Religion and social change Flashcards
What does Weber argue in his study of ‘The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism’?
- argues that religion is not always a conservative force but can also be a major driver of social change
- religious beliefs, particularly Calvinism played a key role in the emergence of modern capitalism in Northern Europe during the 16th & 17 centuries > spirit of capitalism has an unconscious similarity to Calvinist beliefs
What is the first & second Calvinist belief that encouraged the development of capitalism and how did it do this?
- predestination > God had predetermined which souls would be saved & nothing could change this decision
- Divine transcendence > God was far above & beyond no human could know his will
- this led to a psychological state of ‘salvation panic’ where they constantly sought signs that they were among the elect
- began to see material success as a possible sign of God’s favor, encouraging them to work hard & accumulate wealth
What is the 3rd Calvinist belief that encouraged the development of Calvinism and how did it do this?
- Ascetism > whereby Calvinists followed a strict lifestyle of self-discipline, hard work & avoidance of luxury
- they viewed excessive spending as sinful but saw reinvesting profit into their business as a moral duty > led to a systematic accumulation of wealth which fueled capitalist growth
What is the final Calvinist belief that led to the development of capitalism and how did it do this?
- The idea of a calling (vocation)> Calvinists believed that working hard was a divine calling seen as a way to serve God > encouraging capitalist values of efficiency & discipline
What did Weber contrast Calvinism with and explain?
- Hinduism & Confucianism > argue that these belief systems lacked the values necessary for capitalism to develop
- Saw Hinduism as otherworldly focusing on spiritual matters (e.g. caste system kept people in fixed positions discouraging economic ambition) than material success
- While Confucianism did not promote ascetic self denial > both lacked drive to accumulate wealth
Evaluation of Weber’s argument
- Marxist Kautsky > argued that economic factors created capitalism, not Calvinism e.g. trade, colonization & technological advancements
- reinforced by Tawney > argued that early capitalists adopted Calvinism’s to support & justify their economic behavior instead of religion causing capitalism
What did Bruce examine?
- the relationship between religion and social change by analysing two cases studies > the American CRM and the NCR
How does Bruce describe the CRM?
- aimed to end racial segregation in the US > black churches particularly those led by figures like MLK Jr play a key role by giving moral support & moral legitimacy to civil rights activists e.g. providing meeting spaces & sanctuary from the threat white violence
Why did Bruce see the CRM as an ideological resource and why did this work?
- CRM took the moral high ground> e.g. pointing out hypocrisy of white clergy who preached love thy neighbor but supported racial segregation and appeal to shared Christian values
- channeling dissent
- mobilizing public opinion > used religious rhetoric to gain media attention & influence political leaders
- churches acting as honest brokers between activists & political authorities > providing context for negotiating change
- movement achieved its aims because its values aligned with those of wider society and those in power
What was the NCR?
A protestant fundamentalist movement in the US
What was the aims of the NCR and how did it try to achieve them?
seeked to take America ‘back to God’ by opposing abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage and divorce illegal
- they used media and televangelism to spread its message and raise funds
Why did Bruce argue the NCR were unsuccessful in creating such change?
- it struggles to cooperate with other religious groups even those with similar goals
- lacked widespread support & conflicts with liberal views of personal freedom of choice
- NCR aims of theocracy are incompatible with democratic values in the US
What is the evaluation of Bruce?
- Bruce provides an explanation of why religious movements fail when they are too dogmatic & inflexible > highlighting the importance of cultural & political context as religion only sparks change when it resonates with mainstream values
- CRM aimed to achieve racial equality which are fundamentally different objectives from the NCRs focus on promoting conservative Christian values. This differences in goals makes it difficult to draw parallel conclusions
What does Bloch argue about religion?
- Marxists who see religion as having a dual character, inhibiting social change as well as promoting social change
- Argued that religious beliefs often include a principle of hope > our visions of a better work that contains images of utopia this may inspire change but also deceive people into accepting suffering
What is an example of religion having a dual character?
- liberation theology, a movement that emerged in the late 1960s that supported the poor against military dictatorship
- for example priests took political action by helping the poor to establish support groups called ‘base communities’ and took lead in developing literacy programmes’, educating the poor about their situation and raising support
