Editing Sociology of religion (section)

==Theoretical perspectives==

===Symbolic anthropology and phenomenology===
[[Symbolic anthropology]] and some versions of [[Phenomenology (sociology)|phenomenology]] argue that all humans require reassurance that the world is safe and ordered place – that is, they have a need for [[ontological security]].<ref>Giddens, Anthony (1991). Modernity and self-identity: self and society in the late modern age, Cambridge, Polity Press.</ref> Therefore, all societies have forms of knowledge that perform this psychological task. The inability of science to offer psychological and emotional comfort explains the presence and influence of non-scientific knowledge in human lives, even in rational world.

===Functionalism===
Unlike [[symbolic anthropology]] and [[phenomenology (philosophy)|phenomenology]], [[Structural functionalism|functionalism]] points to the benefits for social organization which non-scientific belief systems provide and which scientific knowledge fails to deliver. Belief systems are seen as encouraging social order and social stability in ways that rationally based knowledge cannot. From this perspective, the existence of non-rational accounts of reality can be explained by the benefits they offer to society.

According to functionalists, "religion serves several purposes, like providing answers to spiritual mysteries, offering emotional comfort, and creating a place for social interaction and social control. … One of the most important functions of religion, from a functionalist perspective, is the opportunities it creates for social interaction and the formation of groups. It provides social support and social networking, offering a place to meet others who hold similar values and a place to seek help (spiritual and material) in times of need."<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter-15-religion/ |title=Religion |last=McGivern |first=Ron |chapter=Chapter 15. Religion |website=Introduction to Sociology – 1st Canadian Edition |date=6 November 2014 |publisher=BC Open Textbooks |access-date=2018-06-08 }}</ref>

===Rationalism===
[[Rationalism|Rationalists]] object to the [[Phenomenological model|phenomenological]] and [[Structural functionalism|functionalist]] approaches, arguing that these approaches fail to understand why believers in systems of non-scientific knowledge think that their ideas are right, even when science has shown them to be wrong.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/rationalism|title=Rationalism|last=Blanshard|first=Brand|date=July 22, 2016|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> Rationalists say that one cannot explain forms of knowledge in terms of the beneficial psychological or societal effects that an outside observer may see them as producing and emphasize the importance of looking at the point of view of those who believe in them.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=McLeod|first=Stephen K.|date=2009|title=Rationalism and Modal Knowledge|url=https://philpapers.org/rec/MCLRAM-2|journal=Critica|volume=41|issue=122|pages=29–42}}</ref> People do not believe in [[God]], practice [[Magic (supernatural)|magic]], or think that [[Witchcraft|witches]] cause misfortune because they think they are providing themselves with psychological reassurance, or to achieve greater [[Group cohesiveness|social cohesion]] for their social groups.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Stewart-Williams, Steve, 1971–|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/668413625|title=Darwin, God, and the meaning of life : how evolutionary theory undermines everything you thought you knew|date=2010|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-511-90213-0|location=Cambridge|oclc=668413625}}</ref>

Rationalists see the history of modern societies as the rise of scientific knowledge and the subsequent decline of non-rational belief. Some of these beliefs, such as magic and [[witchcraft]], had disappeared, while others, such as [[religion]], had become [[marginalized]]. This rationalist perspective has led to [[secularization]] theories of various kinds.<ref name="Wilson1982" />