Marxism, Religion and Change

Hymn – All things bright and beautiful

“The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate,

God made them, high or lowly, And ordered their estate.”

What is Marx’s view of religion? Use the words of this hymn to support your answer.

RELATIVE AUTOMONY

Some Marxists have recognised that religious ideas can have relative autonomy. That is, they can be partly independent of the economic basis of society.

Thus they can have a ‘dual character’ and can be used as a force for change as well as stability.

Marx

Even Marx himself described religion as ‘the heart of a heartless world’ capable of humanising a world that was made inhuman by exploitation (even if he did think the comfort was an illusion!)

ENGELS thought religion could challenge the status quo......those within lower ranks of the church inspiring popular protest.

Ernst Bloch – the principle of hopeAlso saw religions ‘dual character’. Thought religion is an

expression of ‘the principle of hope’ - our dreams of a better life containing images of perfection (utopia)

Utopia can deceive with promises of rewards In heaven but it can also help people see what needs to be changed in this world

Liberation theology

A movement that emerged in Latin America in the 1960s within the Catholic Church.

It saw a major shift from encouraging acceptance of poverty and military dictatorships to opposing them and speaking out against the oppression of the poor.

Why did it emerge?

• Watch the clip.

Who was Oscar Romero?How was El Salvador organised at the time?

Read Pg 21 of the Webb textbook, note the three key reasons for the emergence of liberation theology

Answer these Qs

What is meant by ‘praxis’?

What were base communities?

What methods of control did the dictatorships use?

Why did Pope John Paul II condemn LT in the 1980s?

Post Liberation TheologySince the 80s the movement has lost its influence however as Casanova(1994) points out it played an important role in resisting terror, human rights abuses and bringing about democracy in some Latin American countries.

Thus the neo Marxist Otto Maduro (1982) believes religion can be a revolutionary force that brings about change. Lowy (2005) agrees questioning whether religion legitimates social inequality.

HOWEVER some Marxists agree that LT brought about democracy but it did not threaten the stability of Capitalism....

Synoptic LINKS!

Write a short paragraph linking Liberation Theology to Stratification and Power.

Read the section on millenarian movements

• What are they?

• What do they believe?

• Give an example

• What did Engels mean by they represent the first awakening of ‘proletarian self-consciousness’?

Gramsci and Hegemony

Gramsci (1971) looked at how the ruling class maintained control over society through ideas rather than force. He uses the term HEGEMONY to explain this and believes religion can be used to maintain control.Hegemony = ideological domination of society.

E.g. He noted the conservative ideological power of the Catholic Church to win support for Mussolini’s fascist regime.

Gramsci and Hegemony

However he believed hegemony is never guaranteed, indeed society could organise a counter hegemony; challenging rather than supporting the ruling class.

Indeed religion could help workers see through RC hegemony by offering a vision of a fairer world. Clergy can be seen as ‘organic intellectuals’ e.g. Eduvcating or supporting trade unions.

Billings’ (1990) Case Study

Dwight Billings applied Gramsci’s ideas by comparing two class struggles in textile and mining communities in Kentucky in the 1920s.

Both groups were evangelical protestants but they had very different experiences

of industrial conflict.

The miners were more militant while the textile workers accepted the status quo.

Billings thought this could be understood by the role of religion and hegemony.

Complete the table identifying ways religion supported or challenged the employers hegemony

TEXTILE WORKERS COALMINERS

LEADERSHIP

ORGANISATION

SUPPORT

Plan an essay Q

• Assess the contribution of religion to social change (18marks)

(Remember they contain 6 AO1 and 12 AO2 marks)

• Assess the extent to which religion produces social change (33marks)

(They contain 15 AO1, 9 AO2(a) and 9AO2(b) marks)