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Religion and social change - Coggle Diagram
Religion and social change
Social Change Vs Conservatism
Conservatism
Maintain status quo - keep things as they are
. Maintain traditional values
Social Change
Change how society and relations function
2. Religion can be a force for change
Max Weber
- The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism (1905)
Protestantism was a movement against the dominant teachings and practises of the Catholic Church in Europe.
. Against the sale indulgences - Pope has no authority of purgatory.
. Belief in God will pardon you from sin
Weber argues that calvinism changed societies structures and developed capitalism in 16th - 17th century.
Calvinism shaped the spirit of capitalism in 3 ways:
Predestination
- only a fixed number of souls get into heaven and God knew who they were.
Aesthetic Ideal
- God favours a frugal lifestyle meaning don't buy luxuries and reinvest in your business.
Vocation/ calling
- working for a living is a righteous duty and idleness is a sin.
Argued that China and India were materially more advanced, but capitalism did not grow due to differences in belief:
.
Hinduism
- is forced on the spiritual world instead of the material world.
.
Confucianism
- is forced on the material world but did not encourage frugal values.
Evaluation
Marxists
Kautsky (1927)
Capitalism arrived before Calvinism
. Economic factors made capitalism not cultural factors.
Tawney (1926)
Technological change not religious ideas create capitalism
Calvinism in Scotland
Scotland was a strong Calvinist country but it did not industrialised slowly.
Calvinists were excluded from early modern society
Usury was sin in 15th-19th Century - lending money with interest.
Calvinists were banned from many professions to turned to business.
1. Religion is a conservative force
Some sociologists argue:
Religion upholds traditions on how society should be organised.
. Church of England - bride must 'love, honour and obey' the groom.
Religion seeks to keep things as they are
. Catholic Church - forbidding of abortion, divorce, contraception, gay marriage etc.
Who Agrees?
Traditional Marxists
- Marx/ Lenin
Religion reinforces capitalist ideology and supports the social order.
. This prevents change that would lead to equality
Feminists
Some feminists see religion as perpetuating patriarchal power
Functionalists
- Durkheim/ Malinowski/ Parsons
Religion uphold the value consensus which creates stability in society and prevents anomie.
. Religion socialises and binds people together