three theoretical positions (structural-functionalism, conflict theory, and the symbolic-interactionist perspective) on the sociology of religion

Theoretical Positions in the Sociology of Religion
Student’s name
Institution

Theoretical Positions in the Sociology of Religion
Introduction
The sociological perspective lay emphasis on the social contexts that people live in, it then examines how the contexts influence our lives. The sociological perspective is raising the question of how people are influenced by groups, especially how the society influences its people. The society refers to a group of people who share both a territory and culture. Sociologists consider the social location of people to find out why they behave in a certain way. The social location refers to the positions that people occupy in the society because of their status. The ideas and behaviors of individuals in the society are influenced by aspects such as gender, race, income, education, jobs, and ethnicity. This paper summarizes the three social perspectives by James M. Henslin and then draws the contrast and comparison between them.
The central idea in structural-functionalism perspective is a view that society is a unit, which is made up of interrelated parts working together. The perspective is entrenched in the basis of sociology. The society is compared to an animal’s body that requires harmony between the body parts so as to run smoothly. The society is also viewed as a composition of many parts where every part has its function. Robert Merton (1910-2003) dismissed the view of comparing the society to an animal’s body. He, …