7.1.4
Social Change & Religion
Weber and Calvinism
Weber and Calvinism
Weber believed that religion could lead to social change.
Calvinism
Calvinism
- Weber’s study, ‘The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ is a key example of how religion can lead to social change.
- Weber believed that the development of Calvinism was highly influential in the creation modern capitalism.
The sin of greed
The sin of greed
- Before the emergence of Calvinism, Weber believed that capitalism existed in a different form to what we understand today.
- Wealth was seen as a sign of greed and therefore possessing vast amounts of money was seen as sinful.
- Instead Catholics would donate money to the Church as a sign to God that they were devoted believers.
John Calvin
John Calvin
- John Calvin (founder of Calvinism) created his own sect of the Christian religion.
- He changed the way that wealth was viewed by his followers.
Calvinist beliefs
Calvinist beliefs
- Predestination:
- God decides who will enter the kingdom of heaven before birth. These people were known as ‘the elect’.
- Divine transcendence:
- No individual has the power to rival God or predict his wishes.
Calvinist beliefs cont.
Calvinist beliefs cont.
- Asceticism:
- Followers of Calvinism should deny themselves all pleasure that could distract them from their devotion to their faith.
- Devotion to work:
- The only way to please god was to devote themselves to their work.
- Although, this will not change the after-life they are predestined for.
Pursuit of profit
Pursuit of profit
- Followers became anxious about whether they were part of ‘the elect’. They had no way in confirming their place and so devoted themselves to their work as a distraction.
- Weber believed the emergence of Calvinism reflects what we know as the ‘spirit of capitalism’ as the pursuit of profit was seen as the main priority.
Bruce
Bruce
Bruce argued that religion leads to social change.
Bruce
Bruce
- Bruce argues that religion can promote social change, depending on its actions and society's reaction to it.
- He uses two examples to show this:
- The American civil rights movement.
- The New Christian Right .
The civil rights movement
The civil rights movement
- The civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s aimed to end racial segregation in America.
- Bruce argues that the most important people in the movement were black clergymen, led by Martin Luther King, who attempted to influence change by gaining national support from all communities.
Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King
- Martin Luther King used religion as an ideological resource, meaning that he appealed to all Christians, regardless of ethnic background, to find common ground based on their Christian values.
- Bruce claims that the civil rights movement was successful because it was a peaceful protest; it negotiated with those who had opposing views and achieved public support.
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The New Christian Right
The New Christian Right
- The New Christian Right is a fundamentalist movement that is conservative in nature and disagrees with the changes that have occurred in American society, (e.g. the Westboro Baptist Church.)
- Although they receive mass media coverage, they tend to be heavily criticised by mainstream Americans because they oppose the liberal values and cosmopolitanism that the majority of the country share.
Criticisms
Criticisms
- They are also often unwilling to cooperate with other groups who share their views and instead choose to distance themselves, often criticising all who have any different views.
- By creating conflict, religious organisations, such as the New Christian Right, will not achieve mainstream cultural change.
Postmodernism and Religion
Postmodernism and Religion
Postmodernists believe that religions have lost all power to influence society. However the decline in religion is a social change in itself.
Postmodernists
Postmodernists
- Postmodernists believe that traditional religions have lost their significance in society and therefore lack the ability to encourage social stability or social change.
Monopoly of truth
Monopoly of truth
- As traditional religions were part of the modernist era, they are seen to be meta-narratives as they attempt to claim monopoly of the truth.
- This is impossible within the postmodern world as there is no generalised truth within our increasingly fragmented society.
Hervieu-Leger
Hervieu-Leger
- Hervieu-Leger believes that religion’s reluctance to change has also led to its unpopularity in today’s postmodern world.
- There are so many alternative world views today to compete with its teachings.
- This has led to ’cultural amnesia’.
Lyon
Lyon
- As identities are fluid within the postmodern world, individuals are constantly constructing new identities for themselves through consumption.
- Lyon discusses the emergence of a religious marketplace which has developed as religious leaders have had to turn to the media in order to publicise their belief system in order to survive.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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