Abstract
RELIGION AS A SOCIETICAL INSTITUTION
Therearemanyreligionsandreligiousbeliefs in today'sworld. Religion has beenalwaysthemostimportantcomponent of social life throughouthumanhistory. People arelookingfor a supportingpoint (anchorpoint) in thisfast-changingworldandtheyfind it in thespiritualpower, whichleadstothegrowth of thereligiousfactor. Religion is themimportantsocialinstitution since religionincludesbehaviours, socialnorms, values, roles, beliefs, rituals, customsandtraditions. Concept of religion has manydifferentdefinitions. Insocialsciences, Therearetwo main approachestothedefinition of thisconcept: meaningfulandfunctional. Themeaningfulapproachfocuses on theessence of religion. Accordingtothisapproach, religion is a collectiveactivitythatincludesthesocialgroupandthereforereligionshould be seen as a socialphenomenonthatstrengthenssociety in thefirstplace.
Thefunctionalapproachinvestigatesthecharacteristics of religiousbehaviours. Accordingtothisapproach, thebasic problem sandbeliefs of human life could be determinedby a religion.
Accordingtothesetwoapproaches, religion is a phenomenonthatcombinescultural, socialandpersonalsystemswhichaffectthechangeanddevelopment of thesociety.
Keywords:Religion, Society, Culture, SocialNorms.
Keywords
Religion, Society, Culture, SocialNorms.
