Question

In recent years we have witnessed Protestants and Catholics killing each other in No. Ireland, Jews and Muslims fighting in the Middle East, as well as Christians and Muslims in Bosnia doing the same thing. These wars would be considered a _______ by functionalists.

1) Function of religion
2) Religious campaign
3) Religious ritual
4) Dysfunction of religion

Answer 1

In the functionalist view, religious conflicts like those in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and Bosnia represent a dysfunction of religion, indicating a failure in religions' role to unify and stabilize society.

Step-by-step explanation:

From the perspective of functionalism, a sociological framework that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability, the violent conflicts mentioned in your question would be seen as a dysfunction of religion. Functionalists believe that religion serves many functions in society, including answering spiritual questions, providing comfort, social interaction, and social control. However, when religious differences lead to violent conflicts, as seen in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and Bosnia, this represents a failure of religion's unifying and cohesive societal function. This dysfunction can cause societal harm by perpetuating division and conflict, rather than fostering the intended social harmony and group cohesion.