Summary of Sociology and Religion Article

Simmel’s (1955) article entails the elucidations of religion from a sociological viewpoint. The author attempts to explicate the various attributes of faith that are inadequately addressed from philosophical and psychological perspectives. Thus, he offers a comprehensive understanding of various religious elements that have been influenced, historically, by several societal aspects. He also posits that belief is multifaceted because it can be explained from not one but multiple schools of thought. Fundamentally, the relationship between religion and sociology is enshrined in customs, which, as the author points out, are “the chief for social control in the lower culture conditions” (Simmel, 1955, p. 360). The continued integration of various communal rules has resulted in the growth of multiple faiths today. Customs is principally rooted in the living conditions of individuals and groups, which gradually formulate standard practices, such as worship. The article further illuminates the attributes of sociology like human relations existential in religious beliefs. Such interactions continuously create a given level of devotion among members of a community and a deity.

References

Heidel, W. A. (1900). Metaphysics, Ethics, and Religion. The Philosophical Review, 9(1), 30-41.

Pratt, J. B. (1908). The psychology of religion. The Harvard Theological Review, 1(4), 435-454.

Simmel, G. (1955). A contribution to the sociology of religion. American Journal of Sociology, 11(S6), 359-376.