what is the function of religion in society according to the story?

Religion plays a large role in the novel the Pearl. Once Kino found the pearl of the world, he had dreams of actually getting married in the church to Juanna and having Coyoitito baptized into the church as well. But when the Priest heard that Kino had all this new found wealth he thought about how it would benefit the church. This shows that people can be corrupt when given the chance at wealth and power.

Religion in The Pearl is a combination of a few elements. There is the indigenous superstitions, a sense of luck and the Christian/Catholic influence brought by Europeans.

"The novel effectively asks "what’s the difference," especially given the detachment and indifference of divine power to human suffering. We get a rather condemning view of organized religion through one priest who uses religion to oppress the natives of La Paz and who tries to take advantage of the protagonist’s new-found wealth."