Religion as a Force for Change

Religion as a Force for Change:

• The key debate on the role and function of religion in society is the extent to which religion maintains the status quo or enables changes in society

• Conflict and consensus theories largely agree that religion maintains the status quo; some argue that religion offers us an insight into what society can be

Marxist Arguments:

• Marxists often suggest that religion has a 'dual character'.

• Engels - The birth of Christianity was revolutionary, both politically and religiously.

• Bloch - Religion offers hope of a 'heaven on earth' — a utopian vision of society.

• Maduro - Religion helped to equip individuals to resist authoritarian rule through Liberation Theology.

Feminist Arguments:

• Religion is largely patriarchal in its organisation, but spirituality offers a new way of viewing society.

• Daly - Goddess religions reject patriarchal control of women and create the 'divine feminine'.

• Woodhead—The growth of alternative forms of spirituality gives women confidence and self-esteem while being based upon more egalitarian principles.

Weberian arguments:

• Weber sees religion as a force for social change, in part due to the involvement of the Calvinist movement in the growth of capitalism.

• Accumulated wealth is seen as acceptance by God - those who had wealth were seen as 'chosen'.

• Hard work — the protestant work ethic - was seen as a virtue and underpinned the growth of capitalism.

Evidence for change:

• US Civil Rights movement - headed by Martin Luther King Jr. - was aided by the Baptist movement.

• Allowed a safe space to congregate and dissent, mobilise those affected and offer moral guidance in dealing with oppression.

• Organised campaigns and peaceful protests that forced inequalities and systematic racism into the public eye leading to change.

Evaluation:

• Many Marxists and feminists see the institution of religion as oppressive and controlling and that offering hope is a form of distraction from the powerlessness that individuals feel.

• Critics of Weber argue that capitalism spread as a result of technology and the 'Age of Empires' rather than religious beliefs.

• Religion has limited scope for social change in an increasingly secular society, however, this too can be debated.