Religion and Social Change
Religion and Social Change
Religion as a conservative force:
Religion seen as conservative force in 2 diff senses:
1. In the sense of ‘traditional’, e.g. defending traditional institutions or moral
views.
2. Conservative because it functions to conserve or preserve things as they are,
maintaining the status quo.
Religion’s conservative beliefs:
- Most religions have traditional conservative beliefs about moral issues +
oppose changes that allow individuals more freedom e.g. The Catholic
Church forbids divorce, abortion+ artificial contraception.
- Most religions uphold ‘family values’, supporting a traditional patriarchal
domestic division of labour e.g. Hinduism endorses the practise of arranged
marriage.
Religions conservative functions:
Religion is also conservative in the second sense of the world – functioning to
conserve/preserve things as they are. This view of religion is held by functionalists,
Marxists and feminists. In diff ways, they each argue that it contributes to social
stability.
Religion + consensus:
Functionalists see religion as a conservative force maintaining social stability +
preventing disintegration, e.g. promoting social solidarity by creating value
consensus + helping individuals deal with disruptive stresses.
Marxists + feminists see religion as an ideology that supports the existing social
structure + as a means of social control in the interests of the powerful:
Religion and capitalism – Marx see’s religion as a conservative ideology preventing
social change. By legitimating/disguising inequality, it creates false consciousness in
the w/c + prevents revolution.
Religion + patriarchy: feminists see religion as a conservative force because it
legitimates patriarchal power + maintains women’s subordination in fam + society.
Weber: religion as a force for change:
Weber in The Protestant Ethic + the Spirit of Capitalism argues that the religious
beliefs of Calvinism helped to bring about major social change – emergence of
modern capitalism in Northern Europe.
- Modern capitalism – unique as it’s based on efficient and rational pursuit of
profit for its own sake, rather than for spending on luxuries. Weber calls this
the spirit of capitalism. This spirit had unconscious similarity to the Calvinists’
beliefs + attitudes. Calvinism had several distinctive beliefs.
, Religion and Social Change
Calvinist beliefs:
- Predestination: God predetermines who will be saved – ‘the elect’ - +
individuals can do nothing to change this.
- Divine transcendence: God is omniscient, and omnipotent. God is far above +
beyond this world that no human could claim to know his will – leaving the
Calvinists to feel ‘an unprecedented inner loneliness’. This creates what
Weber calls a salvation panic among Calvinists.
- Asceticism: abstinence (retraining from doing something e.g. taking drugs),
self-discipline, hard work and self-denial (denial of own interests + needs/self-
sacrifice)
- Idea of vocation/calling to serve God – but in the everyday world of work, not
in a monastery (buildings occupied by a community of monks living under
religious vows). Calvinism invented this-worldly asceticism, where a vocation
means constant, methodical work in an occupation.
Calvinists led an ascetic lifestyle shunning (avoiding) all luxury, working long
hours + practising rigorous self-discipline. As a result:
1. Driven by their work ethic, they systematically accumulated wealth but didn’t
spend it on luxuries (asceticism), instead reinvesting it in their businesses to
produce profit.
2. They prospered + came to see this as a sign of God’s favour/ plan and their
salvation.
Hinduism + Confucianism:
Weber – Calvinist beliefs were only one of capitalism’s causes. Certain economic
factors were necessary, e.g. natural resources, a money economy, towns, a legal
system etc.
There have been other societies with some of these factors, but where capitalism did
not take off, due to lack of religious belief systems like Calvinism. For example:
- Hinduism in ancient India was an ascetic religion but was other-worldly –
directing followers towards spiritual world.
- Confucianism in ancient China, although a this-worldly religion that directed its
followers towards the material world, it was not ascetic.
Religion + social protest:
Bruce – interested in relationship between religion + social change, comparing 2
case studies of the role of religiosity inspired protest movements in America: the civil
rights movement and the New Christian Right.
The American civil rights movement:
The black civil rights movement of the 50s/60s attempted to end racial segregation
as blacks were denied legal + political rights in many Southern states e.g. schools
were segregated, inter-racial marriages forbidden + blacks often excluded from
voting.
