Religion as a source of social change Flashcards
(6 cards)
What is the evidence for religion as a source of social change
1) liberation theology (South American priests)
2) Calvinism
3) Martin Luther king
4) Arab spring
5) Iranian revolution
Describe the liberation theology as an example of how religion promotes social change
This developed in South American countries like Brazil in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Some Catholic priests formed political alliances with revolutionary groups to oppose government policies against the wishes of the Catholic Church hierarchy.
- Liberation theology priests became involved in trade unions, politics and revolutionary movements.
- An example is Archbishop Oscar Romero
- Priests and nuns would move into poor neighborhoods e.g the slums in Rio de Janeiro and work with local people to improve conditions for example creating literacy programs to teach the locals how to read.
Describe Calvinism as an example of how religion promotes social change
Weber argues that Calvinism is the reason why capitalism developed in some societies and not others.
- Calvinism is a type of Protestant religion. The religion associated godliness with hard work and thriftiness. Those destined for heaven were the successful, hardworking, moral and thrifty (careful how you spend your money)
- Those were the kind of attributes required to develop capitalism.
-Weber argued that Calvinism gave societies the “final push “ allowing them to change from poor and agricultural based into a Wealthy and modern industrial society e.g England
- Weber argued that capitalism only formed in societies where Calvinism was present
Describe the Arab Spring as an example of how religion promotes social change
-The Arab spring was a number of rebellions and protests that challenged undemocratic and corrupt regimes that held power in Tunisia , Egypt , Libya and Syria.
How does this show that religion is a source for social change ?
1) Mosques were used as spots where people planned protests , after jummah prayers crowds often marched straight from the mosques to the streets
2) in Egypt in Tahrir Square, Friday prayers turned into rallies against Mubarak.
3) Also during the Arab spring several Islam scholars and imams would use their social media platforms to bring awareness to the social injustices being performed by the government.
Describe the Iranian revolution as an example of how religion promotes social change
Many Iranian people resented the Wests influence on their country.
irans ayatollahs (religious leaders) blamed poverty on the Westerns influence and the decline of Islam. They saw the solution was to reject Western ideas and return to the truly Islamic society based on the Quran.
- in 1979 the shah was deposed during a revolution that was partly inspired by the Islamic fundamentalism. This led to the introduction of an Islamic republic
Describe Martin Luther King as an example of how religion promotes social change
In the USA reverend Marin Luther King played a key role in the civil rights movement.
- Martin Luther King used ideas from Christianity to argue that segregation was wrong. For example he used bible verses e.g “love thy neighbor “ and that all people are Gods Children do treating black people badly was a sin
