Definitions of Religion

   Sociologists don't agree on what is meant by religion, and there are different approaches to this definition. To understand the difference between them, we must understand the difference between a functional and a substantive definition. A functional definition is one that defines a thing through what it does or is used for; for example in defining a vehicle, it would say that it's the thing that takes you to work or to school. A substantive definitions, on the other hand focuses on what the thing is, on its substance; in defining a vehicle, it would focus on its structure: wheels, seats, engine.

   Weber provides a substantive definition of religion. He says that religion is an organised belief in the supernatural, including, but not limited to, gods and angels. This belief, he emphasises, cannot be confirmed by science. In this way, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, ancient Greek and Norse mythology are religions, because they affirm the existence of supernatural beings. This definition comes handy when researching about religion, because it marks a clear difference between what is and what is not religious belief; for example, in later editions of the 1851 UK Census, some people marked as their religion Jedi Knights or Heavy Metal. This clearly is not what the researchers were going for, but with Weber's definition they could easily select out what didn't fit in. However, this definition is exclusive, meaning that it restricts what can be seen as a religion, and this makes it Eurocentric. Eurocentrism is the belief that European values are the standard against which all values should be weighted, but this excludes Eastern traditions which don't believe in a supernatural God, like Buddhism and Confucianism, that we would regard as being religions. Thus, a substantive definition provides clear distinction and criteria for religion but excludes many non-Western faiths.

   Durkheim provides a functional definition. For him, religion integrates individuals into the norms and values of society to create social solidarity and harmony. For example, by calling all its followers to church every Sunday, Christianity creates a sense of community and of duty. This definition is more inclusive: it recognises non-Western traditions, as clearly there is too social solidarity in Buddhist temples. However, it is too inclusive. The criteria for being a religion becomes so vague that even going to school and studying for tests fits the definition. In football fandom, followers of a team may gather weekly to watch the games of their team and conduct rituals such as chanting hymns, but, although there are regular rituals, just like Sunday prayers or the five daily prayers of Islam, it is hard to accept football fandom as a religion. Moreover, Yinger argues that religions provide answers for 'ultimate questions': for example, where do we come from, where should we go, how should we behave. However, there are other, secular sources for these questions; science aims to explain where we come from and where do we go (in terms of the future of the universe), and there are plenty of ethical philosophical theories that don't include, or require, the existence of a God, like Kant's Categorical Imperative, Aristotle's Virtue Ethics or Bentham's Utilitarianism. Thus, functional definitions tell us how religion is used in society and to what end it functions, but they need of substantive definitions to differentiate themselves from other things that move toward the same goal.