Religion And Social Change (10M) Flashcards
Item A
Religions typically hold strong beliefs and values about issues such as family life, gender roles and relationships, sexuality and how society should be organised. Through its rituals, religion can make individuals feel a part of something greater than themselves and bind them together, curbing their selfishness and enabling them to cooperate to achieve shared goals. However religion has also often been closely allied to privileged groups in society and has been accused of upholding their interests.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two arguments in support of the idea that religion is a conservative force [10 marks]
Religion has ‘been closely allied to privileged groups in society and has been accused of upholding their interests’ (Item A). This means that one group will remain in power: the ruling class, whilst another group remain powerless: the working class. Marxists believe that religion legitimates inequality by claiming the working class’s suffering is god given and it will be rewarded in the afterlife. This leads to the promotion of false consciousness. As a result, the working class are given a distorted view of reality that prevents them from rebelling. In addition, religion ensures the ruling class remain in power through notions such as the Divine Right. Consequently, the working class are embedded into an unequal structure through religious ideology and are encouraged to not rebel. Therefore, religion seeks to conserve the power of the ruling class. However, Neo-Marxists would argue that certain forms of religion assist in the development of class consciousness rather than hinder it.
‘Religions typically hold strong beliefs and values about issues such as family life’ and ‘gender roles’ (Item A). This would imply that women are oppressed under the conservative norms of religion that continues to enforce patriarchal norms and structures. Feminists would argue that religion is a conservative force because it acts as an ideology that legitimates patriarchal power and maintains women’s subordination. This is demonstrated through wedding vows within the Church of England, where the bride vows to ‘love, honour and obey’ whilst the groom only vows to ‘love and honour’. This hints towards the patriarchal domestic division of labour present within the nuclear family. Similarly, it also implies that men are heads of the house whilst women remain in subordination. Thereby, highlighting the clear gender and power imbalance. Therefore, religion seeks to conserve the subordination of women. Even so, some may argue that religion can help create change. Brusco found that women in Pentecostal churches used religion to help them gain influence and power over men where they wouldn’t have otherwise had power.
Outline and explain two ways religion can be seen as a force for change [10 marks]
One way religion can be seen as a cause for change is through Calvinism. These Calvinist ideas led to the development of the modern spirit of capitalism. The modern spirit of capitalism is the shift from luxury consumerism to the rational pursuit of profit. Weber argues that Calvinism has an elective affinity with the modern spirit of capitalism. One way this was achieved was through the Calvinist idea of a vocation or calling. This means that Calvinism shifted lifestyles from that of a monastery to occupational work. This led to asceticism. This indicates that Calvinist beliefs had the ability to change lifestyles from luxurious to minimalistic. As a result, individuals were provided with positive psychological functions and were provided with systematic wealth. This resulted in the continuous investments into businesses rather than material possessions. Thus leading to the modern spirit of capitalism.
Another way religion can be seen as a cause for change is through social reform. This is demonstrated in the American Civil Right movement. This is supported by Bruce, who suggests that the American Civil Right movement is a notable example of social change caused by religion. Prior to the movement, white and black members of society were politically and legally segregated. In this instance, the black clergy played a fundamental role in driving social reform. This means that they had used the church as an escape route from white violence and utilised rituals such as hymn singing and prayers to reinforce social solidarity among supporters to sustain the chance of reform. Furthermore, they helped to drive change by confronting their white counterparts about their racial segregation, by emphasising religious messages such as ‘love thy neighbour’.
Applying material from Item I analyse two ways in which religion can lead to social change (10)
According to Item I ‘religion gives people principles by which they can live their lives’. This claim is further backed by Bruce who claimed that the civil rights movement used their religious principles and beliefs in order to create social change. Moreover, Bruce described the black clergy as the backbone of the movement. Led by Martin Luther King, they placed a
decisive role, giving support and moral legitimacy to civil rights activists. They were also able to shame whites into changing the law by appealing to their shared Christian principles and values of equality. Bruce saw religion as an ideological resource - it provided beliefs and practices that protesters could draw on for motivation and support, while also being well equipped to create social change. For example, by using the biblical principles of the Ten Commandments the black clergy was able to point out the hypocrisy of the white clergy who preached ‘love thy neighbor’ but supported racial segregation. Black churches in the South also played a big role in successfully campaigning and mobilizing their religious values across the whole of America, thus gaining national support. From this we can further infer that the civil rights movement was an example of a religious organisation becoming involved with secular struggle and helping to bring about social change through their shared principles and values.
