religion and social change Flashcards
religion as a conservative force
conservative in the sense of ‘traditional’ e.g. defending traditional customs, institutions, moral views
conservative because it functions to conserve of preserve things as they are, maintaining the status quo
religion’s conservative beliefs
most religions have traditional conservative beliefs about moral issues and oppose changes allowing individuals more freedom e.g. Catholic Church forbids divorce, abortion and artificial contraception
most religions uphold ‘family values’, supporting a traditional patriarchal domestic division of labour e.g. Hinduism endorses practice of arranged marriage
religion’s conservative functions
functions to conserve things, this view is held by functionalists, marxists and feminists, religion contributes to social stability
functionalist belief of religion as a conservative force
maintains social stability and prevents disintegration e.g. promoting social solidarity by creating value consensus and helping individuals deal with disruptive stresses
marxist belief of religion as a conservative force
conservative ideology preventing social change, by legitimating or disguising inequality, it creates false consciousness in the working class and prevents revolution, thereby maintaining capitalist society
feminist belief of religion as a conservative force
conservative force because it legitimates patriarchal power and maintains women subordination in the family and society
what did Weber write?
the protestant ethic and the spirit of Calvinism
what does weber say?
religious beliefs of Calvinism helped to bring about major social change, the emergence of modern capitalism in Northern Europe
modern capitalism is based on the systematic, efficient, rational pursuit of profit for its own sake, rather than for spending on luxuries (spirit of capitalism)
this spirit had unconsciously similarity to the Calvinists beliefs and attitudes
Calvinist beliefs
predestination - god predetermines who will be saved ‘the elect’ and individuals can do nothing to change this
divine transcendence - god is so far above and beyond this world that no human being could possibly claim to know how his will creating ‘salvation panic’
asceticism - abstinence, self-discipline and self-denial (no luxury)
the idea of vocation - calling to serve god in the everyday world of work, constant, methodical work in an occupation
Calvinist lifestyle
led as ascetic life, shunning all luxury, working long hours and practicising rigorous self-discipline, as a result:
- driven by their work ethic, they systematically accumulated wealth but didn’t spend it on luxuries, instead reinvesting it in their businesses to produce further profit
- they prospered and came to see this as a sign of god’s favour and their salvation
hinduism and confucianism
weber said Calvinist beliefs were only one of capitalisms causes, there have been other societies with some of the factors necessary for capitalism but it didn’t take off due to the lack of a religious belief system
hinduism: in ancient India was an ascetic religion, but was other-worldly, directing followers away from material world, towards the spiritual world
confucianism: in ancient china, this-worldly religion that directed its followers towards the material world, it was not ascetic
evaluation of Weber
Tawney says technological change, not religious ideas, first led to capitalism, the bourgeoisie then adopted Calvinist beliefs to legitimate their pursuit of economic gain
‘debate with Marx’s ghost’, marx saw economic or material factors as the driving force of change, weber argues that alone is not enough ti bring about capitalism,. it needed specific cultural factors
the American civil rights movement
attempted to end racial segregation as blacks were denied legal and political rights in many southern states
direct action through protest marches, boycotts and demonstrations followed until segregation was outlawed in 1964
the role of the black clergy
the black clergy led by Martin Luther king were the backbone of the movement, giving support and moral legitimacy to activists, shames whites into changing the law by appealing to their shared christian values of equality
what does Bruce say about the American civil rights movement?
religion is an ideological resource, religious organisations are well equipped to support protests and contribute to change e.g by:
- taking the moral high ground: pointing out hypocrisy of white clergy who supported racial segregation
- channelling dissent: e.g. Martin Luther king’s funeral was a rallying point for the civil rights cause
- acting as an honest broker: respected by both sides in a conflict and seen as standing above ‘mere politics’
- mobilising public opinion: by campaigning for support
the new Christian Right
NCR is a politically and morally conservative, protestant fundamentalist movement
the NCR’s aims are to make abortion, homosexuality and divorce illegal and take the USA ‘back to god’, before liberalisation of American society
believes in traditional family and gender roles, and wants to ban sex education in schools
uses televangelism, church owned TV stations raise funds and broadcast programmes aimed at making converts
what does Bruce say about the new Christian Right?
it has been largely unsuccessful because it never had the support of more than 15% of the population at most, the democratic values of American society means most Americans are comfortable with legalising activities such as abortion and homosexuality
the principle of hope
Ernst Bloch is a marxists who sees religion as having a dual character, he accepts that religion often inhibits change, but argues that it can also inspire protest and rebellion.
religion is an expression of the ‘principle of hope’ - dreams of a better life containing images of utopia
images of utopia can sometimes deceive people e.g. promises of rewards in heaven, but they may also help to create a vision of a better world and strive for social change
liberation theology
a movement that emerged within the Catholic Church in Latin America in the 1960s, with a strong commitment to the poor and opposition to the military dictatorships that rules most of the continent
emerged because of the growth of rural poverty and urban slums throughout Latin America, and human rights abuses following military take-overs
emphasised ‘praxis’, practical action, guided by theory e.g. priests leading literacy programmes and raising political awareness, helping workers and peasant to fight oppression under the protection of the church
what caused the decline of liberation theology
in the 1980s the church’s official attitude changes, the conservative pope John Paul II condemning LT as being akin to marxism and instructed priests to concentrate on pastoral activities, not political struggle
however, LT played an important part in resisting dictatorship and bringing about democracy in Latin America
significance of liberation theology
shows how the same religious organisation can be both conservative and a force for social change, both traditional conservative catholicism and LT based their actions on the same religious text
(use to criticise traditional marxist views)
marxists on religion as a conservative force
religion not an entirely conservative ideology, religious ideas can have relative autonomy, they can be partly independent of the capitalist economic base of society
thus religion can have a dual character, sometimes being a force for change as well as stability
the Pentecostal challenge
LT now faces competition from pentecostalism, which has made big inroads among the poor
LT offers a radical solution, collective improvement through political action, pentecostalism’s solution is conservative, individuals must pull themselves out of poverty by changing their personal behaviour
criticisms of liberation theology
used to criticise traditional marxist views, Neo-marxists argues that LT shows religion can be a revolutionary force, however although it helped bring about democracy, it did not threaten capitalism
criticisms of liberation theology
used to criticise traditional marxist views, Neo-marxists argues that LT shows religion can be a revolutionary force, however although it helped bring about democracy, it did not threaten capitalism
religion and hegemony
Gramsci shows how the ruling class maintain their control over society through ideas rather that simply through coercion
hegemony (ideological domination) is the way the ruling class are Abel to use religion to maintain control e.g. in Italy in the 1920s the conservative ideological power of the Catholic Church helped to win support for the fascist regime
in some circumstances religion can challenge the ruling class e.g. it may help the working class to se through the ruling class hegemony
(dual character)
