Emile Durkheim On Religion
By Dr. Frank W. Elwell, Rogers State University
In the last lecture we looked at Durkheim's
ideas on the weakening of the collective conscience
through modernity, the division of labor,
weakening of primary groups and general social
change. As we saw, this left the individual
without much moral guidance.
As Durkheim was concerned with moral behavior
and social justice he naturally turned to
the study of religion
All religions divide social life into two
spheres, the "sacred" and the "profane."
There is nothing intrinsic about a particular
object which makes it sacred. An object becomes
sacred only when the community invests it
with that meaning.
[Religion is] "an eminently collective thing"
(1954, p.47). It serves to bind a community
together.
"The believer who has communicated with his
god is not merely a man who sees new truths
of which the unbeliever is ignorant; he is
a man who is stronger. He feels within him
more force, wither to endure the trials of
existence, or to conquer them" (1954, p. 416).
Durkheim then goes a step further. Religion
is not only a social creation; it is the power
of the community itself that is being worshiped.
The power of the community over the individual
so transcends individual existence that people
collectively give it sacred significance.
"What essential difference is there between
an assembly of Christians celebrating the
principal dates in the life of Christ, or
of Jews remembering the exodus from Egypt
or the promulgation of the Decalogue, or
a reunion of citizens commemorating the promulgation
of a new moral or legal system or some great
event in the national life?" (1954, p. 427).
By worshiping God people are unwittingly worshiping
the power of the collective over them, a
power that both created and guides them. They
are worshiping society itself.
Durkheim thought that the model for relationships
between people and the supernatural was the
relationship between individuals and the community.
He is reputed for suggesting that "God is
society, writ large" though I can find no
citation for the quote, but it seems to be
an accurate reflection of his beliefs. Durkheim
believed that people ordered the physical
world, the supernatural world, and the social
world according to similar principles.
Religion is one of the main forces that make
up the collective conscience; religion which
allows the individual to transcend self and
act for the social good. But traditional religion
was weakening under the onslaught of the division
of labor; what could replace religion as the
common bond?
In the past, he argued, religion had been
the cement of society;  the means by which
men had been led to turn from the everyday
concerns in which they were variously enmeshed
to a common devotion to sacred things. His
definition of religion, favoured by anthropologists
of religion today, was, "A religion is a unified
system of beliefs and practices relative to
sacred things, i.e. things set apart & forbidden--
beliefs and practices which unite in one single
moral community called a Church, all those
who adhere to them." (The Elementary Forms
of the Religious Life, Book 1, Ch. 1)
Durkheim believed that "society has to be
present within the individual." He saw religion
as a mechanism that shored up or protected
a threatened social order. He thought that
religion had been the cement of society in
the past, but that the collapse of religion
would not lead to a moral implosion. Durkheim
was specifically interested in religion as
a communal experience rather than an individual
one.
He also says that religious phenomena occur
when a separation is made between the profane
(the realm of everyday activities) and the
sacred (the realm of the extraordinary and
the transcendent events); these are different depending
what man chooses them to be. An example of
this is wine at communion, as it is not only
wine but represents the blood of Christ to Christians.
 
"and when these hours shall have been passed
through once, men will spontaneously feel
the need of reliving them from time to time
in thought, that is to say, of keeping alive
their memory by means of celebrations which
regularly reproduce their fruits. .."
"We have already seen how the French Revolution
established a whole cycle of holidays to keep
the principles with which it was inspired
in a state of perpetual youth..."
Durkheim believed that religion is "society
divinised," as he argues that religion occurs
in a social context. He also, in lieu of forefathers
before who tried to replace the dying religions,
urged people to unite in a civic morality
on the basis that we are what we are as a
result of society.
While men are losing faith in the old religions,
new religions will be born. For all societies
feel the need to express their collective
sentiments, ideas, and ideologies in regular
ceremony. All societies need a set of common
values and moral guidelines to inspire their
members to transcend their selfishness.
Durkheim condensed religion into four major
functions:
1. Disciplinary, forcing or administrating
discipline
2. Cohesive, bringing people together, a strong
bond
3. Vitalizing, to make livelier or vigorous,
vitalise, boost spirit
4. Euphoric, a good feeling, happiness, confidence,
well-being
While the forms and particular symbols may
change, religion is eternal.
Next time we will be discussing Durkheim's
overall evolutionary theory.
For a more extensive discussion of Durkheim's
theories refer to Macro Social Theory, available
through Amazon.com at a reasonable price.
Also see Sociocultural Systems: Principles
of Structure and Change to learn how his insights
contribute to a fuller understanding of modern
societies. This book can be purchased at most
online bookstores or at Athabasca University
Press. If you are short of funds Athabasca
also offers a free pdf version
of the book at that site.
A significant portion of the royalties I receive
for these books go to the Rogers State University Foundation in support of students in the Liberal
Arts. I thank you for your support and interest.
 
