Alternative Spirituality

» pink101 - Role of Religion

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Another famous sociologist, Talcott Parsons, put religion in a slightly different place.
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He claimed society, and specifically American society, is made up of communities. These communities, Parsons, claimed were made up of certain social institutions which were, in no particular order; 1. The Economic, 2. the Educational, 3. the Governmental, 4. the Relisious and, 5. the Familial. He goes on to explain his use of the word, institution.
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An institution is an organized societaly group of rules and standards based on a particular foundational value. Each of the five named institutions, then, has its own value out of which all of that particular institution's rules and standards are created. The five institutions are the pillars of community--they hold the community up. When the community is operating well and functional, each of the institutions are equally in balance with each other.
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Things were different in Europe where the church had so much sway up and until quite recently. But, Durkheim's hypothesis about religion are interesting to anyone who takes the time to learn about them. But, think about the Parsonian idea that when the institutions fall out of balance with each other that community falls into dysfunction. I'm sure the reader has noticed that our communities are in dysfuntion.
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Parsons has been called the father of sociology by many scholars. He pondered and wrote extensively on many aspects of society.
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-- posted by pink101