RELIGION AND SOCIAL CHANGE

Weber - Capitalism

Weber notes that the biggest economic and social change of the last 300 years was the movement from agricultural production to the industrial capitalist mode of production in Western Europe. This only occurred there because countries such as India and China inhibited change towards capitalism.

Weber - Calvinism

John Calvin taught that God predestined the elect, which caused salvation anxiety amongst Calvinists. But this motivated them to an ascetic way of life, to abstain from life’s pleasures and reinvest income back into family and the workplace.

Neo-Marxist Bloch

Neo-Marxists such as himself agree with traditional Marxists with that religion can inhibit social change, they also point to how religion can inspire social change. The ability to perform both of these is called dual character.

Neo-Marxist Gramsci

Gramsci argued that hegemony (the process where the ruling class maintains power by making its ideas seem like “common sense”) is spread through institutions such as religion, schools and the media. However, people can resist through dual consciousness (recognising both dominant ideas and their unfairness), organic intellectuals (leaders from oppressed groups who spread alternative ideas) and counter-hegemony (challenging dominant ideas to create social change).

Otto Maduro

Otto Maduro argues that religion can have relative autonomy (independence from wider social forces) and can become a force for social change, as shown by Liberation Theology in Latin America. Liberation Theology encouraged Catholic priests such as Oscar Romero to support the poor and oppressed, challenge military governments and argue for the redistribution of wealth and land. However, its success was limited because inequalities remained, and critics such as Pope John Paul II opposed its political and revolutionary approach.

McGuire

She argues that religious beliefs that are ‘taken for granted truths’ build a strong force against new ways of thinking. However, she argues that whilst causes of social change in society are highly complex to study, she acknowledges that religion can also be one of the many factors leading to social changes in society.

Bruce

Steve Bruce agrees with McGuire that religion may not always be successful in causing social change. He demonstrates his theory by looking at two social movements in the USA: the civil rights movement and the new Christian right.