On the heuristic value of the concept of political religion and its application

Abstract

The usefulness of the concept of Political Religions (PR) in the modern world depends first of all on the definition of the term ‘religion’. Over a century ago Emile Durkheim established among sociologists and anthropologists the concept that religion consists essentially of the organisation of rites and rituals formed around a belief system aimed at buttressing social solidarity and morality. Thus, any strong ideology that was fully articulated and expressed socially might be considered a religion. This is the definition most commonly employed by those who use the concept of PR.