Durkheim: Religion and Society

All religions, sociologist Emile Durkheim says, by definition divide the world into that which is sacred and that which is profane. To determine what led to this initial distinction as the fundamental quality of religion is the source of inquiry as Durkheim searches for the origin of religion. Durkheim's contribution to the study of religion, was enormous, and his text "The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life" remains a significant staple of most Religion 101 classrooms.

Durkheim uses the example of Australian totemism as the "elementary form", that is, the original and most basic common denominator of religion. He describes the totem emblem as a symbol both for a society and it's sacredness. This is because, he states in his fundamental hypothesis, "god and society are one and the same," though not necessarily on a conscious level. For Durkheim, religion is what brings people together by reinforcing social relations and moral norms through a "collective effervescence" or a group energy. This energy, when felt by the individual, is not recognized as the result of communal energies, but is attributed to the sacred.

Remember when you were a teenager at Ozzfest and the crowd saluted Ozzy with a field of tiny lighter flames while he crooned out "Mama, I'm coming home"? That eclectic energy of 30,000 people singing along to a classic metal ballad with their hands in the air is unmistakable. For Durkheim, its the basis of religion. Agree with him or not, Durkheim was one of the first people to recognize and attempt to delineate the very social nature of religion, a quality which few would argue against today.

So, according to Durkheim, our ancestors engaged in their cultural equivalent of Ozzfest on a regular basis. Upon experiencing this buzz of group energy over and over again under certain circumstances, the ancient equivalent of Ozzy, or perhaps the Ozzfest logo of an animal-like skull became the group's totem. That special energy felt in a congregation of people became the sacred "collective effervescence" which was recognizably different from the everyday experience of the profane. Using our modern day metaphor of an Ozzfest concert, surely listening to the CD at home the next day can't compare to the experience of actually being there and being a part of that crowd. This is the difference between the sacred and the profane.

Durkheim was keen in noting the social restraints, rules, and guidelines that most religions seem to place on followers. The Golden Rule and seven out of the 10 Commandments are, after all, proscriptions for social behavior. While its certainly true that society and religion are related, it remains possible, however, that instead of a causal relationship, both are caused by an unidentified third phenomenon, for example, the genetic predisposition of humanity to be social creatures.

What do you think? What is the role of society upon religion, and vice versa?

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