Chapter 13 Summary

Religions are social communities oriented around beliefs and practices related to the supernatural and the sacred. One of the social roles religion continues to play is producing and reinforcing solidarity and social cohesion. While spirituality is an important component of religion, the secularization of society has resulted in people who profess adherence to spirituality without strongly adhering to a specific religion.

Conflict theorists study religion as a means for reproducing power in society, where religious beliefs and practices may inhibit people's ability to identify and contest structures of power. Functionalists focus on how shared sacred practices take people out of the everyday, producing a sense of community and solidarity. Symbolic interactionists see religion as a common source of meaning and of a worldview, giving people a context for their behaviour. Feminist theorizing has identified the gendered nature of religious organizations, with women often occupying marginal positions of authority, being ignored, or subject to extended religious control.

Sociologists study the connection between modernity's principles of rationality, and the authority of science, with religious belief. There is some tension between religion and science as worldviews, and the rise of secularization coincides with the rise of scientific thinking. Nonetheless, religion remains a significant force in many Canadians' lives and while scientists are less likely to manifest religiosity than the general population, there is overlap between scientists and religious/spiritual commitments.

Sociology has come to recognize that not all societies fit the traditional sociological view of religion and spirituality. Indigenous cultures do not demonstrate a sacred/profane distinction, treating all of life as sacred - as warranting veneration. The colonial damage inflicted on Indigenous spiritual practices was thereby a harm inflicted on all aspects of Indigenous cultures.

Other analysis of religion in Canada include studies of the Social Gospel movement, with its focus on addressing social issues. There is also the integration of religious structure into what Robert Bellah called 'civil religion', where the social functions of religion are transplanted into everyday life. New religious movements have received attention. They are varied, and they often by their nature demonstrate beliefs which seem distinctive, both from everyday life and established religions, but they are one more area in which people seek spirituality. In a context of varied degrees of secularization, religion remains an important sociological phenomenon in Canadian society.