religion as conservative force and inhibitor/creater of social change
- Created by: imogen_bridge
- Created on: 11-01-17 18:35
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- Is religion a conservative force? & does it inhibit or initiate social change?
- religion is a conservative force if...
- It is traditional, defend traditional customs, beliefs and practices.
- it functions to conserve things as they are
- e.g. only recognised heterosexual marriage, promotes no sex before marriage, against abortion.
- most likely to be monotheistic world religion
- functionalists - religion is a conservative force as it reinforces consensus value.
- marxists - religon is a conservative force to prevent social change and thus social revolution.
- feminists - religion is a conservative force as it reinforces patriarchy
- fundamentalists want to revert back to tradition
- religion is not a conservative force as
- C of E recognise divorce & abortion (some cases)
- c of e no longer shuns cohabitation
- c of e women can become priests
- new religions such as scientology & unification church may live in communes & share childcare
- some religions e.g. mormons allow polygamy
- post modernists say there has been a collapse of tradition
- fundamentalism
- traditionalists that want to return to principles and purity of faith
- intolerant to other beliefs
- causes
- resistant identity - defensive reaction to modernity
- globalisation threatening to dilute beliefs
- only appears in monotheism with religious text from God
- detest modernity as it provides diversity and choice
- types
- reaction to change happening in society e.g. new christian right
- reaction to changes being thrust upon them e.g. Iranian revolution
- religion can cause social change
- Bruce - civil rights movement
- Black clergy was backbone behind movement
- gave movement support and moral legitimacy
- church became meeting points and shelter from violence
- black clergy could shame white people using their shared belief into changing the laws
- Weber - calvinism created capitalism
- calving believe god pre decided who will go to heaven & hell
- believe know they cannot change this but they still worked very hard
- working hard convinced them they were going to heaven
- through constant hard would they became wealthy and invested further into businesses
- Bruce - civil rights movement
- religion doesn't cause social change
- Bruce - new christian right
- campaigners couldn't get along with others even when campaigning for same thing
- protestant fundamentalists wanted to return america 'back to god'
- used media to recruit and convert e.g. God tv
- only attracted support from 15% of population
- Bloch - principle of hope (Marxist)
- religion has dual character - can and can't cause social change
- usually religion inhibit social change
- the principle of hope is our dreams of utopia (better world) this can inspire change combined with the right leadership
- liberation theory (marxist)
- catholic rule in latin america taught acceptance of poverty
- liberation theory aimed to help and educate the poor
- catabolism condemned it as it resembled marxism
- Millenarian movements
- attempt to bring about change in this life to bring back christ
- appeal to the poor as they offer immiadiate improvement
- gramsci - religion and hegemony
- religion can keep followers in a state of hegemony
- religion can also show WC a new vision of a fairer and better society which could bring change
- e.g. Jehovah's witnesses
- Bruce - new christian right
- religion is a conservative force if...
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