CEVAP:

Durkheim pointed out three major functions of religion for the operation of society:

1. Social cohesion. Religion unites people through shared symbols, values and norms.

2. Social control. Every society uses religious imagery and rhetoric to promote conformity. Societies infuse many cultural norms-especially mores relating to marriage and reproduction-with religious justification.

3. Providing meaning and purpose. Religious beliefs offer the comforting sense that the vulnerable human condition serves some greater purpose.