religion and social change Flashcards
in what 2 ways can R be seen as a conservative force
1) its ‘traditional’ ; it defends trad customs, institutions, moral views, roles etc. it upholds trad beliefs about how society should be
2) it functions to preserve things as they are. it stabilizes society + maintains the status quo
outline religion’s beliefs
- most Rs have trad Cons beliefs about moral issues + many oppose change - esp those allowing more sexual freedom
- e.g. Catholic Church forbids gay marriage, divorce, abortions etc
- most R upholds ‘family values’ + favour patriarchal DoL
- e.g. Hinduism endorses male domestic authority + arranged marriages
what is a example of the Church of England upholding traditional family structures
- in the traditional marriage ceremony in the Church of England, the bride vows to ‘love, honour and obey’ whilst the groom is only required to ‘love and honour’
outline Religion’s function
- R is a conservative force as it functions to maintain the status quo
outline R and consensus
- Functionalists: see R as a conservative force as it maintains social stability by promoting a value consensus + prevents society from disintegrating. it also helps to help inds with dealing with stressful situations
- conflict: R is an ideology that supports the existing social structures + acts as a means of control to maintain the status quo
outline R and capitalism
- Marx: R is a cons ideology that prevents change. by legitimizing/ disguising exploitation + inequality it creates a false class consciousness + prevents a revolution
outline R and patriarchy
- Feminists: R is a cons force that legitimizes patriarchal power + maintains Ws subordination in the fam + society
outline how Weber’s study of ‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ shows R as a force for change
- Weber argues that the R beliefs of Calvinists brought about major social change with the emergence of modern capitalism
- capitalist societies: based on a sense of greed for wealth which was often spent on luxury consumption
- modern capitalism: based on the rational pursuit of profit for its own sake, rather than consumption
- this is what Weber calls the ‘spirit of capitalism’
outline + define 4 Calvinist beliefs
- predestination = God has predetermined souls who would be saved, inds couldn’t change this
- divine transcendence = no human can claim to know Gods will as he was incomparably greater than any mortal. combined with predestination, this gave calvinists ‘salvation panic’ - they could do nothing to earn their salvation
- ascetism
- a vocation/ calling
outline an AO3 evaluation that all economically developed countries are capitalist
- Weber argues that Calvinism was one cause of modern capitalism
- he also notes how there are several materially developed countries from which capitalism has not formed
- this is due to their lack of religious belief to spur capitalisms development
outline Hinduism + Confucianism
- in ancient India, Hinduism, an ascetic religion (abstinence), favoured renunciation of the material world
- confucianism also discourages the growth of capitalism
- thus, H and C lacked the material drive to create and sustain a capitalist system
outline AO3 evaluations of Weber’s view
- unlike marx, weber argues material factors aren’t enough to create capitalism - it needs specific cultural factors
- Kautsky: weber overestimates the role of ideas + underestimates material factors in creating cap
- cap didn’t develop in every calvinist region - e.g. Scotland had a large calvinist population, but cap was slow to develop
outline the American civil rights movement as an example of R as a force for change
- Bruce argues how black clergy played an important role in the movement
- led by MLK, they gave support + moral legitimacy, churches were meeting places + sanctuary from white violence
- rituals like hymns + prayer meetings offered a source of unity during times of oppression
- black clergy were able to shame white people into changing the law by appealing to their shared Christian values of equality
give background to the civil rights movement
- the CRM began in 1955 in efforts to end racial segregation when Rosa Parks refused to sit at the back of the bus
- in 1964, segregation was outlawed
- was led by Dr Martin Luther King
outline the 4 ways Bruce views the CRM using R as a force for social change
- R in this context is used as an ideological resource it provided beliefs + practices that protesters could use for motivation + support in 4 ways:
1) taking the moral high ground: B clergy pointed out the hypocrisy of W clergy who preached ‘love thy neighbour’ but supported racial segregations
2)channeling dissent: R provided a space to express political dissent - e.g. MLK’s death was a rallying point
3) acting as honest brokers: churches can provide a context for negotiating change as they are often respected by both sides and ‘standing above politics’
4) mobilising public opinion: southern B churches successfully campaigned support across America
what are Bruce’s 4 ways in which institutions use R as a force for social change
- taking the moral high ground: B clergy pointed out the hypocrisy of W clergy who preached ‘love thy neighbour’ but supported racial segregations
- channeling dissent: R provided a space to express political dissent - e.g. MLK’s death was a rallying point
- acting as honest brokers: churches can provide a context for negotiating change as they are often respected by both sides and ‘standing above politics’
- mobilising public opinion: southern B churches successfully campaigned support across America
