The Function of Religion in Society

Abstract

The religious beliefs and practices of a society and the units of the social organization (e.g. the family, the kin group) are functionally interrelated. Among folk peoples and societies such as those in the Philippines which we call non-Christians, the contribution of religion to the persistence of the social order is readily apparent. Hence, dramatic changes in the belief system of a people under the impact of missionary effort, or as the result of the activities of administrators concerned with directed cultural and economic change, often have far-reaching consequences. Not infrequently, rapid changes in the beliefs and values which are embodied in the religious and social matrix of the traditional society lead to a breakdown of the social order and of social controls, and vastly complicate for all the process of change.