Relevance: Sociology: Paper I: Social Thinkers
Answer:
Durkheim concept of religion is based on his systematic view of society. According to him, society consists of two parts- the sacred and the profane and this process of dividing the world into the sacred and the profane starts with the totems.
‘The sacred’ are the things which are set apart: and are forbidden. Sacred refers to all the things which are connected to supernatural. A relationship of distance and fear is maintained with respect to these things. ‘Profane’ are the things apart from the sacred. It includes all the day-to-day things which people use in their lives. Sacred and profane are two worlds apart and both are mutually exclusive.
According to Durkheim’s idea of sacred-profane the celebration of religion beliefs and sacred ritual united the community and integrated individuals and enhanced the sharing of collective sentiments and solidarity in profane areas of social life.
Transformation: Sacred-Profane to Religious-Secular
- Earlier religion represented all forms of knowledge- sacred and secular. However with the growth of science in contemporary society the sphere of secular increased. Earlier morality was considered as religious duty. In the modern times morality continues to be there but is now del inked from religion. Durkheim called t his as secular morality.
- At least in the West, science verifiable knowledge, public discourse, the marketplace and government all take place in the sphere of the secular, whereas religious beliefs and ethical practices are in the sphere of individual, private beliefs and practices .
- People in contemporary society do not usually encounter the sacred and the profane by taking themselves off to a remote location to perform some kind of social rituals. They experience them through sport events (football or cricket match), hoisting of national flag or performances of patriotism by playing national anthem, various forms of humanitarian disaster etc. Sacred now no longer confined to church, it has different forms and meanings from person to person or from one society to another society.
The contemporary artists are trying to bring the elements of sacred outside sacredness and depict them in the form of entertainment like paintings, books, cinema, etc. Today God or sacred things are available to man on demand in market driven society. For example TV series like Ramayana and Mahabharata, bhakt i songs, special VIP line for entry in temple on payment of money.
However this sometimes results in people opposing such art form. For example movie titles like sexy durga, depiction of gods and goddesses on liquor bottles, etc.
The relevance of Durkheim’s concept of sacred and profane lies in the fact that it has made significant contribution in the field of sociology and it helps in understanding modern day societies.