Religion as Conservative vs Progressive Force

Ever wondered why some religious groups resist social changes whilst others lead protests for equality? Religion as a conservative force works in two main ways - it defends traditional customs and moral views, and it helps preserve society exactly as it is.

Most religions hold firm views on moral issues, often opposing changes that would give individuals more personal freedom. The Catholic Church, for example, forbids divorce and opposes gay marriage, whilst many religions support traditional family structures with men as heads of households.

But here's where it gets interesting - Max Weber argued that religion can actually spark massive social change. He studied Calvinism (a form of Protestantism) and showed how it helped create modern capitalism in 16th and 17th century Northern Europe.

Calvinist beliefs included some fascinating concepts: predestination (God had already chosen who would be saved), divine transcendence (God was so far above humans that no one could know His will), and asceticism (living simply without luxury). This created what Weber called 'salvation panic' - Calvinists worked incredibly hard and lived disciplined lives, seeing their wealth and success as possible signs of God's favour.

Key insight: The same religious tradition that preached simple living accidentally created the mindset perfect for capitalism - working hard, saving money, and constantly pursuing profit.

Weber's Capitalism Theory and Criticisms

Weber wasn't saying Calvinist beliefs directly caused modern capitalism - rather, they were one crucial factor. He noticed that other societies like ancient China and India were more economically advanced than Europe, but they didn't develop capitalism because their religions (Hinduism and Confucianism) lacked that driving need to systematically accumulate wealth.

Calvinism was unique because it combined ascetic living with a focus on this-worldly success, creating the perfect 'spirit of capitalism'. Weber described his work as a 'debate with Marx's ghost', arguing that economic factors alone weren't enough to explain capitalism's emergence.

Critics weren't convinced though. Kautsky argued that capitalism actually came before Calvinism, not the other way around. Tawney suggested technological change, not religious ideas, caused capitalism's birth. Others pointed out that Scotland had loads of Calvinists but was slow to develop capitalism.

Steve Bruce shows how religion can drive social change through his study of the 1950s and 1960s black civil rights movement. When Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in 1955, it sparked a religiously motivated campaign that ended racial segregation by 1964.

Black clergy were the backbone of this movement, with leaders like Martin Luther King providing moral legitimacy to activists. Churches became safe meeting places, and shared Christian values of equality helped shame white Americans into changing discriminatory laws.

Remember: Religion works as an 'ideological resource' - providing beliefs and practices that protesters can draw on for motivation and support.

Religious Movements: Success and Failure

Bruce identifies several ways religious organisations excel at supporting social change: they take the moral high ground, channel dissent effectively, act as honest brokers between groups, and mobilise public opinion brilliantly.

The civil rights movement succeeded because it shared the same basic values as wider American society. However, not all religious movements achieve their goals - the New Christian Right proves this perfectly.

This Protestant fundamentalist movement emerged in the 1960s, aiming to take America 'back to God' by making abortion, homosexuality, and gay marriage illegal. They campaigned for traditional family roles and wanted creationism taught in schools whilst banning sex education.

Why did they fail? Bruce argues they couldn't cooperate with other religious groups, lacked widespread support, and faced strong opposition from pro-choice campaigners. Most importantly, their goals clashed with Americans' fundamental belief in separating church and state.

Marxist perspectives add another layer to this debate. While Marx saw religion as mainly conservative, he also recognised it as 'the soul of soulless conditions' - capable of bringing humanity to an inhuman world, even if that comfort was ultimately false.

Engels developed this further, arguing religion has a dual character - it can both disguise inequality and challenge the status quo by preaching liberation from oppression.

Think about it: Even surveys showed most Americans were comfortable with things like abortion rights - making it impossible to impose fundamentalist morality in a mature democracy.

Liberation Theology and Marxist Views

Ernst Bloch saw religion as expressing 'the principle of hope' - our dreams of a better life containing images of utopia. While these images might deceive people with promises of heavenly rewards, they also inspire real-world change.

Liberation theology perfectly demonstrates this dual nature. Emerging in Latin America during the late 1960s, this movement completely transformed the traditionally conservative Catholic Church's approach to social issues.

What caused this dramatic shift? Deepening rural poverty, growing urban slums, human rights abuses under military dictatorships, and priests' growing commitment to supporting the poor rather than wealthy elites.

Liberation theology priests helped establish 'base communities' - support groups for the poor - and actively helped workers and peasants fight oppression. This represented a massive departure from the Church's previous role of encouraging fatalistic acceptance of poverty.

However, the movement faced serious opposition. Pope John Paul II condemned liberation theology for resembling Marxism, instructing priests to focus on pastoral work rather than political struggle. The movement also faced competition from Pentecostal churches.

Lehmann contrasts the two approaches: liberation theology offers community-based campaigning for social change led by priests, whilst Pentecostalism focuses on individual self-improvement through family and church support, led by pastors.

Key difference: Liberation theology seeks radical political solutions in public, whilst Pentecostalism promotes individual improvement through private spheres.

Millenarian Movements and Social Change

Millenarian movements create hope for a better world and drive people to change things here on earth. These movements believe in judgement day and expect the total transformation of the world through supernatural means - essentially creating heaven on earth.

Worsley studied fascinating 'cargo cults' in Melanesia during the 19th and 20th centuries. When valuable cargo arrived for white colonists, islanders felt wrongfully deprived and developed beliefs that this cargo was actually meant for them but had been diverted by whites.

These cargo cults combined traditional beliefs with Christian elements like heaven, judgement day, and punishment of the wicked. They created mass movements that spanned tribal divisions and often led to widespread unrest threatening colonial rule.

Many secular nationalist leaders who emerged in the 1950s and 1960s actually developed from these millenarian movements. Engels argued they represented the first awakening of 'proletarian self-consciousness' - working-class people becoming aware of their situation.

Antonio Gramsci introduced the concept of 'hegemony' - how ruling classes maintain control through ideas rather than force. When hegemony works effectively, rulers can rely on popular consent rather than coercion to stay in power.

Like Engels, Gramsci saw religion's dual character. Popular forms of religion can help workers see through ruling-class hegemony by offering visions of a fairer world, but hegemony is never guaranteed - working classes can always develop alternative visions of society.

Important insight: The same religion can be used either to defend the status quo or to justify the struggle for change - it all depends on how it's interpreted and applied.