Karl Marx Max Weber and Emile Durkheims different views on religion in society
Religion in Society Religion is hard to define let alone explain the affects it has on or in a society. The "essence" of religion is not even our concern, as we make it our task to study the conditions and effects of a particular type of social action. ... " Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim, all profound social theorists, had different views and meaning on what religion¡¯s role is in organizing social relations. Each theorist viewed the influence of religion in society very differently. According to Marx, religion is an expression of material realities and economic injustice. Therefore, problems in religion are ultimately problems in society. Religion is one of those social institutions, which are dependent upon the material and economic realities in a given society. Religion can only be understood in relation to their social systems and the economic structures of society. Karl Marx believed that religion is like crutches that society falls back on to escape the physical reality. ... Marx felt that religion gave society a way to deal with grief and problems in their lives, but he also felt that religion took hold of people¡¯s lives and gave them a false sense of hope.