OCR A-Level Sociology H580
Introducing Socialisation, Culture and Identity
Families and RelationshipsComponent 01
Youth SubculturesComponent 01
MediaComponent 01
Research Methods and Researching Social Inequalities
Understanding Social Inequalities
Globalisation and the Digital Social World
Crime and DevianceComponent 03
EducationComponent 03
Religion, Belief and FaithComponent 03
Religion, Belief and Faith
Religion, social change and whether religion is positive or negative
- 3 things to know
- Component 03
Overview
Recall questions on functionalist, orthodox Marxist, neo-Marxist and Weberian views of religion and social change, the Calvinist beliefs Weber linked to the spirit of capitalism, arguments that religion is positive or negative for society, and evidence that religion is a conservative force or a force for change.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
How does the neo-Marxist position on religion and social change differ from the orthodox one?
Summarise the Weberian argument that religion can cause social change.
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
How do functionalists see the relationship between religion and social change?
Model answer
They generally treat religion as a conservative force that stabilises society, with religious change following wider social change rather than causing it.
- 2
What is the orthodox Marxist position on religion and social change?
Model answer
Religion is a conservative brake on change because, by compensating the exploited and legitimating inequality, it helps prevent revolutionary consciousness developing.
- 3
How does the neo-Marxist position on religion and social change differ from the orthodox one?
Model answer
Neo-Marxists accept religion often supports the status quo but insist it can also generate radical challenge, as in movements where clergy mobilised the poor against oppression.
- 4
Summarise the Weberian argument that religion can cause social change.
Model answer
Weber argued ascetic Protestant beliefs unintentionally produced the disciplined, profit-reinvesting outlook that helped modern capitalism take hold in the West.
- 5
Which Calvinist beliefs did Weber link to the spirit of capitalism?
Model answer
Predestination, the idea of work as a divine calling, and a this-worldly asceticism that encouraged hard work and discouraged spending on luxury.
- 6
Give two arguments that religion is positive for society.
Model answer
It builds solidarity around shared values, and it motivates extensive charitable, welfare and community work.
Other ways to work this
The same content, four other ways.
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Six ways to work the same material.
Every question in Religion, Belief and Faith, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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