A famous example of this was Martin Luther Kings ‘I have a dream’ speech, his use of religion in his passionate speech for equality helped to motivate people in society to push for social change, and ultimately changed America’s legislation and outlook on integration and equality between the black and white community in America. This shows that religion is a force for social change. Furthermore the church acts as a an ‘honest broker’ between two groups, in this case the church was the middle ground between the government and the African American community, this once again means that religion is a clear force in social change, this is because the church was capable of bringing the two communities together through religion. The church did this by spreading messages such as ‘love thy neighbour’ which promoted more equality in society, this means that the influence the church
One man named, Jonathan Edwards, took it upon himself to preach to his congregation of sin and hell. In the hope of reviving their many other beliefs in Christianity, scholars refer to this time or even in early American history as “The Great Awakening”. One of Edwards’ sermons was called, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. The sermon explains in detail of the wrath God has and what Hell has in store for the non-believers. It is very clear from this document religion was a very important part of people’s lives during colonial
He was able to utilize the previous autocrats’ work as a springboard for his reign to complete the act of emancipating the serfs. Other motives for emancipation stemmed from the religious ideologies held by Alexander II. Striving for a “common good”, Christian charity, and equality were all factors that contributed to Alexander II’s push to emancipate the serfs. Religious ideology permeates the language used by Alexander II in his emancipation edict and speeches. This use of language reflects the deeply held religious convictions that he held and used as inspiration for many of his decisions.
Critical Analysis 1: The Great Awakening By: Chris Naylor The Great Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, especially the American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American religion. It resulted from powerful preaching that gave listeners a sense of deep personal revelation of their need of salvation by Jesus Christ. Pulling away from ritual and ceremony, the Great Awakening made Christianity intensely personal to the average person by fostering a deep sense of spiritual conviction and redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to a new standard of personal morality. It brought Christianity to African slaves and was a monumental event in New England that challenged established authority. It incited rancor and division between old traditionalists who insisted on the continuing importance of ritual and doctrine, and the new revivalists, who encouraged emotional involvement and personal commitment.
Christians were promised that if they joined the war, they would be forgiven of sins and guaranteed a place in heaven, which was irresistible to many people. The motto of the first crusade was 'Deus vult,' or 'God wills it.' With these calls to action from the Pope, the lay public became the 'Soldiers of the Church.' Thus, there were internal motivations on the part of the public to fight the war in order to become holier. There were also economic motivations behind the Crusades.
AP US History Roots of Social Reform From the late eighteenth century until the middle of the nineteenth century, the Second Great Awakening swept over America to revive the religious values of settlers that they had seemed to have lost. During this movement, thousands were influenced to convert to new sects of Christianity, joining groups such as the Baptists and the Methodists, whereas dissatisfied others went on to create their own doctrines and start new ways of faith, such as the Mormons. Many, in their encouragement gained from the revival, were reminded of their religious morals and how it was their duty to use such morals to improve their lives by ridding injustice and suffering. Through the newfound desire to reform their country, Americans began to make attempts at improving their society by working to limit alcohol consumption, abolish slavery, and establish women’s rights. In trying to limit alcohol consumption in America, the temperance movement was an effort by to not only limit consumption, but to encourage complete abstinence from alcohol.
This change was greatly helped by the emergence of the Protestant Church, the Catholic’s Society of Jesus and rulers trying to create religious uniformity. Body #1 The emergence of the Protestant Church during the 16th century made a lot of people shift their focus from themselves back onto God. Protestants did not agree with the secularism and selling of indulgences that occurred during the Renaissance. The Protestants wanted to create a more faith driven society. The Protestant church taught them to work hard and completely devote themselves to their vocation.
Historically, the African American culture has been reliant on religion for strength. Eighteenth and Nineteenth century slaves sang hymns in order to make their work more bearable, and also to have a deeper connection with God. Throughout the entirety of his novel Darkwater: Voices From Within the Veil, W.E.B. DuBois explores this notion of religion as well as its impact on the African American society and on American society in general. Although religion is commonly viewed as a personal strength that encompasses faith, hope and love, DuBois contrasts the colored mans religious ideals, with those of the white man.
Conceptions of God and Human Nature The quote “God made man in his own image, and man returned the compliment” explains God's image to man as up for open interpretation and varying from believer to believer, which applies to the Puritans and Benjamin Franklin. The Puritans that arrived in New England were frustrated with the Church of England's methods of practice because they were too closely related to Catholicism. The Puritans departed to the New World between the 16th and 17th century, in hope of purifying their religion and creating a society that properly and strictly obeyed God. The Puritan ways heavily influenced life in New England, even for the Franklin family. Benjamin Franklin was raised in a Calvinist family with Puritan foundations, but Franklin later grew to become a worldly individual through his studies and life experiences.
In Weber’s study, he illustrated how Calvinism could be a force for social change and how their beliefs in; predestination and Acsethism all contribute towards their desire to fulfil their Calling, this is an Idea that God has called upon people to take up their certain their certain roles in life and they believe that if God gives them a particular role in life then they must work hard at fulfilling that role, this lead to Capitalism in Western Europe due to both the appropriate values, the Calvinist values, and the economic conditions. Another Sociologist who agreed that religion can lead to social change is McGuire, she considered four factors which she thought determined whether a religion promotes or prevents social change, and a couple of them are; Charismatic leaders, for example, Desmond Tutu used his faith in God to help himself and others who were facing dark times, he did not use violence, he used prayers and speeches saying the God needed everyone, and it didn’t depend on our race, our sex, our sexuality or our religion, that God loved us all and he works through us. In addition to charismatic leaders, beliefs and practices also help to determine if a religion promotes or prevents social change, an example of this is the Taliban, they use extreme measures to make