With his ideas brought to the Puritans, they agreed that government should have a small influence on the church otherwise social accord will be corrupted. Governing economically, Puritans made it a priority to base their trade and commerce on religion. They made it clear that God and their religion was more important than worldly gain
Critically assess the view that religion is always a conservative force in society Religion is generally described as either a conservative or dynamic force in society. If religion is a conservative force, that means it leaves society unchanged and functions to maintain the status quo. This can be seen as a good thing by many theorists but undesirable by others. Differently, if religion is described as being dynamic that means it is an active force that changes society. Functionalists, Marxists, Social Action Theorists and Feminists see religion as a conservative force, whereas Neo – Marxists and Weberians see it as dynamic.
I agree that religion, when used correctly, is a phenomenal catalyst for incorporating moral and ethical principles into government. When religion is misused, it can create quite a tyrannical government. An example of this is the Middle Ages, where religion was used to instil fear into the governed. I will hypothesize that it is important that the religion was Protestant and not Catholic. I am very skeptical that democracy would have been the same result if the religion had been Catholicism instead of Puritan.
Durkheim argues that religion functions to reinforce the collective unity or social solidarity of a group. He says all societies divide the world into the sacred and the profane. His view on sacred symbols represents society's collective consciousness which is the shared norms, values beliefs and knowledge that make social life possible without such consciousness it would crumble. While participating in shared rituals binds individuals together reminding them that they are a part of a community. The individual sees religion performing a significant function allowing them to feel apart of society and seeing that religion strengthens us to face life's trials and motivates us to overcome obstacles that would otherwise overpower us.
John Hobson, an English economist, saw imperialism as inevitable, for powers of production outpace consumption resulting in more profit for the mother country (doc 2). The United States was involved in imperialism due to the Monroe Doctrine of 1823, which made the western hemisphere an American protectorate and their victory in the Spanish-American War making them a Pacific power. Both Europe and America believed imperialism could bring them economic power and capacity. Imperialism was not strictly confined to economics; it also included the political aims of unique states. John Hobson deemed demand for foreign markets for manufacturers and investments was responsible for the adoption of Imperialism as a political policy (doc 2).
Progressive conservatism aims to decentralise welfare delivery and promote civil society and helping those who are least well off. This idea opposes Thatcher’s view on economic individualism, as Cameron reinforces his opinion that Conservatives should be ‘the party of ‘we’, as well as ‘me’. In addition, it opposes New Labour’s centrally imposed targets. Social liberalism on the other hand, looks to individual freedom alongside economic spheres. Evidently, Cameron’s idea conflicts with Thatcherism’s social views, like on sexuality and race, and also opposes New Labour’s views on ‘nanny state interventionism.
Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx are two very well known sociologists whose opinions on religion differ a great deal. Durkheim put great importance on the solidifying nature of religion; it’s ability to create rituals, which rely on symbols and in turn form social facts. Marx, on the other hand, has one of the most famous quotes regarding religion, stating that it is the ‘opium for the masses’. This only begins to tell us where he stands on the idea of religion in sociology. Marx focuses more on the idea that religion is one of those social institutions, which are dependent upon the material and economic sources and resources in a given society.
The Liberals knew they had to find a way of keeping the working class votes. Reform could therefore be seen as a rather selfish, politically advantageous response to political change. Changing attitudes within the party, summed up as New Liberalism were influential in promoting change and the example of Municipal socialism encouraged Liberal politicians towards national reforms is also holds water as a very influential factor. Many Historians still believe that the reforms were introduced due to genuine concern over the poor after Rowntree and Booth’s discoveries. Their discoveries were startling and unsuspected.
Is religion a conservative force or a force for social change? Some Functionalist and Marxist approaches believe that religion is a conservative force meaning that they want to keep things how they are. However, Neo Marxists see it as a force for social change. Functionalists believe that religion makes to the wellbeing of society- its contribution to social stability and value consensus. They have 5 key functions of religion in modern society.
He can be compared to Karl Marx with the analyzes of capitalism and its instability; though Weber rejects Marx’s historical materialism theory and takes a religious approach, both sociologist conclude society is moving towards an unfit way of life. Weber strove to interpret the rationality of the social actions in economic society by studying religious influence. His analyses of Western society dates back to Martin Luther and the early principles of Protestantism. Weber studied the effects Luther’s concept of a religious ‘calling’ had on motivating people to pursue worldly success. He explains the Protestant calling belief;