Social Change

Question 1

Bruce
(Religion and Social Protest)

Answer 1

Interested in relationship between religion and social change
^ Compares 2 examples of role of religously inspired protest movements in America

Question 2

American Civil Rights Movement
(Bruce)

Answer 2

Black clergy was the backbone of the movement - able to shame White people into changing the law by appealing to their shared Christian values of equality

Bruce:
Sees religion as an ideological resource - provided beliefs and practices that protestors could draw on for motivation and support
^ Civil rights movement is an e.g. of religion becoming involved in secular struggle and helping to bring about change

Question 3

The New Christian Right
(Bruce)

Answer 3

Aims: take America ‘back to God’ and make abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage and divorce illegal
. Uses televangilism = media and networking

Bruce:
Considered it a failed movement as majority of Americans don’t support the theory - fails to connect with mainstream beliefs about democracy, equality and religious freedom

Question 4

Weber
(Divine Transcendence)

Answer 4

= God was so far above this world, no humans could possibly claim to know his will

Weber:
Created a salvation panic in calvinists - couldn’t know whether they’d been chosen to be saved

Question 5

Weber
(Other - wordly asceticism)

Answer 5

Before Calvinism, the idea of a religious vocation meant renouncing everyday life to join a convent or monastry

Question 6

Franklin
(Asceticism)

Answer 6

Calvinists led an ascetic lifestyle shunning all luxury, worked long hours and practiced rigorous self discipline
^ ‘lose no time, be always employed in something useful’

Question 7

Tawney
(Criticises Weber)

Answer 7

Tech changes not religious ideas caused the birth of capitalism

Question 8

Marshall
(Supports Weber)

Answer 8

Capitalism didn’t develop in every country there were calvinists because lack of investment capital
^ Proves Weber’s point of both material and cultural factors need to be present for capitalism to emerge

Question 9

Bloch
(Marxism)

Answer 9

. Religion has a dual character
. Religion is an expression of ‘the principle of hope’ - perfect world
^ helps people see what needs to be changed

Question 10

Liberation Theology

Answer 10

Movement within the Catholic church in Latin America - strong commitment to the poor. Major change in direction as it’d been an extremely conservative institution

Question 11

Lowy

Answer 11

Questions Marx’s view that religion always legitimises social inequality
^ Liberation Theology in 1960s

Question 12

Lehmann

Answer 12

Compares pentecostal challenge and liberation theology

Liberation = radical solution (public sphere)
Pentecostal = Conservative solution (private sphere)

Question 13

Worsley
(Millenarian Movement)

Answer 13

Movement expects total transformation of this world by supernatural - ‘heaven on earth’
^ Appeal to poor = promise of immediate improvement

Question 14

Worsley
(Millenarian Movement) - Melanesia

Answer 14

Studied cargo cults in Melanesia: Islanders felt deprived when cargo landed on the island for the colonists - series of cargo cults created in 19th/20th century to try and overturn unjust social order

Question 15

Gramsci
(Hegemony)

Answer 15

Interested in how the ruling class maintain control through the use of ideas - hegemony
^ Ideological domination/leadership of society

Question 16

Gramsci

Answer 16

Religion has a dual character - can challenge as well as support ruling class
^ Popular forms of religion can help workers see through ruling-class hegemony - vision of a better world

Question 17

Billings
(Class conflict)

Answer 17

Applies Gramsci ideas in case study comparing struggles of coal miners and textile workers during 1920/30s
^ Both WC evangelical Protestants: miners much more militant, textile workers accepted their status quo

Question 18

3 ways levels of militancy can be understood in terms of hegemony and role of religion
(Billings)

Answer 18

• Leadership
• Organisation
• Support

Question 19

Billings

Answer 19

Religion can play ‘prominent oppositional role’. Same religion can defend status quo or justify struggle to change it