social change Flashcards
Religion and social change
This is a big debate in the sociology of religion. While many sociologists argue religion helps to maintain the status quo and that changes in society then lead to changes in religion, there is also an opposite view. This view argues that religion can also cause social change and so doesn’t always act as a conservative force. Exam questions tend to focus around the following areas:
• Is religion change inhibiting or change promoting?
• Does religion act as a conservative force or a force for social change?
Malinowski - inhibiting social change
- Religion performs psychological function of helping individuals deal with anxious and stressful situations caused by social change, these unpredictable events can cause instability and disruption in society.
- for example ‘making sense’ of events such as births and deaths
- therefore prevents social change by keeping stability of society
Parsons - inhibiting social change
- main function of religion is maintenance of social order by promoting value consensus: many legal systems are based on religious morals
- religion also answers ultimate questions beyond science, making sense of events in their life further preventing social change
Marx - inhibiting social change
- argued religion helped to preserve the existing class structure.
- religious beliefs serve to justify the existing, unequal social order and prevent social change by making a virtue out of poverty and suffering.
- Religion also teaches people that it is pointless striving for a revolution to bring about social change in this life - rather it is better to focus on ‘being a good Christian’ and receive your just rewards in heaven.
Secularisation - neither inhibits or encourages
Secularisation may well mean that religion has lost its power to either prevent or cause social change. Especially with disengagement, religion has less influence over political and social processes.
Weber - religion brings about change
- Weber pointed out that Capitalism developed first in England and Holland, taking off in the early 17th century. Just previous to Capitalism taking off, Protestantism was the main religion in these two countries.
- This was unlike most other countries in Europe at that time which were Catholic.
- therefore argued that the social norms instilled by Protestantism laid the foundations for modern capitalism.
Bruce - New Christian Right
• a politically and morally conservative, fundamentalist movement.
• argue to take america ‘back to god’- make abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage and divorce illegal
• has made effective use of media and networking, notably televangelism- church owned television stations raise funds and broadcast programmes aimed at convert and recruiting new members.
• right-wing christian pressure groups also have become the focus for political campaigning and for strengthening links with republican party
evaluation of christian new right :(
• many surveys show most americans are comfortable with legalising activities the christian new right personally see as immoral
e.g. abortion and an unwillingness to accept other people’s definition of how they should live their lives
• proves enormous problem of New christian right that believes they should insist their teachings
