RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE

?
  • Created by: Banisha.
  • Created on: 24-05-18 09:17

RELIGION AS A CONSERVATIVE FORCE

  • religion can be seen as an institution which maintains how society operate, this can occur in two ways 1. it upholds traditional beliefs, norms, values, customs, morals. Religion controls how society operates - religious beliefs 2. it functions to conserve/ preserve things as they are ie maintaining the statue quo 

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS 

  • many religious beliefs have strict/ conservative views on moral issues ie sex, sexuality - the catholic church prohibits divorce, abortion, gay marriage
  • many religions maintain and uphold family traditions - division of labour/ marriage ceremonies women says 'love honour obey' man says 'love honour'
  • in hinduism - male domestic authority/ arranged marriages - therefore religious beliefs uphold traditional views = conservative 

RELIGIONS FUNCTIONS - religion + consensus = functionalism + promotes solidarity, religion + capitalism = marxism + false class consciousness, social control                              religion + patriarchy = feminism + legitimates patriarchal power, subordinates women 

1 of 9

WEBER - RELIGION AS A CONSERVATIVE FORCE

  • weber was interestd in how religion could lead to social change - looked at a religious sect called calvinism - form of protestant which formed during the reformation
  • REFORMATION - 16th century religious, political, intellectual cultural change - this change led to breakdown of the dominant catholic church which ruled europe into a number of different groups - protestant. Weber - this change in religious thought led to manjor social changes - the emerge of modern day capitalism 
  • CALVINISM - based on systematic, efficient rational pursuit of profit ' spirit of capitalism

CALVINIST BELIEFS 

  • predestination - only the 'elect'would be saved, decision is already made before birth
  • divine transcendent - god is far/ beyond this world creates 'salvation panic' - don't know if they have been chosen as the elect + cannot do anything to earn their salvation 
  • asceticism-refers to self denial/ discipline refraining from luxury, devotion to god/ prayer
  • wordly ascesticim - wealth allowed them to cope with salvation panic, driven by work ethic allowed them to reinvest in their business = profit
  • calvinism brought capitalism into the world - capitalism requires religion = encourage/ facilitate its growth + more likely to develop where calvism existed 
2 of 9

WEBER - HINDUISM/ CONFUCIANISM

  • calvinism + protestant spirit did not cause capitalism - it was a partial cause 
  • WEBER - noted that economic developments occurred throughout the world in the 16th, 17th century but not to trhe extent that modern capitalism developed - cultural element important
  • ancient china and india - more materially advanced but modern capitalism did not develop - this was because the belief system was lacking the spirit 
  • HINDUISM - asectic religion which renounced material goods - like calvinists - but had the orientation of 'other worldly' - renouncing everyday life and joining monasteries focusing on spirituality - not engaging in the pursuit of profit 
  • CHINA CONFUCIANISM - like calvinism - this wordly they had to do gods work - but this was not ascetic - so wealth didn't generate - just spent money 
  • both hinduism and confucianism lacked the drive and spirit it needed for modern capitalism to develop. 
  • CALVINISM + ASCETICISM = THIS WORLDLY ASCETICISM 

EVALUATION - kautsky + tawney - marxist critique

  • overestimates the role of ideas/ underestimates economic factors in bringing capitalism into being + technological changes not religious ideas caused the birth of capitalism 
3 of 9

BRUCE - CIVIL RIGHTS

  • struggle of black civil rights movement in 1950-60s to end racial segregation - motivated social change - black people were prevented from using same buses, toilets, schools, excluded from voting and have various legal restrictions and limitations 
  • began when rosa parks refused to sit at the back of the bus - led to protestant marches and boycotts and in 1964 segregation laws were outlawed 
  • the 'black clergy' was the backbone of the movement led by MLK - churches provided meeting points away from threats of violence - shared christian values of equality to shame white people

RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONS SUPPORT SOCIAL CHANGE

  • taking the moral high ground - black clergy pointed the hipocrisy of white clergy who preached 'love thy neighbour' but supported racial segregation 
  • challenging dissent - religion provides channels to express political conflict ie funeral for MLK was a rallying point for a civil rights cause 
  • mobilising public opinion - black churches in the south successfully campaigned for support across the whole of america 
  • this shamed the powerful and put in the practise of equality - shared same values as wider society 
4 of 9

