European immigrants set out to British North America for either one or both of two very different reasons, the escape of religious persecution or the pursuit of improved economic opportunity. The impetus for each settler’s journey had a unique effect on the development of the new colonies socially, economically and politically. Ultimately, these combined factors determined the church state paradigm established in each of the colonies. The colonial history behind the long debated issue of separation of church and state provides a foundation for better understanding American politics today. The religious persecution settlers experienced in their homelands and, for some, again upon arrival in British North America, served to shape the cultural landscape.
He speaks that Godric chose the life a peddler, buying items of small price, but than selling these items for a greater price. Over the years Godric became very profitable buy selling commodities which he bought elsewhere at a small price. Furthermore, Godric sought a life of solitude in which he sold all his items and distributed them among the poor and gave himself completely to God’s service. This demonstrates that the Christian
Some sociologists have argued that religion can bring about social change, however others have argued that religion in fact causes social change. Nevertheless some believe that religion can be both a conservative force and a force for social change. Max Weber believed in the social action theory whereby religious beliefs of Calvinists helped to bring about social change. This is supported in item A ‘religious ideas can be a powerful motivation for change, as Weber showed in his study of Calvinism.’ The surfacing of modern capitalism in Northern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries was due to Calvinist beliefs. Calvinists had several distinctive beliefs such as predestination (where god had predetermined whether a soul will be saved or not and there is nothing a person can do to change this), devine transcendence (no individual can claim to know god’s ill, which made people feel inner loneliness), and asceticism, self-discipline and self-denial were required by Calvinist’s and this prepared them for a life under capitalism.
Fundamentalists may reject some aspects of modernity, they embrace others in order to spread their beliefs, for example, through the Internet, email and electronic church, suggesting that fundamentalism does not represent a total rejection of globalisation and modernity. Bauman agrees with Giddens, although he sees society as in a postmodern rather than late modern phase. He argues that postmodern society brings freedom of choice and uncertainty, undermining traditional belief, and whilst some may embrace this new freedom, others are attracted to the absolute truth of fundamentalism. However, some criticise Giddens and Bauman for focusing on fundamentalism and ignore the effects of globalisation on other non-fundamentalist religions, such as Catholicism. Haynes also argues that globalisation as a cause is too narrow a
The religion of Christianity promoted enlightened people to question the ideology of their God and lean more towards a scientific method in order to look at the world around them. The church used superstition, threats of eternal damnation, and promises of heaven, to control masses of ignorant people in Europe, since the time of the crusades. It represented a wealthy capitalist organization, like a huge cooperation, exploiting the spiritual needs common to many humans especially at that time period. A great example of how Christianity stifled social change is the idea that the earth was the center of the solar system. Astronomers such as Galileo knew that the sun was the center rather than the earth, but the church suppressed new ideas and new information from reaching the people.
In the work The Spirit of Capitalism and the Iron Cage, Max Weber examines the connection between the values of Protestant asceticism and the emergence of the capitalist spirit. It is not easy to discern whether Weber aims for a correlational or causal tie between these two phenomena. In one section Weber states the spirit of capitalism, “expresses a type of feeling which is closely connected with religious ideas,” but later goes on to say, “the spirit of modern capitalism…was born…from the spirit of Christian asceticism,” (Weber, 112). Whatever Weber’s intended claims, his theory only succeeds in presenting a correlational relationship between Christian asceticism and the birth of the capitalist spirit. The lack of depth in Weber’s argument is displayed in the facts that only two Protestant groups are consistent with his theory and that there were early emergences of capitalistic structure in predominantly Catholic areas before the (Protestant) Reformation.
Assess sociological explanations of the relationship between globalisation and religion 33 marks For secularisation theory, modernisation undermines religion. The importance of science and technology in economic development, and the rational worldview on which they depend, are seen as destroying belief in the supernatural. On the other hand, religion may contribute to development, as Weber argued in the case of the protestant ethic. More recently, sociologists have examined what role religion may play in development in today’s globalising world. Globalisation has brought rapid economic growth and has seen India become more important player on the world political stage.
“The Reformation was the rejection of the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance” Defend or refute this stamen using specific examples from 16th century Europe. Thesis: The reformation rejected the secular spirit of the Renaissance by shifting the focus of society from humanism back to God. This change was greatly helped by emergence of the Protestant Church and its beliefs. The Italian Renaissance, which occurred from about, the 13th to 16th century promoted secular spirit largely due to the idea of humanism. Humanism in the Italian Renaissance concentrated on the individual and the individual’s wants and interests.
Economy was an initiative to stop prevents people from supporting Great Britain. Farmers were given pre-emption rights which would increase the economy (Doc E). The new government built after the American Revolution was built on the foundation of fundamental economic interests (Doc H). The American Revolution was Revolutionary by bringing social changes. There were new relationships between people of different classes.
DBQ 6: Enlightenment Thinkers and Their Impact on European Rulers The Age of Enlightenment was a time where cultural and intellectual ideas from Western Europe brought reason, analysis, and individualism to the rest of Europe and replaced former traditional authority. The Age of Enlightenment was most frequently known as the Age of Reason because it reformed society from the authority of the church to a society of science and skepticism. The Enlightenment philosophy was promoted by local enlightenment thinkers that stressed liberty, freedom from the church’s authority, and worked to abolish serfdom. A number of the Enlightenment philosophers influenced society by publishing texts. New ideas and beliefs spread through Europe and worldwide and marked a change from only having religious texts to also providing intellectual texts.