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Religion and social change - Coggle Diagram
Religion and social change
Weber, Protestant Reformations
The Protestant Reformation:
16th century
Martin Luther, church abusing power, disagreed with indulgences & priests teaches rather than bible
printing press invention spread his ideas, split into Catholic & Protestant
Bible translated into other languages, not just latin
power in common person
Calvinism & Capitalism:
Weber, The Protestant Work Ethic & the Spirit of Capitalism
Calvinism = a form of Protestantism
major social change occurred due to calvinism, emergence of modern Capitalism
protestantism makes you feel guilty
god likes hard work
all work is holy
the community > family
there aren't miracles ('disenchantment of the world'
Calvinist beliefs:
all of these beliefs work towards working hard
pre-destination
ascentism
vocation or calling
Protestant work ethic
=
Modern day capitalism
Idleness is a sin = ascetic lifestule
Allowed Calvinists to cope with salvation panic = reinforces gains of more wealth
Religion as a conservative force
Functionalism -> social solidarity
Marxism -> capitalism, prevents social change
Feminism -> patriarchy, legitimises womens subordination
Bruce - Civil Rights Movement
early 1950s, continued segregation of black people in America
Campaigning:
involved direct action
e.g. Rosa Parks bus boycott with Martin Luther King Jr
march on Washington, "I have a dream" speech
Led by The Black Clergy (Dr Martin Luther King)
moral legitimacy to activists and sanctuary & unity
The message was widespread because they appealed to common Christian values of equality
segregation outlawed in 1964
Religion:
Bruce says religion was used as an ideological resource in this movement
'taking the moral high ground' e.g. 'love thy neighbour'
'acting as an honest broker', respected, trusted due to religion
Civil Rights Movement
- had the shared values of those in power & those in wider society & could use these to push for change
Weber, hinduism & confucianism
Weber says Calvinist beliefs not the cause of capitalism, but one if them
Hinduism:
ascetic, reunification of material world, other world
lacks drive to systemically accumulate wealth necessary for modern capitalism
Confunctianism:
not ascetic, this worldly
lacks drive to systemically accumulate wealth necessary for modern capitalism
Other countries with higher levels of economic development than Northern Europe had in 16th & 17th centuries failed to develop modern capitalism e.g. ancient China, more advanced but capitalism not take off
Liberation theology, millenarian movements, religion & hegemony
1) Liberation theology:
Some Neo-marxists argue religion can be a revolutionary force for change
Evidence of Catholic Church in Latin America end of 1960s
commitment to poor & oppression of dictatorships
ideology against human rights abuses
take side of oppresed
have done things such as poor support groups, literacy programmes and support with fighting oppression
since 1980s, this movement has lost power, Pope says it is "too marxist" & they shouldn't. be involved in politics
religion can be used by those exploited to liberate themselves & be free from exploitation
3) Religion & hegemony:
Gramsci (1971), religion as a dual character
hegemony, ruling class uses ideas such as religion to maintain control (ideological domination) - Catholic Church help support Mussolini's facist regime
counter-hegemony, the working class developing alternative vision of how society should be organised - religion can support W/C organisations such as trade unions
all of this is backed up by Billings who concluded religion can play a 'prominent oppositional role'
2) Millenarian Movements:
Peter Worsley
Millenarian movements believe Christ will return to rule for 1000 years before day of judgement
appeals to poor, promises immediate improvement
Marxists say these movements often arise in colonial situations, exploitation, e.g. Cargo Cults
this united native populations, sometimes able to overthrow nationalist leaders
Engels calls this the "awakening of proletarian self-consciousness"
Marx, Engels and Bloch
Marxism:
Marxists often see religion as conservative, however this is not always the case, some feel religion is a dual character and can be a force for change
Marx:
did not see religion entirely negative
saw it as capable of humanising a world made inhumane by exploitation
"the heart of a heartless world"
Engels:
although religion distingushes inequality, it can also challenge the status quo e.g. liberation from slavery
Ernst Bloch:
both positive and negative influence on social change
'The Principle of Hope', dreams of a better life / uptopia
deceives people with promises of heaven but helps people see what needs to be changed in this world
Bruce - New Christian Right
Beliefs:
protestant fundamentalists / conservatives
monopoly of truth
believe in literal poof of the bible
anti-abortion, anti-feminism, pro guns etc
Things they want:
abortion, homosexuality, divorce illegal
ban SRE in schools
traditional family & gender roles
creationism only in schools
Current day:
evangelists
have increased profile since 1970s
use media (televangelists) to convert & recruit men ; targets vulnerable groups due to adverts during day or early morning
links to Republican Party to support political campaigning
The debate:
NCR largely unsuccessful in achieving aims
Reasons for failure:
difficult to cooperate with other religious groups even when same issue
lacks widespread support
strong opposition from pro-freedom of choice groups
Why failed?
Bruce argues it was a failed movement for social change because...
it did not connect with mainstream beliefs about democracy, equality & religious freedom
most christians are comfortable legalising things they believe are immoral e.g. abortion
Weber evaluation
a 'debate with Marx's ghost' who saw economic & material the force for change
Karl Kautsky, overestimated role of ideas, underestimated economic factors ; capitalism preceded not followed capitalism
R.H Tawney, technological change not religious, after capitalism established bourgeoise adopted Calvinism to legitimise gain
capitalism did not develop in every calvinist country
e.g. scotland
Gordon Marshall, Weberian, argue this is due to lack of capitalism & skilled labour
Calvinist amongst first capitalists, but because they were excluded from law, political offices and many other professions, buisness an alternative
weberians say many other religious minorities excluded this way but not become capitalists