There is a long history of assessing — and attempting to explain — religion in a functional manner. Marx and Engels figured that the function of religion was to disguise the realities of the underlying economic system and palliate the suffering of the laboring masses. Durkheim thought that the function of religion was to enable [...]
Tags:Civil Religion·Durkheim·Engels·ethics·Freud·function of religion·Marx·morals·Philip Goldberg·proximate cause·Robert Bellah·Thomas Hobbes·transcendence·ultimate cause
The Economist reports that some churches in the US — especially Evangelical congregations which tout “the prosperity gospel” — are offering workshops and support groups for the unemployed:
Although gaining new members would be an obvious benefit for the churches, those involved say it is not the primary goal. “We’re here to provide spiritual support and [...]
