Cover of The Sociology of Religion

The Sociology of Religion

by Max Weber · 1920

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Sociology of Religion by Max Weber, economist & sociologist, was originally published in German. Weber studied the effects of religious action & inaction. Instead of viewing religion as an "opiate of the people," or as a method of promoting morality, he simply categorized different religions in order to understand religion's subjective meaning to individuals (Verstehen). By viewing religion strictly in the scientific sense, he was striving for objectivity, attempting to ignore value judgments & to understand religion as those human responses that give meaning to inescapable problems of existence such as birth, death, illness, aging, injustice, tragedy & suffering. In The Sociology of Religion, he proposes that people pursue their own goals & that religion facilitates that.

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The rise of religions

Gods, magicians & priests

The idea of God, Religious ethics & taboo

The prophet

The religious congregation, preaching & pastoral care

Castes, estates, classes & religion

Religion & non-privileged classes

Intellectualism, intellectuals & the history of religion

Theodicy, salvation & rebirth

The different roads to salvation

Asceticism, mysticism & salvation religion

Soteriology & types of salvation

Religious ethics, the world order & culture

The relationship of religion to politics, economics, sexuality & art

Judaism, Christianity & the socio-economic order

The attitude of the other world religions to the social & economic order

Subject
sociologysociologyMore like thisLess of thisphilosophyphilosophyMore like thisLess of thisanthropologyanthropologyMore like thisLess of thisreligionreligionMore like thisLess of thispoliticspoliticsMore like thisLess of this
Themes
religionreligionMore like thisLess of this
Setting
GermanyGermanyMore like thisLess of thiscollegecollegeMore like thisLess of this
Audience
adult
Length
medium · 371 pages
Form
essaysessaysMore like thisLess of this

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