The study of life, knowledge, and beliefs has always been one of the central purposes of sociology. The science that focuses on people’s thoughts and feelings towards others is the sociology of religion. It attends to the social aspect and considers the relationship between sociology, religion and traditions. Individual beliefs have always been closely intertwined with society and the processes of human life. The goal of social religion is to consider and explain the religion of people and controversies between individuals and society. It takes a methodological, theoretical and empirical direction towards the study of humanity.
The concept of sociology of religion is very extensive. It entails the study of the way people lead their lives with the involvement of their religious beliefs. Human beliefs have always been the central part of existence. Everyone believes in something and it becomes the framework of actions and thoughts. The basis for social religion takes place in everyone’s individuality. The way a person sees the world around them and society, starts in their inner being. Partly it is attributed to the genes but mostly it is the influence of relatives, friends and peers that affect the beliefs of the person. The culture of the world that one grows up in, determines the views of a person towards the world. Every society and different nations or countries have its belief system. These beliefs set up the criteria for the social make-up of society. There are very many religions and views towards religions in the world. Every person chooses to believe what is most familiar and close to them. The differences in the religions divide the world into nations that are so unique and original. It is hard to establish a perfect unity between religious themes but the general belief of all people stands on the assumption that there is a force that is greater than all of humanity. It governs the way people lead their lives and the occurrences that happen on the planet. First of all, religion is based on finding the truth. The true nature of the reasons for life sets up the norms and the goals that an individual strives towards. As no one knows what governs existence and life, there are very many theories that try to explain the reasons for all that has come to be. God is commonly the central part of the system and people realize that they must obey a certain order to lead a life free of wrongful deeds. The fear that accompanies religion plays an important role in every person’s life. The expectance of something that will come after death is the general establishment presumed by both religion and personal thoughts.
The close relationship between society and religion can be seen in the social norms and rules. People have created laws and regulations that govern everyday life. The true and highest morals of society are based on kindness and respect towards the self and others. Unfortunately, the masses are the moving force of society and often they cause problems that are hard to solve. It is a challenge to unite people according to their belief system because it is so personal. People usually keep their beliefs and feelings hidden deep inside but when a critical situation arises, they try to go with the majority. This subject is extremely important, as it outlines the society and the way the nation is governed. In general, society and its religion or beliefs are a strong force. There have been numerous cases in history when the society was displeased with the way things were and so it took over, either in a way of reforms or in extreme cases, war. People demand that their beliefs, wants and truth be heard and so they push the government to listen. The violent conflicts that go on today are all based on the differences between people’s beliefs and societies. This subject is the cause of all disagreement throughout the world. The goal of religion is to educate people on how to behave in a true and just society but sometimes people look for a quick solution and make mistakes in the process. Society has established an order in human life. Every person starts their life in education and continues it in the service to the public and society in the form of work. Education is a carefully selected amount of knowledge and information that gives a person the norms of how to behave and function in society. Some time ago, religion was an inseparable part of education. Everyone had to study the origins of humanity and it determined the way people behaved amongst others. The present democratic governments and rights and freedoms of a person, have to lead to a choice that gives the person a right to choose what they want to learn. But even today there are places in the world that force certain beliefs and systems onto the person and try to overcome their natural state and beliefs.
The conflict between society and a person has always been in existence. At some point, everyone comes to question the righteousness of the commonly established order and rules. People wonder why they have to obey the rules set up by others—people they do not know and laws that are unrelated to their personal lives. The rational choice theory is a model of how a civilized citizen should behave in a society. Philosophy, sociology and politics, all have a common thread of rationality and behavior of a person. The decisions that a person makes are governed by the rules that are presented by society. But the reality is always constant, the conflict that appears between society and individual are unavoidable. The norms that society sets are obeyed by the majority and every time someone steps out of the framework, they are labeled as immoral or ill. All people must act towards the common goals and the benefit of the majority. It is the responsibility of every citizen who lives in a civilized world to follow the order. Those who oppose these views are free to go to places where such laws do not exist. Mostly, the rational choice theory is based on the economic benefits for the whole of society. The assumptions that people make about the government, society and their purpose in society are reinforced by the media and social networks. There is no denying that there are individuals in societies that make their own rules and find ways to get independent and the rest of society looks up to them, as independence from all rules and norms is everyone’s goal. In the end, people want to do what they want to do and not what others ask of them.