Religion Social Change Flashcards
Divine transcendence
God is so far above human understanding it is impossible to know his will
Weber
Calvinism caused the emergence of capitalism in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Calvinism
Protestants who followed the ideas of John Calvin.
Glorify God.
Calvinists glorify God through their hard work and discipline, which is why they were consequently very successful.
Predestination
God already knows who will pray for forgiveness and therefore have a place in heaven.
Salvation Panic
I??d??k??
Asceticism
Calvinists faith meant that they couldn’t spend their wealth on luxuries. They believes they should live ascetic lives
Capitalism
Instead of spending their wealth on luxuries, they put their money back into their business which thrived as a result. Weber argued this was the beginning of modern capitalism.
Bruce + Civil right movement
Bruce considers the CRM of the 50s and 60s an example of religiously motivated social change. He describes the black clergy (led by martin Luther king) as the backbone of the movement.
High moral ground
Bruce argues that black people shamed white people into changing the law because they were able to point out the unfairness of the system using the whites’ own religion. E.g MLK used ‘turn the other cheek’ which encouraged blacks to take high moral ground, shaming whites into realising they don’t treat blacks equally. The whites preach ‘love thy neighbour’ however didn’t actually practice it.
Challenging dissent
Finding a way to channel feelings of anger into positive things e.g. MLK funeral was a rallying point for the civil rights cause, singing hymns is good for channeling feelings of injustice.
Honest broker
Churches are neutral ground for both sides in conflict as they are respected by both sides, so they’re a good place to hold negotiations.
Mobilising public opinion
Church congregations are often large, and gatherings can be used to spread ideas.
Hegemony
One group has control over another
