The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life

Consider Durkheim’s assumption that Aboriginal Australian religions are reflective of the basic religious foundations underlying all human cultures. Do you agree with this assumption? Why or why not?

Research the current state of scholarly opinion on the sociology of religion, then describe how Durkheim’s arguments are now perceived.

While Durkheim avoids referencing the supernatural when defining religion (see Chapter 1), many religious scholars would argue that his theory of the social origins of human religion does not account for the possibility of an alternative theory of origin, one centered on humanity’s experience of the supernatural as a metaphysical reality. Is that criticism invalidated by Durkheim’s explanations, or does he indeed assume an unstated bias against the possibility of the supernatural?