he calls
Taboo, that is to say off limits in the ordinary course of things.
However there are certain times when the Sacred object or
Totem can be approached and its sanctity can be violated. If the
Totem is an Animal or a Plant it can be eaten. This eating of the most
Sacred Totem is extremely significant for Durkheim. As
the eating of the Totem is indicative of what he calls the
Sacred Exchange.
The
Sacred Exchange
The
Sacred Exchange, Durkheim explains allows for a number of crucial
factors to develop.
-
By the
consuming of the sacred Totem the group/clan as a whole has
partaken in feasting, this feasting itself is a ritual which serves
to bring the group/clan closer together.
-
The sacred
Totem has given life and vitality to the group/clan, and as such
the clan reciprocate by continuing to honour, respect and worship
the Totem, hence the Sacred Exchange is carried out.
The
Collective Conscience
 For
Durkheim religion is not something merely spoken of, no for Durkheim
is such a pervasive force that it demands action.
Durkheim strongly emphasised the fact that
religions are never just a matter of belief. All religion involves
regular ceremonial and ritual activities, in which a group of
believers meet together in collective ceremonies; a sense of group
solidarity is affirmed and heightened
Religion
then seeks to become a social phenomenon. It is via the ritual,
ceremonies and rites which become an intrinsic part of religion that
links based on a shared outlook on life are created. This shared
outlook or commonality which was created via the performance of
rituals, ceremonies and rites, is called by Durkheim the “Collective
Conscience”
The role
of Rituals in Religion
The role
played by rituals within religion is inextricable linked to the
Collective Conscience theory.
Worship
of the Totem or Society
The main
purpose behind religion for Durkheim is at once striking and extremely
interesting, this is in holding with the Functionalist theory of all
social institutions working to maintain the wellbeing, harmony and
smooth functioning of society.
Durkheim
claims that in fact the Sacred Totem which was so revered and
was shrouded in Taboo was representative of society itself. It
is in fact society which is being worshiped. But why all the pretence
why not just worship society directly, Durkheim claims that the
concept of society is far more complex for the human mind in its
primitive form to understand. It is far les complex for humans to
worship the sacred Totem than to conceive of worshiping
society.
Durkheim
mentions Religion consists of the following:
A
Religion is a unified system of belief and practice relative to sacred
things, that is to say things set apart and forbidden- beliefs and
practices which unite into a single Church, all those who adhere to
them.
The
Limited Scope of his Research and Universal Applications
The
conclusions which Durkheim derived from his extraordinarily structured
and focused research have been the subject for continued debate and
criticism. The main point of contention being that Durkheim uses the
findings which his research generated and extends them to all
religions at all times and in all places.
Critics
have argued that Durkheim studied only a small number of Aboriginal
groups, which were somewhat untypical of the other Aboriginal tribes.
It may therefore be misleading to generalise about Aboriginal beliefs
from this sample, never mind generalisation about Religion as a whole
Religion is both Sacred and Secular in Nature
The
classical definitions of what religion is and also what functions it
performs must be revised by modern day Sociologist. The definition
given by Durkheim clearly links Religion to the Sacred. Whilst what
can be witnessed within many societies is a form of religious
behaviour, but which is devoid of all reference to the Sacred, rather
its sphere of operation is the Secular.
A redefinition of the concept of religion is needed, in light of the
claim that there has been a transformation of the Sacred in modern
life.
The
category
of the Sacred is seen to be a much wider category than religion, which
was used narrowly by the majority of the founders of Sociology to
represent almost exclusively institutional religious practice and
beliefs.
As an
example of a secular religion containing Sacred objects, however
devoid of the divine, Communism might be cited, with the intellectual
driving force of Marxism powering it along and giving it direction.
None
would argue that religion was freely practiced within any part of the
Soviet Union; however the city which lay at its heart had been for
many years the scene of mass pilgrimage and religious devotion.
Secular
Religion and Practice
Above
the Mausoleum which contains the Mummified body of Lenin
Devotees
would stand for hours in long queues waiting to get a glimpse of the
mummified corpse. In silence they would file past heads bowed, some
shedding a silent tear others whispering slogans extolling the virtues
of the communist ideology to themselves. Would any keen observer of
religious practice not call this behaviour ritual expressed via the
secular religion of communism?
Secular acts of Devotion
Each year on January
the 21st faithful Communist Party supporters stand in line
waiting to lay a flower at Lenin’s Tomb in Red Square, the date is
significant as it marks the anniversary of the death of Lenin.
QUESTIONS ASKED:
1 - How
realistic is Durkheim's concept of Religion for you (As Muslim)?
2 - What is
the aim behind rituals?
Answers: Workshop table 1:
Answers: Workshop
table 2:
Answers: Workshop
table3:
 |
