Sociology 1020 Lecture 17: Religion
1 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
Religion is the common human response to the fact that we all stand at the edge of an abyss. It helps us cope with the terrifying fact that we must die. It offers us immortality, the promise of better times to come, and the security of benevolent spirits who look over us. It provides meaning and purpose in a world that might otherwise seem cruel and senseless. Religion governs fewer aspects of life than it once did. Medicine, psychiatry, criminal justice, education, and so forth have grown in importance as the scope of religious authority has declined. When people live together, they come to share common sentiments and values. These common sentiments and values form a collective conscience that is larger than any individuals. On occasion, we experience the collective conscience directly. This causes us to distinguish the secular, everyday world of the profane from the religious, transcendent world of the sacred. We designate certain objects as symbolizing the sacred.
