Abstract
The cognitive and social functions of Christianity relieve death anxiety among Christians by establishing an inclusive group that functions to depreciate the significance of physical death, while simultaneously attaining a high degree of comfort in its unity. This paper points out that dependence placed by congregants upon the Church, and symbolically, God, allows Christians to deny their own mortality, and thus relieves them of paralyzing death thoughts. It states that, while superficially solving the universal tragedy of death, the denial of individual autonomy and the implications of religious claims to absolute truth that are inherent in religious practice are detrimental to the ego and fail to fully alleviate thanatophobic convictions among Christians.

From the Paper
"Throughout human history, the mystery of death has fascinated and frightened the human mind. From its first encounter with death, usually through the loss of a loved one, the mind struggles either consciously or unconsciously to escape the inevitability of its end. It generally attempts to alleviate death anxiety through the creation or adoption of a myth system or through commitment to a social support group. Modern religion, particularly Christianity, provides both a mythical system of explanation and a social system that together serve to dissolve, ignore or suppress thoughts of death through a repression of the individual and his ego."

Tags:christ, christian, dependence, ego, freud, fright, god, jesus, philosophy, phobia, phobic, religion, science, sociology, suppression

Abstract
In this paper, the writer discusses how the Christian Right differs from others regarding their approach towards social ills in the US. The writer notes that challenges to the collective consciousness of the United States often revolve around concepts of conflicting religious beliefs. The writer notes that within the past century a movement that many believe is fundamentalist has frequently challenged ebbs and flows in the religious ideals of the nation. The writer points out that the authors and thinkers analyzed in this work, stress the importance of the majority understanding the way in which the fundamentalists obtain and seek power. The writer concludes that there is no doubt that the nation is seeking change, as most individuals will list many of the same concerns and problems as the Christian Right would, such as the violence, pornography, teen sex and the loss of the family structure that is resulting in millions of children in poverty and in single parent homes.

From the Paper
"A point frequently made by the prominent social theorist Emile Durkheim, the foundations of religion are far less concrete than one would expect and that religion and religious beliefs are a fundamentally social phenomena, dictated by the power of coercion. It is almost as if the Christian Right, read the words of this master and detailed how their social goals would best be accomplished, as the foundation of the social movement that is beginning to influence the politics and opinions of the nation, is founded in the fellowship of the faith, recruiting and influencing these recruits to vote in a particular, ascribed manner. According to Wald the massive movement is gaining political strength and voice through getting out the vote, in their massive parishionership. This is despite the multitude of studies that support the idea that the majority of people are not supportive of the Christina Right leadership opinions, such as the right to easy access to birth control and the Equal Rights Amendment, purporting that men and women are equal and should be legally accepted as such, two fundamental objections of the Christian Right leadership."

Tags:ideals, family, structure, social, change

Abstract
This paper details in great length the reasons why the author has abandoned Christianity. The argument includes principles of Christianity concerning the character of Jesus, fallacies in the Bible and the prophecies as reasons for the author's decision.

From the Paper
"There are many reasons why I am not a Christian. In this paper I am going to present my case for not being a Christian and argue for my beliefs. I am sure that I will sound harsh and cruel in parts of this paper, but I ask that you, the reader, do not take it personally and that you understand that I am being so in order to get my point across.For the first eighteen and a half years of my life I was a Christian. I was brought up in a Southern Baptist Church, but I did not consider myself to be a Baptist. I considered myself a Christian. I was never one to like denominations that claimed to worship the same thing, each of course claiming that they where the ones that were correct. So I simply called myself a Christian and let other people bicker and argue about the petty things. But I did consider myself a good Christian, as nearly all Christians believe the same about themselves, I simply was not worried about whether someone should be sprinkled with water or dunked during baptism. I mean do you really think that God would care that much about you being soaked or lightly sprayed? I didn't think so. To me it was the spiritual aspect that was important. But I think that my dissatisfaction with the factions within Christianity itself, Catholic or Protestant (and if Protestant what denomination), made it easier for me to let go of the religion altogether."

Tags:adherent, agnostic, atheism, belief, buddha, buddhism, christians, faith, god, jesus, muslim, non, psychology, religion, religions, sociology

Abstract
This paper analyzes the creator of sociology, French born philosopher Auguste Comte. The writer of this paper explores in-depth the "Three Stages" concept created by Comte which resulted in his being the first to develop and maintain a scientific approach to the role of individuals within society. This paper also delves into the philosopher's main contribution to a positivist philosophy.

From the Paper
"In the decades that followed Comte's Positivism, the social scientists and thinkers expanded on them. On the liberal side, there was John Stuart Mill (influenced not only by Comte but by his father, James). His beliefs dealt with moral issues: the moral self-development of the individual becomes the ultimate value of ethics. On the opposite side was Karl Marx, whose radical theories were based on estrangement, and a violent overthrow of the status quo."

Tags:social, science, theory, philosopy, religion, christianity

Abstract
This paper discusses how throughout the course of western society, there has been perhaps no force equivocal in the shaping of sociological relations than that of religion and, more specifically, connubiality. In particular, the paper looks at how the different practices of matrimony involved within the three major Abrahamic religions - Christianity, Islam, and Judaism - as well as the traditions in regards to their deriving predecessor of Zoroastrianism, both contrast and overlap in a variety of ways and how the four religions all share common ties yet remain independent with regards to their individual practices and traditions.

