religion and social change Flashcards
Weber- religion as a force for social change (calvanism)
Religious beliefs of Calvinism helped bring about social change:
- predestination
- divine transcendence
- ascetism
- vocation and calling
Calvanists led an ascetic lifestyle, worked hard, and invested all money back into their business, which brought capitalism into the world.
Weber- religion as a force for social change (other examples)
Hinduism in India- had ascetism but focused on other-wordly benefits
Confucianism in China- had this-wordly benefits, but lacked ascetism
Need both material and economic factors along with the beliefs
Tawney- criticism of Weber
Technological change created capitalism.
Bruce- American Civil Rights Movement
A religiously motivated 50s/60s movement in America to end segregation.
Black clergy acted as a backbone for the movement
- churches were used as meeting places
- hymns were used as a source of unity
- used Christian values to shame white people
Led by Dr Martin Luther King- a priest
Links to Gramsci’s ideas of organic intellectuals
Succeeded as it shared the same views as wider society
Bruce- The New Christian Right
Politically and morally conservative, fundamentalist movement.
Wanted to take America ‘back to God’
- made use of televangelism and right wing christian groups
Largely unsuccessful- a ‘failed movement for change’
- harder for Americans to follow these views
Marx
Religion is an opiate for the masses
- acts as consolation for the w/c
- doesn’t provide any solutions or motive for change
Engels
Religion has a ‘dual character’
- inhibits change by disguising inequality
- can challenge the status quo and encourage social change
Bloch
Agrees with Engles
Sees religion as an expression of the ‘principle of hope’ (dreams of a better life)
Millenarian movement- Worsley
Religious movements that expected total and imminent tranformation by supernatural means to save the group
Liberation theology
Catholic Church movement that arouse in the 60’s in South America to oppose the military dictatorship.
Maduro- liberation theology
Believes religion can be a revolutionary force that brings about change
-e.g in the liberation theology, religious ideas radicalised the catholic clergy in the defence of the poor and the workers
Lowy- critique of Marx
Questions Marx’s view that religion always legitimates social inequality
Gramsci
Society has a hegemony (ideological domination of leadership in society).
w/c can create a counter-hegemony to oppoe the beliefs they’ve been fed
organic intellectuals- intellectuals who come back to their community to help them
Billings
Studied groups of miners and textile workers.
Miners succeeded with the help of religion
1. leadership
2. organisation
3. support
Religion plays ‘ a prominent oppositional role’