Similarly, Item B also implies that religious beliefs can encourage its believers to challenge social injustice and in turn create social change.The liberation theology can be used as an example. The liberation theology emerged within the Catholic Church in Latin America in the 1960s, with a strong commitment to the poor and opposition to military dictatorships. The factors that led to the movement were: deepening rural poverty and the growth of
urban slums throughout Latin America and the growing commitment among Catholic priests to an ideology that supported the poor and opposed violations of human rights. Unlike traditional Catholicism, which supported the status quo, liberation theology set out to change society. For example,it’s believers i,e priests helped the poor to establish support groups called ‘base communities’, and helped workers and peasants to fight oppression under the protection of the church. Priests also took the lead in developing literacy programmes educating the poor about their situation, raising awareness and mobilising support..The liberation theology later faced great obstacles as it was condemned by Pope John Paul on the grounds that it resembled Marxism thus limiting priests to only pastoral activities. Even though it has lost some influence, sociologist Casanova emphasizes that the liberation theology played an important part in resisting state terror and bringing about democracy. Although Catholicism in Latin America has since become more conservative, it continues to defend democracy and human rights that were achieved in part by the liberation theology.
Outline and explain two reasons why sects tend to recruit members from particular social groups. (10)
Sects tend to recruit it’s members from marginalized groups who experience various streams of deprivation, such groups consisting of women. Religious market theorists Stark and Bainbridge argue that people may partcipate in sects mainly due to the fact that sects offers compensation for organismic, ethical and social deprivation. These forms of deprivation are more common among women and thus explains their higher level of sect membership. For example, orgasmic deprivation stems from physical and mental health problems. Women are more likely to suffer from illness and thus seek the healing that sects offer. Ethical deprivation refers to when women tend to be more morally conservative. Consequently they are more likely to regard the world as being in moral decline and be attracted to sects, who often share the same opinions. In turn, social deprivation is when sects attract pooerer groups and women are more likely to be poor as a result of being single mothers and lacking a male breadwinner within the household. Sects offer a theodicy of privilege because they want a justification of why they are poor/suffering. A combination of such circumstances therefore means that woman seek and find solace in religious organisations such as sects which provide theodicies and offer compensation.
Outline and explain two
ways in which religion
may act as an agency of
social control [10 marks]
Religion has been closely allied to privileged groups in society
and has been accused of upholding their interests. This means
that one group will remain in power: the ruling class, whilst
another group remain powerless: the working class. Marxists
believe that religion legitimates inequality by claiming the
working class’s suffering is god given and it will be rewarded
in the afterlife. This leads to the promotion of false
consciousness. As a result, the working class are given a
distorted view of reality that prevents them from rebelling. In
addition, religion ensures the ruling class remain in power
through notions such as the Divine Right. Consequently, the
working class are embedded into an unequal structure
through religious ideology and are encouraged to not rebel.
Therefore, religion seeks to conserve the power of the ruling
class.
Religions typically hold strong beliefs and values about issues
such as family life and gender roles. This would imply that
women are oppressed under the conservative norms of
religion that continues to enforce patriarchal norms and
structures. Feminists would argue that religion is a
conservative force because it acts as an ideology that
legitimates patriarchal power and maintains women’s
subordination. This is demonstrated through wedding vows
within the Church of England, where the bride vows to ‘love,
honour and obey’ whilst the groom only vows to ‘love and
honour’. This hints towards the patriarchal domestic division of
labour present within the nuclear family. Similarly, it also
implies that men are heads of the house whilst women remain
in subordination. Thereby, highlighting the clear gender and
power imbalance. Therefore, religion seeks to conserve the
subordination of women.
Item A Sociologists disagree about the extent of secularisation in the modern world. For example, some suggest that the development of science and technology has displaced religious faith as a means of interpreting the world. Postmodernists point to the decline of meta- narratives, which means people abandoning once taken-for-granted belief systems like religion. Other sociologists suggest that religion is not declining but simply changing and appearing in new forms.
