The merlin project predicts next president

Despite differences, there are common elements in a ceremony marking a personвЂ™s death, such as announcement of the death, care of the deceased, disposition, and ceremony or ritual. For instance, in every culture, funeral rites are practised in some way, although these customs vary between cultures and within religious affiliations.

Moreover, religion is a cultural universal found in all social groups. Social scientists recognize that religion exists as an organized and integrated set of beliefs, behaviours, and norms centred on basic social needs and values. While some people think of religion as something individual because religious beliefs can be highly personal, religion is also a social institution. The practice of religion can include feasts and festivals, God or gods, marriage and funeral services, music and art, meditation or initiation, sacrifice or service, and other aspects of culture. Some form of religion is found in every known culture, and it is usually practised in a public way by a group.

Throughout history, and in societies across the world, leaders have used religious narratives, symbols, and traditions in an attempt to give more meaning to life and understand the universe. The Sociological Approach to ReligionДЇrom the Latin religio (respect for what is sacred) and religare (to bind, in the sense of an obligation), the term religion describes various systems of belief and practice concerning what people determine to be sacred or spiritual (Durkheim 1915 Fasching and deChant 2001). Sociological tools and methods, such as surveys, polls, interviews, and analysis of historical data, can be applied to the study of religion in a culture to help us better understand the role religion plays in peopleвЂ™s lives and the way it influences society. For example, after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, it became important in North America for teachers, church leaders, and the media to educate citizens about Islam to prevent stereotyping and to promote religious tolerance.

Religion can also serve as a filter for examining other issues in society and other components of a culture. All of these people can agree that religion is a system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person holds sacred or considers to be spiritually significant. Some people associate religion with places of worship (a synagogue or church), others with a practice (confession or meditation), and still others with a concept that guides their daily lives (like dharma or sin). He went on to elaborate: Religion is вЂњa unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say set apart and forbidden, beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community, called a church, all those who adhere to themвЂќ (1915). What is religion? Pioneer sociologist Г‰mile Durkheim described it with the ethereal statement that it consists of вЂњthings that surpass the limits of our knowledgeвЂќ (1915). To understand a culture, sociologists must study its religion. Much social conflict and even wars have resulted from religious disputes. Archaeological digs have revealed ancient ritual objects, ceremonial burial sites, and other religious artifacts. Religion, in one form or another, has been found in all human societies since human societies first appeared. Why do sociologists study religion? For centuries, humankind has sought to understand and explain the вЂњmeaning of life.вЂќ Many philosophers believe this contemplation and the desire to understand our place in the universe are what differentiate humankind from other species. Describe current North American trends of secularization and religious belief.Understand classifications of religion, like animism, polytheism, monotheism, and atheism.Explain the differences between various types of religious organizations.Understand how the major sociological paradigms view religion.Discuss historical view of religion from a sociological perspective.

The merlin project predicts next president