Answer:
The functionalist view of religion views the religion as a justifiable, or positive force in society because it has the function (hence the name of the view) of providing social cohesion, transmitting tradition and knowledge, and developing the culture of a society.
The developers of the functionalist view were aware that religion was a common theme on most societies that they studied, and they saw a justification to this phenomenon because of the functions that each religion played in each different society, from complex and institutionalized monotheistic religions like Christianity, to simple, animistic, and clannish religions like totemism.