unequal conditions

Conflict theorists tend to view society in terms of unequal conditions, where the rich are seen as advantaged and the poor as disadvantaged. Functionalists, by contrast, argue that both rich and poor can experience a good condition if neither develops feelings of superiority nor inferiority. Theologically, a similar contrast can be drawn. Conflict-oriented thinking may interpret paradise as a desirable state and hell as an undesirable one. A functionalist theological perspective, however, emphasises that both paradise and hell are parts of God's creation and serve divinely ordained functions; therefore, each has meaning and purpose within the overall order established by God.