Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the contribution of religion to social change. (18 marks)

Weber found that religion could cause social change, such as the Calvinism and capitalism. The Calvinists believed in predestination, so God had already chosen the elect to go to heaven and the individuals who hadn’t, could not do anything to change that. They believed that God was far above and beyond this words and greater than any mortal, that no human could possibly claim to know his will. This left the Calvinists feeling an ‘unprecedented inner loneliness’. When this is combined with the doctrine of predestination, this created a salvation panic amongst the Calvinists. They also believed in asceticism; self-discipline and self-denial. Refraining from a life of luxury. So, instead of spending a lot of money, they put money back into their business. And they believed in the idea of a vocation or calling. Before Calvinism, the idea of a religious vocation (a calling to serve God) meant renouncing everyday life to join a convent or monastery. Weber called this otherworldly asceticism. Calvinists knew God’s plan for humanity, which came from the Bible and it revealed that that they were put on Earth to do glorify God’s name by our work. So, for the Calvinists, this meant constant, methodical work in an occupation and not a monastery. However, work could not earn salvation; this was simply a religious duty. This is the reason that the Calvinists led an ascetic lifestyle by shunning from luxury, worked long hours and practiced self-discipline. Their hard work had two consequences. Firstly, their wealth and success helped them cope with their salvation panic. They took their wealth to mean that it was God’s favour and their salvation. This contradicts their original doctrine that God’s will was unknowable. They invested money into their business and gained profit and this was Weber’s view of capitalism. Where the object is simply the acquisition of more and more money as an end in itself. Calvinism bought capitalism into this world. Another way religion bought about social change was the American civil rights movement. The civil rights movement began with Rosa Parks; refusing to give up a seat for a white person on the bus. Many black people boycotted, marched and demonstrated against the segregation of black people after that. Then, Dr. Martin Luther King led the black clergy into the freedom of ‘coloured people’ by meeting in churches. Their prayer meetings and hymn singing were a source of unity in the face of oppression. He was against violence and thought that this was not the way to gain their freedom. Steve Bruce saw religion in this context as an ideological resource – it provided beliefs and practices that protesters could draw on for motivation and support. He identified several ways in which religious organization are well equipped to support protests and contribute to social change, such as: taking the moral high ground, where the black clergy pointed out their hypocrisy in the belief of ‘love thy neighbour’ but supported racial segregation. Another way was channeling dissent; religion provides channels to express political dissent. For example, the Dr.’s funeral was a rallying point for the civil rights cause. And mobilizing public opinion, for example, the black churches in the South successfully campaigned for support across the whole of America. Bruce saw the civil rights movement as an example of religion becoming involved in a secular struggle and helping cause social change. His view is that because both the protestors and activists shared the same values and beliefs, bought about shaming to the people in power and put into practice the principle of equality embodied in the American Constitution that all men and women are born equal. However, sometimes religion cannot cause social change. For example, the New Christian Right. The New Christian Right involves a group of believers who are politically and morally conservative and a Protestant fundamentalist movement. It has gained prominence since the 1960s because of its opposition of liberalization in American society. Their aims are quite ambitious; seeking nothing less than to take America ‘back to God’ and this can happen by banning abortion, homosexuality (marriage included) and divorce. Essentially, turning back the clock to where America was not left wing. They also believe in traditional gender roles as well as teaching creationism in schools but banning sex education because in their view, it encourages young people to have sex before marriage. They have used the media and networking, notably televangelism, where church-owned television stations raise funds and broadcast programmes aimed recruiting new believers. The Moral majority (a right-wing Christian pressure group) became the political campaigning and for strengthening links within the Republican party. Unfortunately, they had been largely unsuccessful. Bruce thinks they were unsuccessful because: The Moral Majority were not a majority; only 15% of the population at most. Its campaigners found it very difficult to cooperate with people from other religious groups even tackling the same issue, such as abortion. The reason why the civil rights movement was successful and this wasn’t is because the beliefs of pressure groups need to be consistent with those of wider society. In the American case, they need to connect with mainstream beliefs about democracy, equality and religious freedom, which the civil rights movement did, but what the New Christian Right has failed to do. Another religious group that didn’t cause social change were not successful were Hindus.