This week, I found Durkheim's theories to be quite interesting. What I enjoyed most were his thoughts on religion. Durkheim believes that all great social institutions have been born in religion. In fact, he believes in this so much, that he goes on to say later that the idea of society is even the soul of religion. Humanity has reaped the benefits of religion, because religion directly affects the "moral life" of society. He even goes on later to talk of an ideal world. He explains that society creates a sort of "ideal world" in which it only exists within the realm of thought, but we attribute a higher sort of dignity to it. Durkheim thinks that, "A society can neither create itself nor recreate itself without at the same time creating an ideal... The ideal society is not outside of the real society, it is a part of it" (Lemert, 2013).
Durkheim expresses this idea that religion is "sacred". There is "sacred" and there is "profane". Sacred is what is considered something added to and above the real. When he was talking about his in our reading, there was a quote that really caught my attention. He says that when man reaches a state of high effervescence (or enthusiasm) he "...does not recognize himself; he feels himself transformed and consequently he transforms the environment which surrounds him" (Lemert, 2013). I found this statement to be very profound, because isn't that why many people find religion so intriguing?
To me, religion was always very intriguing because my friends who had a solid foundation of faith in their lives were just different to me. The way they acted, the way they treated others, their demeanor...it was so different from what I was used to. I saw that contrast, and I wanted what they had. So, I sought after it. If your faith is authentic, others take notice. Whether that was what Durkheim meant by that quote, I guess I'm not really sure, but that's how I interpreted it. When you are transforming the world around you by just simply being a part of it, you are living, breathing proof of something that changes us from the inside out. And in my opinion, that's not a transformation that can come on one's own accord.
I absolutely love your quote. I never realized how powerful those words truly are. Religion cannot be forced upon, it can only come with choice. I too had a friend who reached out to religion and found him at the right time. I saw her world in a better light and she was a happier person in general. I then realized I should reach out to God and I started praying more and I am making better choices for myself. Just the small difference I made, I can tell that I am closer to God. Maybe something you could have added was your experience with religion in your post, otherwise very nice!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your connections with Durkheim and his thoughts on religion. I feel as though our society is moving further and further away from Durkheims thoughts on religion. I think we all long for a sense of belonging, of meaning but we fill that longing with other things of this world. I really enjoyed your quote, I actually read that the other day, and i strive to live by it. I would have liked to hear you comment more on Durkheim's "ideal world", but overall a great blog post! :)
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