religion as a force for social change

• Calvinist beliefs- predestination

  -God has already decided who will enter heaven before you are born and it's unchangeable

  -those who are chosen are none as the 'elect'
• Calvinist beliefs- Devine Transcendence-

  -no individual has to power to predict Gods wishes

  -only source of info is the bible itself
• Calvinist beliefs- Vocation or calling-

  -only way to glorify God was to devote themselves to their work

  -wouldn't change wether they go to heaven but working hard would honour him
• Why did Calvinism lead to capitalism?

  -become anxious about being part of the elect, to overcome this anxiety they devoted themselves to their work -> wealth

  -they take this wealth as a sign of Gods favour so COULD be the 'elect'

  -reinvest into their businesses to help them grow

  -Weber- calvinist beliefs led to the mergence of the spirit of capitalism in which pursuit and profit was seen as a spiritual goal
• Factors which determine if religion is a conservative force or a force for social change (McGuire and Robinson)

  1. The nature and extent of religious belief- if most people in society hold religious beliefs and if they have a strong moral code which conflicts with existed features of society -> CHANGE
  2. the sig. in society- if it's a central part of culture -> more likely to be used as justification for CHANGE
  3. extent of social involvement - CHANGE if religious leaders are close to those in power e.g. politicians
  4. degree of central authority- better position to promote CHANGE or PREVENT it
• Eval - the nature of Calvinist beliefs (Sombart)

  Calvinism attacked greed and making money for its own sake

  Counter argument- its not the beliefs but the indirect effects of the belief of predestination that led to the protestant work ethic
• Eval - Kautsky- which came first capitalism or Protestantism?

  -modern capitalism already existed prior to the development of Calvinism

  -the only purpose of Calvinism was to justify the reasons why the ruling class controlled the means of production and thus continue the myth of divine inequality
• Counter to Kautsky - Marhsall

  -argues that these countries lacked the economic conditions necessary for capitalism to develop
• Engles - Hinduism

  • Hinduism has inspired significant social change
  • Gandhi- he used ideas from Hinduism such as non violence and self renunciation to lead a successful movement against British rule in India
  • Economic development: Hinduism is seen as a factor in India's economic growth and development as a current influence (Nanda-scholar)
• Bloch (hope and social change)

  • Influencing change- he suggested that the hope found in religious beliefs can motivate people to strive for improvements in their lives and communities
  • Building a better world- this hope can inspire effects to create a 'heaven on earth', encouraging individuals to untie and work towards revolutionary social change
• Feminist view (Woodhead)

  although religion is mostly patriarchal, the rise of spirituality gives women confidence and self esteem
• Evals

  • religion has limited scope for social change in an increasingly secular society
  • many Marxists and feminists see religion as oppressive and controlling