It is the Institution of Religion that has the power to impede change – separate individuals, by themselves, do not. To me that makes sense anyway 🙂

I’m sorry – but Sociology lists, as one of religions dysfunctions, its ability to impede social change – that is Sociology talking, not me.

Religion, as an institution, is made up of people – but I think its fairer to say not all religious people impede social change, but religion, AS AN INSTITUTION, does – I think that is what Sociology is trying to get at – that’s not negating Religions many FUNCTIONS, according to Sociology either

Those same people consider psychology to be a “soft science” as well. I am in the natural sciences and I used to do that too, but I don’t anymore. I think there are a great many merits to sociology and psychology.

Every sociologist I’ve ever met has BEEN religious – I think you are misunderstanding them – no one is trying to DISCREDIT religion – no sociologist in their right mind would say that because that isn’t within their field of study or scope – These sociologists that have talked about the dysfunction of religion, also talk about its functions – it is both good AND bad – and we’ve already seen this throughout history, so they aren’t telling us things we don’t already know

It will be interesting to see what sociology books are saying 10-15 years down the line. I know there are people in the science field that look at sociology as a soft science and therefore do not give a lot of credit to what has been printed. I am one of those. I believe many researchers in sociology have been trying to discredit the benifits of religion for many years and I think this is one of the problems I have with it.

The Scopes Monkey trial? The examples are many

I’m not sure how you cannot see the friction that has historically existed between science and religion – religion often tried to bend science to its will – do you remember Galileo? Religion often doesn’t like what science has to say either – just look at Creationists today and what they try to do? Again, this isn’t just about me 😉

I wasn’t saying religion isn’t a vital or major social institution – but one of the things sociologists have established as a dysfunction of religion, is that it can impede needed social change – it did for African Americans, it has for others, and it is doing that for gay people. I’ve read this in every sociology book I’ve ever seen – It’s not just about ME here 😉

What history bears out is that people go into holy wars instead of negotiating a peacful co-existence.

I have a love/hate relationship with these people – MY priest has a degree in counseling and I love him. I’m just trying to look at it objectively – science and religion don’t mesh well – just look at what the Creationists are trying to do. The history of the relationship between science and religion is an awful one.

And in much the same way that religion affects a counselor’s practice for good, it can effect it for bad – sociologists know that religion, as an institution, can make it difficult to incorporate much needed social change – history also bears this out.

Do I have a point? Not really – just things to ponder