outline the New Christian Right
- a politically + morally conservative/ fundamentalist movement
- gained prominence since the 60s due to its opposition to liberals America
- aimed to bring USA ‘back to God’ by banning abortion, homosexuality, divorce, traditional gender roles etc
- NCR made use of media, networking + televangelism (where church owned TV stations raise funds + show programmes to recruit members)
what are Bruce’s 2 reasons for the new Christian rights lack of success
1) its campaigners find it hard to cooperate with people from other religious groups, even when campaigning for the same issue like abortion
2) lacks widespread support + has been met with strong opposition
3) most of American society supports democratic + liberal America
(Marxist) outline the Marxist view of R + social change
- Marxists recognizes that ideas - like R, can have relative autonomy - they can be independent from the economic base of society and so can be a force for change
(Marxist) what does Engels say about R
- R has ‘dual character’
- although R inhibits change by disguising inequality, it also challenges the status quo + encourages social change
(Marxist) what does Bloch say about R
- also sees R as having a dual character
- R can be an expression of ‘the principle of hope’: it creates a vision of a better life that is a utopia/ heaven
(Marxist) outline the background of the Liberation theology
- a movement emerged from the Catholic church in Latin America in the 60s
- was a big change for the CC from their very conservative ideas (encouraging acceptance of poverty, supporting wealthy elites + military dictatorships)
(Marxist) outline the 3 factors leading to the Liberation theology
- deepening rural poverty + growth of slums in Latin America
- human rights abuses following military take overs - like torture in Brazil, Chile
- growing commitments among catholic priests to an ideology that supported the poor + opposed violation of human rights
(Marxist) what does Lowy say about the Liberation Theology + an evaluation
- Lowy: the LT has led to Neo-Marxists questioning if R is only a conservative force that legitimates inequality
- views the LT as an example of religiously inspired social change
- however: it depends on how social change is defined + LT didn’t threaten the stability of capitalism
(Marxist) outline the Liberation theology itself
- the LT set out to challenge the status quo; e.g. developing literacy programmes, raising awareness, mobilising support
- Priests were often the only authority figures supporting the oppressed in the 70s
(Marxist) outline the downfall of the Liberation theology + theorists’ view of it
- 80s: the LT started to be condemned as it resembled Marxism + Ps were instructed to focus on pastoral activities only - since then its lost influence
- Casanova: it did play an important role in resisting state terror + bringing about democracy
(Marxist) outline the difference between Pentecostal churches + the Liberation Theology
- LT offers an ‘option for the poor’ of community conscious raising + campaigns for social change led by revolutionary priests in their ‘jeans and sandals’
- Pentecostalism: offers an ‘option of the poor’ for inds to escape poverty through their own effort with support from church pastors in their ‘respectable suits’
- the LT offers a radical solution to poverty (collective improvement through political action). PC’s solution is conservative (individual improvement through fam + church)
(Marxist) outline the Millenarian movements
- Millenarian movements are an example of R creating a desire to create change on Earth - e.g. bringing about Heaven on earth
- Worsley: these movements expect the total transformation of earth through supernatural means
- these movements appeal largely to the poor
(Marxist) outline Millenarian movements in relation to colonialism
- MMs often arise in colonial situations due to the experiences exploitation and cultural + religious domination
- Engels labels this as representations of the first awakening of ‘proletarian self-consciousness’
(Marxist) what does Gramsci say about R and hegemony
- the RC uses ideas such as R to control people
- once hegemony (control of a population based on ideas) is established, popular consent is used to maintain this as well as coercion
- hegemony is never guaranteed - WC can develop alternative views (counter-hegemony)
- he views R as having a dual character (it can challenge + support the RC)
- e.g. some clergy may act as organic intellectuals whilst R can make WC accept their exploitation
(Marxist) outline R and class conflict
- Billings applies Gramsci’s ideas in comparing the class struggle of 2 communities - coalminers + textile workers in the 1920s-30s
- both were WC + evangelical protestants, but the miners were more militant in their struggle for better working conditions + hours, whilst textile workers accepted the status quo
- thee difference in levels of militancy can be explained by hegemony + the role of religion
(Marxist) outline the 3 ways in which Billings says R either supported or challenged the employers’ hegemony
- leadership: miners benefitted from the leadership of organic intellectuals who converted miners to unions. textile workers lacked such leadership
- organisation: Ms used churches to hold meetings + organise, whereas TW lacked such spaces
- support: churches kept Ms morale high with supportive sermons, prayer meetings + group singing. TW who engaged with unions were opposed by church leaders
- thus, Billings says R can play ‘a prominent oppositional role’. R can be used to defend + challenge the status quo