Applying material from Item A, analyse two ways in which religion, rather than declining, is changing and appearing in new forms [10 marks]
Religions may not necessarily be ‘declining but simply
changing and appearing in new forms’ (Item A). As religions
begin to change, the behaviour patterns of individuals also
begin to change. Davie believes that there is now a maior
change in religion, where there is now a move away from
obligation to consumption or choice. This suggests that
individuals are increasingly reluctant to join or belong to
organisations such as churches. This means that religion is not
declining but simply taking a more different and more
privatised form. This indicates that individuals may still believe
in religion and hold religious beliefs but may simply avoid
religious organisations such as churches. As a result, this
creates the illusion of secularisation. However, individuals are
simply making religion a personal choice. This leads to an
increase in the number of individuals “believing without
belonging’ and thus suggests that religion is not declining but
simply changing. But, Voas and Crockett reject Davie’s claim,
they argue that church attendance and belief in God are
declining together. If Davie were correct, there would be
higher levels of belief, and both are declining at a similar rate,
which suggests society is becoming more secular.
Postmodernity and the prominence of globalisation has also
paved the way for new religions. Globalisation refers to the
growing interconnectedness of societies. This has led to
increased movements of ideas and beliefs across national
boundaries. Postmodernists argue that globalisation has
played a central role in giving us instant access to religious
ideas and practices. This is because technological advances
and media have closed the gap between countries and has
become the new means of interpreting the world’ (Item A).
This means that previously remote religions and religious
institutions are now widely known. As a result, religious ideas
have become “disembedded’. This means that the media has
removed religious ideas out of physical churches into a
difference place and time. In addition, religion has become de-
institutionalised by no longer being attached to religious
institutions. This indicates that religious ideas have now
become a cultural resource that can be used and adapted by
individuals for their own purpose, thus suggesting that
religious is not declining but appearing in new forms. Even so,
Hoover et al argues that this new form of religion is not a
radical alternative as Postmodernists suggest, it is instead just a
supplement for church-based activities rather than a substitute
for them.
Item I Religion gives people principles by which they can live their lives and gives them a profound sense of being right. Religious beliefs sometimes lead believers to act in ways that can have unforeseen consequences for society. Many sociologists therefore argue that religion can lead to social change. Applying material from Item I, analyse two ways in which religion can lead to social change [10 marks]
One religion that encouraged social change was Calvinism.
Calvinist beliefs helped to bring about major social change in
Northern Europe. Weber argues that the spirit of capitalism
had unconscious similarity to Calvinism. This is shown through
the idea of a vocation or a calling. Calvinism introduced the
idea of this-worldly asceticism. This means that individuals
were put on the earth to glorify God’s name by work. Thus, the
idea of a calling or vocation meant constant, methodical work
in an occupation. As a result, Calvinists led an ascetic lifestyle.
This gave ‘people principles by which they can live their
lives’ (Item I) such as refraining from luxury, working long
hours and practicing rigorous self-discipline. Consequently,
the accumulated wealth in an efficient and systematic way.
Therefore, the idea of asceticism meant that this wealth was
not spent on luxury but was reinvested back into their
businesses. This led to exponential growth, producing further
profits to reinvest. Therefore, Calvinism helped to promote
social change by producing what is now known as the ‘modern
spirit of capitalism. Thus, religion has helped to lead to one of
the greatest social changes of all time, capitalism. Yet, critics
such as R.H Tawnev would argue that technological change
caused the birth of capitalism, not religious ideas.
Another way religion can be seen as a cause for change is
through social reform. This is demonstrated in the American
Civil Right movement. This is supported by Bruce, who
suggests that the American Civil Right movement is a notable
example of social change caused by religion. Prior to the
movement, white and black members of society were
politically and legally segregated. In this instance, the black
clergy played a fundamental role in driving social reform. This
means that they had used the church as an escape route from
white violence and utilised rituals such as hymn singing and
prayers to reinforce social solidarity among supporters to
sustain the chance of reform. Furthermore, they helped to
drive change by confronting their white counterparts about
their racial segregation, by emphasising religious messages
such as ‘love thy neighbour’, thus giving them a ‘profound
sense of being right’ (Item I). As a result, it brought about
social change by shaming those in power and those that
disapproved of the movement. But, despite legal changes,
racism and racial prejudice still exist in modern society, this
suggests the movement helped to bring legal change but not
overall social change.
