Reframing Émile Durkheim’s Sociological Approach: From Explanation To Manifestation Of Religion

This article develops criticism of explanatory approaches and methods adopted in the academic study of religion, especially focusing on Émile Durkheim’s sociological approach. The study maintains that this approach is meaningful when understanding the manifestation of religion, but is not adequate to explain the causes of the emergence of religion. Explanatory approaches lead to overly simplistic definitions that are reductive. Drawing on Wilfred Cantwell Smith's idea of “faith and cumulative tradition”, the paper argues that Western definitions of religion are problematic and do not capture the diversity of global faiths. That includes Durkheim’s definition and sociological approach to religion. The paper suggests reframing Durkheim’s approach to understand how religion manifests. It argues that the core teachings of the religions are preserved and can be known by historical method, which is well elaborated by Durkheim himself in his work. Lived religions are shaped by historical, social, and cultural contexts. Durkheim believes that studying theelementary form of an indigenous religion reveals the universal origins of all religions, but this claim is challenged in this paper. Understanding the “simple form” of major faiths like Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam requires in-depth historical research into their foundational texts and the lives of their founders. Such understanding should not rely on speculative comparisons with contemporary present societies with elementary forms of indigenous religions. The article points out how groundbreaking teachings and early societal challenges contradict the notion that these religions are just reflections of collective consciousness. Instead of focusing on the origins of religion, sociological or anthropological approaches should reveal how sociological factors become essential to the cumulative tradition, influencing religion’s various theological, sectarian, and cultural forms. This change provides a deeper understanding, highlighting the dynamic relationship between fundamental religious truths and their changing societal expressions.