Religion and Social Change Flashcards
Religion as a conservative force
- it is traditional - defends customs, traditions and moral codes
- functions to conserve/preserve things as they are
Religious beliefs
most have conservative beliefs - oppose freedoms in personal or sexual matters e.g. contraception
uphold family values and favour patriarchal division of labour (embedded in marriage vows)
Weber - religion as a force for change
religious beliefs of Calvinism brought about modern capitalism
past societies had capitalism (greed for luxury consumption)
modern - based on systematic pursuit of profit for its own sake
Calvinist beliefs - predestination
certain souls are ‘saved’ before birth
individuals can do nothing to change (unlike Catholic pilgrimages)
Calvinist beliefs - divine transcendence
God is above and beyond this world
greater than any mortal
led to ‘unprecedented sense of inner loneliness’
combined with predestination - led to salvation panic
Calvinist beliefs - asceticism
self - discipline and self denial
Calvinist beliefs - vocation
before - meant to serve in a monastery (other worldly)
Calvinists believed that they exist to glorify God’s name in their work
vocation - constant work (like a religious duty)
practised ‘this worldly asceticism’ with the belief that idleness was a sin
helped them to cope with ‘salvation panic’
as they grew wealthier - sign of God’s favour
driven by work ethic - methodically grew in wealth in most efficient way (but not permitted to spend on luxuries)
Weber - evaluation
- challenges Marx’s ideas that economic factors are enough
- Kautsky says Weber overestimates role of ideas
- Tawney says that technology changes caused capitalism
Hinduism and Confucianism
other societies had greater economic development than Northern Europe
Ancient China and India were more advanced (but capitalism didn’t take off)
Ancient India - Hinduism’s other - worldly asceticism
Ancient China - Confucianism discouraged rational capitalism
Bruce - US civil rights movement
time of segregation and denial of rights
example of religiously motivated social change
began with Rosa Parks’ bus protest
appealed to shared Christian values
1. black clergy was backbone of the movement
2. gave moral legitimacy to activists
3. provided meeting places as an escape from white violence
4. prayer provided unity in face of oppression
US civil rights movement - religion’s effects
- took the moral high ground - the hypocrisy of white clerical ‘love thy neighbour’
- channelling dissent - religion provides a channel (MLK funeral)
- acting as a negotiator - church provides place above ‘mere politics’
- mobilising public opinion - successfully campaigned for support
Bruce - New Christian Right
politically and morally conservative
opposed liberalisation and aimed to take America ‘back to God’
believes in traditional family and gender roles
strong links to Republicanism
New Christian Right - ineffective
- Campaigners don’t cooperate with other groups (even on the same issue)
- Lacks widespread support
- Belief in separation of church and state
Surveys found that people are fine with legalisation of things that they find immoral but are unwilling to do what others say
Marxism, religion and change
Usually see religion as a conservative ideology (legitimation of inequality)
recognise that ideas can have praxis (relative autonomy)
Marx sees religion as humanising a world made made inhuman by exploitation
Dual character (Engels) - although religion inhibits change, it can also encourage social change e.g. preaches liberation from slavery
Bloch
argues for view of religion as both positive and negative
can inspire protest or rebellion (principle of hope)
Liberation theology
movement which emerged in RC Latin America
RC had accepted poverty and supported wealthy elites
Caused by
1. deepening rural poverty and growth of urban slums
2. human rights abuses e.g. murder of political opponents
3. growing commitment to an ideology which supported the poor
Aims of liberation theology
- helped poor to set up base communities
- workers to fight oppression under church protection
- educated poor
Maduro
religion as a revolutionary force
religious ideas radicalised clergy in defence of peasants
saving poor made a christian duty
but liberation theology did not challenge capitalism
Pentecostal challenge
made inroads with the poor
- Liberation theology - option for the poor of community consciousness
- Pentecostalism - option of the poor for individuals to pull themselves out of poverty
Millenarianism
idea that Jesus would come and rule for 1000 years before the end of the world
Religion raises hope of a better world
Worsley - groups expect imminent transformation by supernatural means
appeal is largely to the poor and often arises in colonial situation
Cargo cults
tribes people felt deprived when materials went to coloniser
combines traditional beliefs of Christianity e.g. punishment of wicked
Engels - first awakening of ‘proletarian consciousness’
Gramsci - hegemony
hegemony - ideological domination e.g. power of Catholicism in support of Mussolini
Gramsci - dual character
WC play see through hegemony and clergy may be ‘organic intellectruals’
Religion and class conflict - Billings
compared class struggle in two communities (coal miners and textile workers) Both were WC and evangelical protestants
Billings - practices
- Leadership - miners were led by organic intellectuals but textile workers didn’t
- Organisation - miners were able to use independent churches for meetings
- Support - churches kept morale high with sermons, prayer meetings whereas textile workers faced opposition from church leaders
