THE INTERACTION OF RELIGION AND CULTURE IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIETY

Abstract

This study deals with mutual relations of culture and religion taking place in the social basis. The aim of the study is to understand and give meaning to the interaction between culture and religion, both of which are essential to social life, with the sociological perspective. In this research, the phenomenon of religion-culture interaction on the social setting is discussed with a substantive-functional approach through benefiting from documents on religion and culture. Culture, which is among most complex anthropological, ethnological, folklorical, sociological, etc. concepts, has varying definitions. Culture, as all kinds of human products produced in the society, is one of the most important aspects of social life. A series of combination of the social processes, culture can be understood as a set of complex symbols and concepts in social life. The symbolic aspect of culture is a very important aspect which reveals itself in society's interaction with culture's world of meanings and beliefs, and religion. The symbolic dimension is the interaction ground of culture and religion. It is impossible to understand religion witihout seeing its symbol dimension, for religious beliefs, ideas, and practices become a common point with symbols in social life, are transmitted from generation to generation, become permanent and deepened in the inner world and life of human, and in collective spirit, consciousness, memory, and life. Religious symbolism or a system of symbols is necessary for society's communication with the sacred, turning towards the sacred, and manifesting its tendency to the sacred in social ground. That culturereligion interaction is mentioned means that religion and culture have two separate entities in social life. In this context, in society, religion influences culture and culture influences religion in various ways with different factors. Religion-culture relations finds reality sometimes in harmony, accordance, and adaptation, and sometimes in violence, conflict, discord and maladaptation. interaction with culture's world of meanings and beliefs, and religion. The symbolic dimension is the interaction ground of culture and religion. It is impossible to understand religion witihout seeing its symbol dimension, for religious beliefs, ideas, and practices become a common point with symbols in social life, are transmitted from generation to generation, become permanent and deepened in the inner world and life of human, and in collective spirit, consciousness, memory, and life. Religious symbolism or a system of symbols is necessary for society's communication with the sacred, turning towards the sacred, and manifesting its tendency to the sacred in social ground. That culturereligion interaction is mentioned means that religion and culture have two separate entities in social life. In this context, in society, religion influences culture and culture influences religion in various ways with different factors. Religion-culture relations finds reality sometimes in harmony, accordance, and adaptation, and sometimes in violence, conflict, discord and maladaptation. The mutual relations of culture and religion is a reality space seen clearly on everyday life. While religion changes and transforms culture on the one hand, culture influences religion coming to life within it in various ways on the other hand. At this point it is important not to fall into a misunderstanding like that religion is entirely a product of culture or converts totally and absolutely culture. Religion is functional in the preservation, conservation, transfer from generation to generation, reshaping, conversion and continuation of culture. This feature of religion is closely linked to its functions such as preservation, conservation, legitimizing, renewal and revitalization. Religion protects it and transmits from generation to generation by getting the validity of culture accepted by society and by taking culture under its umbrella. As for culture, it is effective in the perception of religion, its interpretation, transforming behavior, becoming belief and understanding, experience and spreading in social life. Religion can influence culture in three ways: 1. Religion can support culture, 2. can modify, change it, or affect it relatively in a negative way, and 3. establish and build it. Likewise, culture influences religion in three ways: 1. Culture can influence religion in a positive way; 2 may adversely affect it, and 3 religion can arrange or change itself with regard to the situation of culture.

Özet

Bu çalışma, din ile kültürün toplumsal zeminde cereyan eden karşılıklı ilişkilerini konu edinmektedir. Çalışmanın amacı, toplumsal hayatta onsuz olunamayacak bir boyut olan kültür ile yine onsuz olunamayacak bir inanç ve hayat tarzı olan din arasındaki etkileşimi sosyolojik bakış açısıyla anlamak ve anlamlandırmaktır. Araştırmada, toplumsal düzlemde kültür-din etkileşimi olgusu, özsel-işlevsel yaklaşımla kültür ile din hakkındaki çalışmalardan yararlanılarak ele alınmaktadır. En karmaşık antropolojik, etnolojik, folklorik, sosyolojik vs. kavramlardan biri olan kültürün çok farklı tanımları yapılmış ve yapılmaktadır. Aslına bakılırsa, toplumda üretilen her türlü insanî ürün olarak kültür, toplumsal hayatın en önemli veçhelerinden biridir. Bir dizi toplumsal süreçlerin bileşkesi olan kültür, toplumsal hayatta karmaşık bir semboller ve kavramlar bütünü olarak anlaşılabilir. Kültürün sembolik yönü, toplumun onun anlamlar dünyası, inanç dünyası ve din ile etkileşiminde de kendini gösteren çok önemli bir yöndür. Sembolik boyut, kültürle dinin etkileşim zeminidir. Dini de sembol boyutunu görmeden anlamak mümkün değildir; zira dinî inanç, düşünce ve pratikler, toplumsal hayatta sembollerle ortak nokta haline gelir, kuşaktan kuşağa aktarılır, insanın iç dünyası ve hayatında, kolektif ruh, bilinç, bellek ve yaşamda derinleşir, kalıcı hale gelir. Toplumun kutsalla iletişim kurması, kutsala yönelmesi, kutsala yönelimini toplumsal zeminde ortaya koymasında yine dindeki sembolizm veya semboller sistemi zorunludur. Kültür-din etkileşiminden bahsedildiğine göre din ile kültür toplumsal hayatta iki ayrı varlığa sahip demektir. Bu çerçevede toplumda din kültürü, kültür de dini çeşitli biçimlerde ve farklı etkenlerle etki altına alır. Din-kültür ilişkileri, bazen ahenk ve uyum, bazen de şiddet, çatışma ve uyumsuzluk içinde gerçeklik bulur.