Religion and Social Change
Religion as a conservative force:
Religion seen as conservative force in 2 diff senses:
1. In the sense of ‘traditional’, e.g. defending traditional institutions or moral
views.
2. Conservative because it functions to conserve or preserve things as they are,
maintaining the status quo.
Religion’s conservative beliefs:
- Most religions have traditional conservative beliefs about moral issues +
oppose changes that allow individuals more freedom e.g. The Catholic
Church forbids divorce, abortion+ artificial contraception.
- Most religions uphold ‘family values’, supporting a traditional patriarchal
domestic division of labour e.g. Hinduism endorses the practise of arranged
marriage.
Religions conservative functions:
Religion is also conservative in the second sense of the world – functioning to
conserve/preserve things as they are. This view of religion is held by functionalists,
Marxists and feminists. In diff ways, they each argue that it contributes to social
stability.
Religion + consensus:
Functionalists see religion as a conservative force maintaining social stability +
preventing disintegration, e.g. promoting social solidarity by creating value
consensus + helping individuals deal with disruptive stresses.
Marxists + feminists see religion as an ideology that supports the existing social
structure + as a means of social control in the interests of the powerful:
Religion and capitalism – Marx see’s religion as a conservative ideology preventing
social change. By legitimating/disguising inequality, it creates false consciousness in
the w/c + prevents revolution.
Religion + patriarchy: feminists see religion as a conservative force because it
legitimates patriarchal power + maintains women’s subordination in fam + society.
Weber: religion as a force for change:
Weber in The Protestant Ethic + the Spirit of Capitalism argues that the religious
beliefs of Calvinism helped to bring about major social change – emergence of
modern capitalism in Northern Europe.
- Modern capitalism – unique as it’s based on efficient and rational pursuit of
profit for its own sake, rather than for spending on luxuries. Weber calls this
the spirit of capitalism. This spirit had unconscious similarity to the Calvinists’
beliefs + attitudes. Calvinism had several distinctive beliefs.
, Religion and Social Change
Calvinist beliefs:
- Predestination: God predetermines who will be saved – ‘the elect’ - +
individuals can do nothing to change this.
- Divine transcendence: God is omniscient, and omnipotent. God is far above +
beyond this world that no human could claim to know his will – leaving the
Calvinists to feel ‘an unprecedented inner loneliness’. This creates what
Weber calls a salvation panic among Calvinists.
- Asceticism: abstinence (retraining from doing something e.g. taking drugs),
self-discipline, hard work and self-denial (denial of own interests + needs/self-
sacrifice)
- Idea of vocation/calling to serve God – but in the everyday world of work, not
in a monastery (buildings occupied by a community of monks living under
religious vows). Calvinism invented this-worldly asceticism, where a vocation
means constant, methodical work in an occupation.
Calvinists led an ascetic lifestyle shunning (avoiding) all luxury, working long
hours + practising rigorous self-discipline. As a result:
1. Driven by their work ethic, they systematically accumulated wealth but didn’t
spend it on luxuries (asceticism), instead reinvesting it in their businesses to
produce profit.
2. They prospered + came to see this as a sign of God’s favour/ plan and their
salvation.
Hinduism + Confucianism:
Weber – Calvinist beliefs were only one of capitalism’s causes. Certain economic
factors were necessary, e.g. natural resources, a money economy, towns, a legal
system etc.
There have been other societies with some of these factors, but where capitalism did
not take off, due to lack of religious belief systems like Calvinism. For example:
- Hinduism in ancient India was an ascetic religion but was other-worldly –
directing followers towards spiritual world.
- Confucianism in ancient China, although a this-worldly religion that directed its
followers towards the material world, it was not ascetic.
Religion + social protest:
Bruce – interested in relationship between religion + social change, comparing 2
case studies of the role of religiosity inspired protest movements in America: the civil
rights movement and the New Christian Right.
The American civil rights movement:
The black civil rights movement of the 50s/60s attempted to end racial segregation
as blacks were denied legal + political rights in many Southern states e.g. schools
were segregated, inter-racial marriages forbidden + blacks often excluded from
voting.
