Religion & Social Change (AQA A Level Sociology): Flashcards

Millenarian movements are religious movements that seek to create a 'heaven on earth': a life free from pain, sin, corruption and inequality (Worsley, 1968).

False.

These transformations are collective: the whole group is saved, not just individuals.

Millenarian movements often arise under colonial rule because traditional leaders and gods lose credibility as people are forced into poverty while colonisers live in luxury.

In cargo cults, islanders believed the cargo was meant for them but had been diverted by Europeans.

In Billings' study, churches backed the coal miners' struggles, showing religion mobilising an oppressed group.

False.

The Vatican opposed the movement and disciplined some priests, suggesting religion's radical potential may be short-lived once powerful groups push back.

False.

Weber argued that religion can act both as a force for social change and as a conservative influence, depending on its beliefs.

A theodicy is a religious explanation of suffering, injustice or fortune that helps people make sense of their life experiences.

The poor may see poverty as a test from God, believing they will be rewarded in the afterlife if they remain faithful.

Weber argued that modern, rational capitalism first emerged in Northern Europe in the 16th-17th centuries.

The spirit of capitalism valued hard work, self-discipline and the reinvestment of profits.

Predestination is the Calvinist belief that God has decided before birth who will be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven.

False.

Calvinists believed in divine transcendence: God is far above and unknowable, so salvation could not be earned.

Hard work, discipline and frugal living reassured Calvinists that they were among the elect.

Asceticism is a way of life based on living simply, saving money and rejecting luxury.

A vocation, or calling, was the idea that work is a religious duty, with worldly success a potential sign of God's favour.

Weber compared Calvinism with religions in India and China to explain why capitalism developed first in the West.

Weber argued that Hinduism failed to motivate rational economic activity because it was otherworldly, focusing on spiritual goals and renunciation of the material world rather than material progress.

True.

Confucianism was concerned with life in society, but without ascetic discipline it lacked the drive for capitalist innovation.

Marshall argued that Scotland lacked investment capital and skilled labour, supporting Weber's view that both material and cultural factors must be present.

Kautsky argued that Weber overemphasised Calvinism's role, as capitalism was already developing before Calvinism, which mainly justified it afterwards.

Tawney argued that the emergence of capitalism was driven by technological advancement rather than religious beliefs.

Bruce argued that a religious movement's actions, methods and reputation determine whether it succeeds.

False.

Bruce compared two US-based examples: the American Civil Rights Movement, which succeeded, and the New Christian Right, which largely failed.

Bruce argued that religion's success as a force for change depends on how well it connects with wider society.

Bruce saw the Black clergy as the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement because they offered leadership and support rooted in Christian values and churches as safe spaces for meetings, solidarity and unity.

Martin Luther King used Christianity as an ideological resource, appealing to values that could unite Black and white Christians.

Civil rights campaigns used non-violent protest, which attracted sympathy and media coverage.

The Civil Rights Movement gained broad support by appealing to morality and the American Constitution, in line with mainstream values of democracy and equality.

True.

Religious leaders legitimised the cause and exposed opponents as holding prejudiced values that clashed with Christian teachings.

The New Christian Right is a politically and morally conservative fundamentalist movement in the USA.

The New Christian Right has opposed abortion, divorce, homosexuality and the teaching of evolution and sex education in schools.

The New Christian Right's message failed to win support because it was too negative and clashed with mainstream liberal values.

False.

Bruce argued that it failed to build alliances, even on shared issues such as abortion, so it appealed mainly to a narrow conservative base.

Most Americans rejected the idea of a theocracy because they believe in the separation of church and state.

Bruce's analysis is criticised for its limited scope because it focuses only on the US, so it may not apply globally and ignores movements elsewhere, such as Liberation Theology in Latin America.

Critics note that radical movements often begin as minority voices but can later reshape mainstream culture.

False.

Postmodernists argue that religion is changing to reflect postmodern society and continues in new, individualised forms.

Religion's status as a meta-narrative has changed in postmodern society because there is no absolute truth, so religion is now just one of many competing truth claims.

Lyon meant that beliefs are advertised and consumed like products, shaped by consumer choice and amplified by the mass media.

Lyon argued that religious ideas are 'disembedded': lifted out of local churches and relocated to media spaces such as the internet.

Privatised religion is practised individually outside institutions and adapted for personal use.

Believing without belonging is Davie's (1994) term for people who hold religious beliefs but do not attend church.

Cultural amnesia is Hervieu-Léger's (2000) idea that parents no longer pass religion on to their children and instead let them decide for themselves what to believe.

Greater social equality has weakened the Church's authority, so young people now choose their own religious identity.

Spiritual shoppers are people who select elements from different faiths to fit their lifestyle, e.g. choosing yoga or meditation instead of church attendance.

Hervieu-Léger argued that pilgrims seek self-discovery through New Age spirituality.

Converts join religious groups that offer belonging and identity, often linked to ethnicity or doctrine.

True.

In England and France, infant baptism was once an obligatory rite of passage, but now only a minority of babies are baptised and more adults choose baptism.

Two key features of New Age beliefs are a focus on individual fulfilment and self-discovery and a rejection of traditional authority.

New Age practices have been called 'self-spirituality' because the individual decides what is true for them.

Bruce argued that most New Age movements are short-lived and lack the depth, commitment and longevity of established world religions.

True.

Religious beliefs are still shaped by structural factors such as class, gender and ethnicity, so religion is not entirely a 'pick and mix' choice.