Religion As A Conservative Force

Question 1

Functionalists

Answer 1

Religion to preserve SS/supports tradition to maintain collective conscience and VC– no social change to undermine this

Same norms and values repeated to socialise future into same beliefs.

Eg Same-sex marriage legalised 2014 = religion prevent social change maintains same belief/church opposed same-sex marriage.
making it a sin in religion people avoid it and bind society together- stick to values

A03- Not everyone religious – but still lack of social change so religion acts as Conservative force

Question 2

Marxist

Answer 2

Religion Conservative force = preserve class in quality by preventing social change/forcing false consciousness of hierarchy

E.g. religion keeps people poor by instructing them to donate to church = feeding establishment/making them rich. If not followed made to believe they would go hell = manipulates/prevents progress and legitimises/reproduces inequality and disguises exploitation

Question 3

Feminist

Answer 3

Religion Conservative force = preserve gender inequality - Legitimises patriarchal power/subordination of women.

E.g. religion oppressed women/promotes inequality through Bible teaching “Women should remain silent in church” = submission, less power than men

Divides both genders/creates inequality/rejects the equality.

Question 4

Weber - Calvinism

Answer 4

Religion doesn’t always hold traditional beliefs/function to keep status quo

Weber - calvinism brought capitalism =economic change through industrial revolution. Contribution of protestant work ethic +aim of Calvinism undermined previous beliefs. ( Work hard/live clean lifestyle/invest money into own business/economy so individuals become rich rather than church)

Reward for this = solved salvation anxiety ppl follow Calvinism - religion created social change

A03- Technology/change of labour markets came due to economy not religion/China and Japan already advanced involved in industrial revolution/ had capitalism in other places

Question 5

Bruce - religion creates social change through social protest

Answer 5

Religiously inspired movements in America try change society

E.g. civil rights movement Martin Luther King
“We are all gods children”
“All men are created equal”
Encouraged social change through Bible reference of god / America widely religious.

Put everyone on the one umbrella/unity/social change

A03- value consensus/public opinion already changing religion made it more publicised so not all credit of social change is given to religion

Question 6

New Christian Right

Answer 6

Regressive social change

They supported Conservative values/traditional families/traditional beliefs

E.g. no abortions/no gays = Regressive /Backsliding into less progressive era filled with inequality/social issues

A03- failed to change society/more secularisation/society had new values and norms to previous times so not affected by this

Question 7

Maduro - liberation theory

Answer 7

Create social change. Religion can be revolutionary for social change/

religious ideas radicalised the clergy in fight for peasants and workers

Priests influence by teaching such as Love Thy Neighbor/inspired to create change/saw helping Poor as Christian duty.

A03- Liberation movement not completely successful in redistribution of wealth to Paul but democracy in some countries = some social change