Music, there comes the Elementary Forms of Religious Life, published in 1912, is one of the foundational sociological texts. In Elementary Forms, Durkheim defines religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden. These beliefs and practices unite into one single moral community called a church, which includes all those who adhere to them. Some religions have notions of the supernatural, while others do not. Durkheim identifies two characteristics that are true to all religions: beliefs and rites oriented towards sacred things. Beliefs may include myths about the superiority of the intellect or character of the sacred or the laziness or criminality of the profane. Rites are practices and actions, particularly those that maintain distance between the sacred and the profane. Before proceeding, it is important to note a key point. Durkheim is concerned with creating a generalizable theory that can be used to understand all societies. He aims to discover the elementary ideas at the basis of religion, as there is an aspect of every religion that transcends the realm of specifically religious ideas. Religion is viewed as an eminently social thing within the Durkheimian framework. In other words, in Durkheim's perspective, religion is society. However, cleanness is not universal. A church or society bestows sacredness upon a thing, which may be a person, a group, or an object such as a tree or mountain, by setting it apart and using acts to keep it separate. What is considered sacred to one group may be insignificant to another, and what is sacred today does not have to be sacred tomorrow. Lastly, and importantly, the opposite of sacred is profane. The profane is that which is set apart from the sacred. Durkheim discusses the rules for engagement between the...
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