Religion and Social Change

Question 1

What are the religious theodicies according to Weber?

AO1

Answer 1

1. Theodicies of good fortune: claim wealth is a sign of reward/divine favour
2. Theodicies of misfortune: bad things happening is due to sin - punishment from God and a sign to change
3. Theodicies of disprivilege: suffering is justified by the reward of afterlife

Question 2

What is an example of Weber’s theodicies?

AO2

Answer 2

Islamic Fundamentalism:
- Countries where ISIS operate have had trade sanctions from the West
- This causes quality of life to decrease
- This only strengthens ISIS’s resolve as they promote a theodicy of disprivilege - their hardship will be rewarded by allah in the afterlife

Question 3

How can we analyse Weber’s theodicies?

AO3

Answer 3

The elderly are more likely to be preached theodicies of disprivilege - they are closer to death and so more likely to resonate with the idea of their suffering being rewarded in the afterlife

Question 4

How can we evaluate Weber’s theodicies?

A03

Answer 4

Christiano and Swatos:
- MC Americans have little need for social change - the churches they attend promote theodicies of good fortune advocating for stability and conservative values
- WC Americans attended evangelical churches e.g. Baptist, Pentecostal which taught theodicies of dispriviledge but advocated for social mobility and trying to improve one’s circumstance this wouldn’t require an upset of social order though

Question 5

What is Weber’s view of religion and capitalism?

AO1/2

Answer 5

• The protestant religion of Calivinism brought about the emergence of modern capitalism in Western Europe
• Calvinist beliefs and having the means of production created a Protestant work ethic - ‘the spirit of capitalism’
  Weber identified 4 calivinist beliefs causing this:
  1. Predestination: God has decided who will go to heaven - ‘the elect’ - before we were born
  2. Divine transcendence: no one can know God’s will. This led to an inner loneliness and ‘salvation panic’ as people didn’t know their fate
  3. Ascetism: abstinence and refraining from materialism
  4. Vocation/calling: their religious duty is to glorify God through their work. They reinvest money they earn back into their business as a way to prove themself to God. They take their success as a sign God is favouring them which eases the salvation panic

Question 6

Who is an example of a calvinist?

AO2

Answer 6

Benjamin Franklin: “lose no time; always be employed in something useful”

Question 7

How can we analyse calvinism?

AO3

Answer 7

• Hunt: in contemporary society the basis of the protestant work ethic was exported to the US as the basis of the American Dream
• Berger: in contemporary society we now have East Asian Tiger Economies e.g. Singapore, Taiwan as they have post-confuscian values which are more similar to the protestant work ethic e.g. frugality, discipline

Question 8

How can we evaluate calvinism?

AO3

Answer 8

• Marshall: capitalism didn’t develop in every country where there were calvinists e.g. Scotland
• Kautsky: capitalism preceded calvinism. The bourgeoisie used calvinism to justify their pursuit of profit - Weber overestimates the role of ideas over economic factors in leading to capitalism
• Frank: slavery, colonialism, and piracy were more important in bringing about capitalism - allowed Britain to accumulate capital for industrialisation and obtain natural resources from other countries for cheap

Question 9

What does Bruce say about religion and social protest?

AO1/2

Answer 9

• The Civil Rights movement used Christian values in their campaign against segregation
• Religion was the backbone for this movement and acted as an ideological resource for social change
• Black clergy acted as ‘honest brokers’ to spread the message - were seen as respectable and apolitical
• Hymns and prayers were sang at marches to promote social solidarity
• The CRM took the moral highground aiming to appeal to white Christian who share their values
• Churches were used as venues to facilitate the movement e.g. meeting places, sanctuary

Question 10

What are other examples of religious protest?

AO2

Answer 10

New Christian Right:
- Highly conservative Christian fundamentalist group
- Against liberal, secular values and want to ‘take America back to God’
- Advocate for laws banning abortion, LGBTQ, and teaching of evolution

1979 Iranian Revolution:
- In the 1950s the west staged a coup overthrowing the democratic gov of Iran and putting in place the Shah
- The Shah began to westernise Iran e.g. banning veils, replacing the muslim calendar
- This led religious Clerik Ayatollah Khomeini to lead a revolution overthrowing the Shah and creating an Islamic state operating under Shariah law

Question 11

How can we evaluate the Iranian revolution?

AO3

Answer 11

Haynes: this scenario was not common - especially in the middle east as religious leaders are normally tied to local elites and the west

Question 12

How do McGuire evaluate relgion causing social change?

AO3

Answer 12

• It depends on the nature and extent of religious beliefs - it can only bring change if the majority of people follow it and they believe that the way society is currently running is against the religion e.g. civil rights movement showed that segregation was against ‘love thy neighbour’
• The significance of that religion in a society’s culture - is the church and state separated?
• The extent to which the religion has influence on policy