ANTHANTH. Long Essay Questions. Religion & Theology Essay

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Question One
Marx/Engel and Emile Durkheim had theories that were interesting concerning societies. Marx/Engel and Durkheim understood the importance of having an integrated society. Marx/Engel and Emile Durkheim have had a significant role in the understanding of theories relating to sociology. Sociological theory is essential as it is used to explain several things on how society is bound together. Marx/Engel and Emile Durkheim had varied ideas on what brought society together, but to some extent, their thoughts were the same. Mile Durkheim was of the idea that society had a multifaceted kind of system of co-dependent parts and consistent parts that work hand in hand to bring stability (Mestrovic, 2017). Durkheim believed that social facts held society in oneness. Durkheim was of the idea that social facts comprised of acting, feeling, and having thoughts outside from one individual and exhibiting coercive power from that individual. The things could be made up of norms, values, rules, and social institutions. Such things control the life of a person.
On the other hand, Marx/Engel believed that the separation of class and labor was enough to bring social stratification that led to alienation. According to Marx/Engel, the above were important when it came to essential elements within society. Marx stood with the idea that class conflict is active and can be found in every society since time immemorial. On society and matters of alienation, Marx was aware that competition witnessed in workers made them different from the other (Mestrovic, 2017). Moreover, the workers were alienated from the ways of production because they did not have a say in the way production was undertaken. As for Marx/Engel, the point was that the division of conflict and labor between workers and capitalists were significant problems in society.
Freud's perspective in the line of psychoanalysis regarding religion was that it was of the unconscious need of the mind for fulfilment. Freud believed that people had a lot of guilt in themselves and for them to be secure and absolve themselves from such tendencies; they had to believe in God. Believing in God was because the latter was a father-figure who yields immense power. On the other hand, Freud also critiques religion to certain extents (Talvitie, 2018). Freud believed that religion was unwelcoming unloving and harsh to those that did not subscribe to any specific group of religion. Freud considered religion as an illusion. To be precise, Freud was of the view that religion was meant to have power in the external world. Furthermore, Freud believed that religion as not being a permanent acquisition but rather a counterpart to neurosis that civilized men had to go through.
On his part, Tylor viewed religion as a belief in the world of 'spiritual beings'. In this case, Tylor was of the view that humans beings believed in a soul that gave them life and that the death of the body would be survived. This belief is likened to that of Freud, who seems not to believe in religion, but instead believed in other powers. To Tylor, religion was hinged on the understanding of fellow humans that were thought to have enough capabilities instead of believing in God. Tylon b...