From the Paper
"Judaism similarly is unique in its practices of matrimony. Claiming a historical continuity spanning more than 3,000 years ago, Judaism has long evolved in the faces of trials and tribulations. Based upon the teachings of the Tanakh or Mikra, the Jewish holy texts, Judaism holds matrimony in high regard. Judaism traditions define marriage as the ideal state of personal existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, is considered incomplete in Jewish culture. Like Islam, marriage in Jewish culture is considered a legal contract with the opposing party. However, unlike Islam, Jewish tradition allows for divorce and separation by means of annulling the contract of marriage. Both men and women can pursue a divorce, however in past times the woman was only allowed to sue the rabbinical court for divorce. As aforementioned, Judaism practices of matrimony are heavily steeped in the practice of traditional Jewish law. "

Tags:connubiality, matrimony

From the Paper
"This study will provide a critique of The Sociological Perspective: A Value-Committed Introduction, edited by Michael R. Leming, Raymond G. DeVries, and Brendan F.J. Furnish.


The editors have compiled a group of articles in order to discover ways in which sociology and Christianity can come together. The editors note three strategies used by Christian sociologists, and then write that the common feature of all three strategies, and of all the following articles, is the desire to put sociological knowledge to use to accomplish God's work in the world. All of the authors agree that it is better to be sociologically conscious than unconscious, and that the sociologically conscious Christian is better equipped to realize the goal of shalom, to implement love and justice in the world (p. 13). The editors and contributors, then, can hardly be said..."

Abstract
This paper examines how anti-semitism has been the subject of much analysis and debate, probably because of its persistent, at times pervasive, presence throughout the history of the Western world, peaking in the horror of the Holocaust. It looks at how the origins of Christian anti-semitism stem from the prevailing attitudes towards Jews in the pagan world. It also discusses how the causes and severity of anti-semitism in the Christian world has in itself been varied through history, standing at the intersection of history, sociology, economics, political science, religion, and psychology.

From the Paper
"Though Christian anti-Semitism may have been fueled by many other extraneous factors, the core is still attributed to its religious origins, and to that extent, this may well suggest historical antecedents in the pagan world with the Christian condemnation of Jews for the crucifixion of Christ and their continued rejection of Christ as the "Messiah." However, a number of studies and scholars now hold the view that the theological origins for anti-Semitism did not originate in the pagan world but occurred with the displacement of the Judaism meaning of "Messiah" with Christ, the appropriation of which sowed the seeds of the later interpreted anti-Judaism teachings of the New Testament and the Church (Ruether 1974)."

Tags:messiah, pagans, new, testament, church

Abstract
Max Weber was a German sociologist and historian who was concerned both with the importance of history in the social science and the impact of meaning on human conduct. He focused on the development of methodologies for understanding human behavior in groups and provided many significant works in the new field of sociology.

From the Paper
"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Introduction
Max Weber was a German sociologist and historian who was concerned both with the importance of history in the social science and the impact of meaning on human conduct. He focused on the development of methodologies for understanding human behavior in groups and provided many significant works in the new field of sociology.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism was one of the most important, and controversial, of his works. It was first translated into English in 1930. Essentially the book opposed the Marxist concept of dialectical materialism, while attributing the rise of capitalism to Calvinist Protestantism."

Abstract
This paper examines the issue of pornography with respect to positivist and constructionist theory. It further offers a strategy that incorporates positivist strategy and awareness as a solution and highlighting the Christian perspective.

From the Paper
"Pornography is a compelling vice. On the surface, it is merely a visual image which allows and encourages a desire to look upon the naked body of another to excite oneself sexually, but underlying that simple outward manifestation pornography is a much deeper issue than the viewing of dirty pictures. (Houck) Pornography is selfish in nature and its grip is compulsive. One peek leads to the desire to see more and more. (Houck) In a word, pornography is addictive and like other addictive..."

Tags:theory, positivist, constructivist, Christian, pornography, strategy

Abstract
The paper discusses how the basis of religion will always be a factor within the confines of secular society and for the implications that modern science have to offer humankind. The paper explains that foundations of reason as well as the unknown, offer a platform for religion to attempt to answer these questions through the various forms of Christianity or furthermore world religions that have given the human race hope since the beginning of time. The paper addresses the question if society will become secularized in an absolutist forum. The paper says the answer would tend to be in the negative, since religion provides a basis for ethical moral and faith based initiatives that drive humankind.

From the Paper
"Before addressing the inevitability and desirability of secularization, it is important to understand the varying definitions of religion. Differing opinions about what religion constitutes poses different implications on the idea of secularization. Secularization is defined as the separation from religious connection or influences. The term can be used to describe two particular phenomena. Firstly, it is used to describe the decline in the extent of religious observance within a particular society; and secondly, it is also the name given to a general belief about history, namely that the development of society is dialectically progressive: as society progressed towards modernization it depends less on a religious understanding of itself and so religion loses its position of authority and legitimization."

Tags:sociology, secular, religious