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56 INTRODUCING SOCIOLOGY Sociologists of religion, following aspects of society. Why do you think Emile Durkheim, are interested in this is so? understandingthissacredrealm which A pioneering work by Max Weber every society distinguishes from (1864-1920) demonstrates how the profane. In most cases, the sociology looks at religion in its sacred includes an element of the relationship to other aspects of social supernatural. Often the sacred quality andeconomicbehaviour.Weberargues of a tree or a temple comes with the that Calvinism (a branch of Protestant belief that it is sacred precisely because Christianity) exerted an important thereissomesupernaturalforcebehind influence on the emergence and growth it. However, it is important to keep in of capitalism as a mode of economic mind that some religions like early organisation. The Calvinists believed Buddhism and Confucianism had no that the world was created for the glory conception of the supernatural, but did of God, meaning that any work in this allowsufficientreverenceforthingsand world had to be done for His glory, persons which they considered sacred. making even mundane works acts of Studying religion sociologically worship. More importantly, however, lets us ask questions about the the Calvinists also believed in the relationship of religion with other sociconceptofpredestination,whichmeant institutions. Religion has had a very close relationship with power and that whether one will go to heaven or hell was pre-ordained. Since there was politics. For instance, periodically in no way of knowing whether one has history there have been religious been assigned heaven or hell, people movements for social change, like sought to look for signs of God’s will in various anti-caste movements or movements against gender this world, in their own occupations. discrimination. Religion is not just a Thusifapersoninwhateverprofession, matter of the private belief of an was consistent and successful in his or her work, it was interpreted as a sign individual but it also has a public of God’s happiness. The money earned character.Anditisthispubliccharacter of religion, which has an important was not to be used for worldly bearing on other institutions of society.onsumption; rather the ethics of We have seen how sociology looks Calvinism was to live frugally. This atpowerinawidesense.Itis,therefore, meant that investment became something like a holy creed. At the of sociological interest to look at the heart of capitalism is the concept of relationship between political and religious spheres. Classical sociologistsnvestment, which is about investing believed that as societies modernised, capital to make more goods, which religion would become less influential create more profit, which in turn overvariousspheresoflife.Theconcept creates more capital. Thus Weber was able to argue that religion, in this case secularisationdescribes this process. Contemporary events suggest a Calvinism, does have an influence on persisting role of religion in various economic development. Reprint 2026-27