Outline and explain two ways in which the growth of new religious movements and New Age spirituality may be a response to conditions of rapid social change [10 marks]
The New Age has growth through societal changes. This is
particularly true in the period of modernity. Bruce argues that
the growth of the New Age is a feature of the latest phase of
modern society. This means that there is now a substantial
emphasis on individualism. This mirrors the principles of the
New Age, whereby each individual has the truth within
themselves. As a result of social change, there is a new brand
of careers known as the expressive professions. This suggests
that the New Age resonates with those in expressive
professions due to the alignment of values. Furthermore, an
increase in individualism may mean that individuals seek to
avoid demanding and self-disciplined traditional religions.
Consequently, New Age beliefs seek to involve many ‘watered
down’ versions of religions such as Buddhism to make them
understandable and attractive to Western individuals. This
suggests that the New Age is characterised by pick and mix
spiritual shopping to reflect the consumerist, individualistic,
capitalist ethos of modern society that seeks to avoid
obligation and authority. This means that the growth in the
New Age is a result of societal changes in individualism.
New religious movements have grown due to social change
This means that society undergoes shifts in culture. Wilson
argues that periods of rapid social change can disrupt and
undermine established norms and values. This leads to the
production of anomie. This means that uncertainty is created.
As a consequence, those who are most affected by the
disruption turn towards sects as a solution. This is
demonstrated in the growth of Methodism during the Industrial
Revolution. This suggests that Methodism offered a sense of
community, warmth and fellowship, clear norms and values
and the promise of salvation. This meant that Methodism
succeeded in recruiting large numbers of the new industrial
working class. Therefore, rapid social changes that create
uncertainty can lead to the growth of new religious
movements.
Item A Both religion and ideology are belief systems that provide means for understanding, interpreting and explaining the world Religion and ideology often differ, as religion usually involved faith in spiritual and supernatural forces of some kind to explain the world, while ideologies are generally concerned with explanations that protect and promote the interests of social groups. Religion, though can sometimes act as an ideology. Applying material from Item A, analyse two differences between religion and ideology as belief systems [10 marks]
“Both religion and ideology are beliet systems that provide a
means for understanding, interpreting and explaining the
world’ (Item A). But, both differ in their content, religion is
characterised by a belief in God. This is supported by Weber,
he defines religion as a belief in a superior or supernatural
power that is above nature. This means that there is a clear line
drawn between religious and non-religious beliefs. This
suggests that religious belief systems must include beliefs in
God or the supernatural. By contrast, ideologies are
characterised by political and economical beliefs. This is
demonstrated in the political ideology of nationalism. For
Marxists, nationalism is a form of false consciousness. This
suggests that the ruling class can uphold political and
economical power with messages such as ‘Workers of all
countries, unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains, you
have a world to win’. This shows that religion and ideology
differ due to the belief in God. However, religion can be also
be an ideology. Marxists argue that religion helps to legitimate
the suffering of the poor as god-given, thereby allowing the
ruling class to maintain their power.
A difference between religion and ideology as belief systems
is their functions. Religion can be seen as a positive notion.
Functionalist Bellah argues that religion unifies society. This is
achieved through loyalty to the nation-state and a belief in
God. This means that individuals are brought together under
one belief system. This leads to increased levels of social
solidarity. As a result, society is kept harmonious and stable.
On the other hand, ideology can be seen as a negative notion.
This is because “ideologies are generally more concerned with
explanations that protect and promote the interests of social
groups’ (Item A). For feminists, ideologies help to subordinate
women and empower men. This is shown in the 19th century
ideas about educating women, where educating women’s
education would lead to ‘a new race of puny and unfeminine’.
Consequently, women are trapped in the domestic division of
labour and conventional gender roles. Therefore, they cannot
improve their position as they remain dependent on men. This
shows that religion and ideology differ in due to their effects.
Even so, not all ideologies subordinate women. Some religious
ideologies place women at the centre, for example Hindu
goddesses have often been portrayed as creators of the
universe.
