“Religion, Culture & Communication” Article Review

Stephen Croucher et al. in the article named Religion, Culture and Communication, describe how religion influences contemporary society. They center on the study of the ways religious beliefs influence people’s cultural beliefs and on social communication.

Croucher et al. investigate relations among culture, religion, and communication.  They center on Christianity in their research. The study investigates how Christian values influence contemporary social and cultural life. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of religion in the contemporary society. People believe that they are free to choose style and manner of their communication. The authors of the article prove that different factors, including religion, influence communication in the contemporary society.

The authors of the article study different theories, which explain relations between the religion and the society. They study Carl Marx’s theory, who believed that social and economic factors influenced religion. Marx believed that people turned to religion in the time of economic and political hardships. He viewed religion as a form of alienation.  Then the authors investigate Weber’s vision of relationship among religion and society. Weber centered on unstable relations between religious groups and society. He believed that these relations changed and eroded. For example, people in Europe turned to Protestantism because of political and social reasons. Then the authors study Durkheim’s vision of the relationship between society and religion. Durkheim centered on the social function of religion. He also believed religion and culture to be inseparable.

The study of different popular theories of the function of the religion in the society gives a good background for further investigation. The authors center on the study of role and function of Christianity. In addition, they investigate the role of Buddhism and other religions.

The authors of the article point out that there is a close interconnection between religion, community and culture. As the authors of the article point out. “Community is essentially formed by a group of people who share common activities or beliefs based on their mutual affect, loyalty, and personal concerns. Participation in religious institutions is one of the most dominant community engagements worldwide” (Croucher et al., 2017). Religions institutions help people create the sense of community.  They often  provide social and material support for their followers. The role of religious organizations grows in the case of conflicts. Religious authorities have a strong impact on their followers. In the case of conflict, people tend to support the side of the conflict, which is supported by their religious community. Despite the fact that most people believe that religion brings ideas of peace and tolerance, religious organizations bring additional tension to different kinds of conflicts. “Currently, religious conflicts are on the rise, and they are typically more violent, long-lasting, and difficult to resolve. In such cases, local religious organizations, places facilitating collective actions in the community, are extremely vital, as they can either preach peace or stir up hatred and violence” (Croucher et al. 2017).  At the same time, it is worth to note that religion can also be a calming down factor during the conflict. Such examples had a place in India and Indonesia (Corcher et al., 2017).  The authors also investigate relations between individualism and collectivism in the contemporary society. They note that in the modern society people are more inclined to individualism. This characteristic can be attributed to all their social practices. It also can be attributed to their religious choices. Despite the fact that religion plays an important role in the contemporary society, people are more inclined to individual religious practice.  

The articles give the detailed and well-structured study of the relationship among community, religion, and society.  The authors base their research on the rich theoretical foundation. They present different theories, which explain relations between society and religion.   Different theories, used for the research, help to see the situation from different perspectives. In the age of information, communication becomes one of the basic values. The study of the role of religion in the process of communication is crucially important for the understanding of the roles, models, and functions of the religion in the contemporary society

Works Cited

Croucher, Stephen, Zeng, Cheng, Rahmani, Diyako,  Sommier, Mélodine,  Religion, Culture, and Communication, Communication Theory,  Jan 2017. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.166. Web.

http://communication.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-166

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

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"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

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freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
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[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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