9699 · 11.3
Religion as a source of social change
**Religion and change** (11.3) completes Topic 11. Contrast **Weber** with **Marx** on religion's role. Note **change can be progressive or conservative**.
Need to know
What you need to know
- Contrasts with Marx's view of religion as a conservative force.
- Focuses on Calvinist beliefs: predestination, divine transcendence, asceticism, and the concept of a 'calling'.
- These beliefs created 'salvation anxiety', which was managed by pursuing worldly success as a sign of God's favour.
- Asceticism led to the reinvestment of profits rather than lavish spending.
- Weber argued for an 'elective affinity' (a resonance or fit) between this religious ethic and the spirit of capitalism.
Explanation
Religion as a source of social change
- Contrasts with Marx's view of religion as a conservative force.
- Focuses on Calvinist beliefs: predestination, divine transcendence, asceticism, and the concept of a 'calling'.
- These beliefs created 'salvation anxiety', which was managed by pursuing worldly success as a sign of God's favour.
- Asceticism led to the reinvestment of profits rather than lavish spending.