BRUCE - NEW CHRISTIAN RIGHT

  • a politically/ morally conservative, protestant fundamentalist movement - developed out of resistance to the increasing liberation of american society 
  • AIMS/ VALUES - 1. take america back to god, 2. make abortion, homosexuality, divorce illegal, 3. strong preference on traditional gender roles, 4. to promote creationism - the view earth is the product of the 'divine creation' not scientific conclusions 
  • HOW TO PROMOTE VALUES - twitter, televangelism, right wing christian - pressure groups have made stronger links to the republican party 
  • SUCCESSFUL? - has not had the same level of success in relation to social change   1.campaigners find it difficult to work alongside other religions 2. campaigners have been hit with hight levels of resistance - preventing their messages being spread 

american society supports fundamental values of liberty and democracy+ americans reject the call for theocracy - rule by religious leaders and rather support the view of secularisation - removal of religion from the state 

5 of 9

MARXIST BLOCH - PRINCIPLE OF HOPE

  • MARX - religion can have a dual character - can humanise the world from exploitation 
  • ENGELS - religion is capable of infusing social change through its dual character 1. it is a conservative force - maintaining class inequality 2. it can also exist independently from the economic base - relative autonomy - can actually inspire social change 
  • argues religion does stifle social change, but also has the ability of inspiring protests and rebellion - he argues that religion could be seen as a expression of the principle of hope - pur dreams of a better life that contains imagery of utopia/ religious values of equality and preace can actively cause people to challenge the status quo 

PENTECOSTAL CHALLENGE - lehmann argued the libertaion theoogy has competition with pentecostal movements which also supported social change with latin american 

1. liberation theology - offered the option for the poor to challenge the status quo which led to preists and nuns taking collective and direct action - support base communities - help the poor to develop literacy/ education skills - factors that led to this was deepening of poverty, bad human rights - however this movement lost influence 

2. pentacostalism - option for the poor to pull themselves out of poverty through their own efforts supported by the congregation and church pastors - solution is conservatve through private sphere of the family and church = greater levels of individualism 

6 of 9

MILLENARIAN MOVEMENTS

  • refers to the idea that christ would come into the world a second time and rule for a thousand years before the day of judgement and the end of the world - the selected would go to heaven
  • believe in a heaven on earth - immenent transformation of this world by supernatural means. heaven on earth will have a life free from pain, imperfection and groups are saved collectively 
  • appeals to the poor - promise of immediate improvement - arise colonial situations - economic exploitation and cultural/ religious denomination christian missonaires and movements overturned 
  • WORSELY - movements in melanesia - cargo cults - islanders felt relatively deprived of material goods, lived in poverty and was attracted to these groups because = meaningful and better life - the unrest developed by rebelling 
  • cargo cults created social order based upon christian values, merged and legitimated = broke down social order - these movements are pre political - used religious ideas and united naieve populations 
  • known as the first awakening of 'proletarian self consciousness' 
7 of 9

GRAMSCI - HEGEMONY

  • refers to how we are controlled by ruling classes combined with economic, political, cultural authority = hegemony 
  • the dominant class within society not only controls the econmoic elements of society but also the political and cultural elements 
  • believed hegemony was extremly influential because the subordinate class were subjected to ideological influences in the family, education, mass medi and through religions 
  • however he argued the poor are not under total control - dual consciousness - aware of inequality - controlled by hegemonic power 
  • religion form of hegemony - dominance through ideas used by the elite to control WC 
  • ruling class are able to rely upon popular consent for their rule and people accept the ideas presented - coercion or force is not needed
  • ENGELS - believed religion maintained a dual character - members of the WC are able to develop a counter hegemony using religion which helps to inspire social change - ideas of utopia
  • religion can be used to identify a better version of reality - beyond ruling class hegemony - religious leaders act as 'organic intellectuals' who inspire social change through education - this allowd the WC to see a different version of reality - counter hegemonic block = social change 
8 of 9

BILLINGS - RELIGION AND CLASS CONFLICT

  • applied gramscis ideas and did a study of class struggle within 2 communities - coalminers and textile workers - both WC protestant - however miners struggled for recognition of union and better conditions while textile workers accepted status quo 

THREE WAYS IN WHICH RELIGION SUPPORTED/ CHALLENGED EMPLOYERS HEGEMONY

1. LEADERSHIP -miners benefitted - organic intellectuals - clergy helps to convert miners to union cause - textile workers lacked in leadership 

2. ORGANISATION - miners used independence - used churches to hold meetings, textile workers lacked such spaces

3. SUPPORT - churches kept miners morale high with supportive sermons and prayer meetings, textiler workers who engaged with union activity met with opposition form local church leaders 

religion can be called to defend status quo or justify the struggle to change it 

9 of 9

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Sociology resources:

See all Sociology resources »See all Religion and beliefs resources »