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Comparing Max Weber's Protestant Ethic And The Spirit Of Capitalism

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Richard Torres McCoy SOC340A May 4th Wealth and God’s Favoritism and the Prosperity Gospel In the book, “Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” Max Weber argues that religion, and Protestantism in particular, gave rise to the aspect of capitalism in the society. Success and wealth are all part of God’s plan for his people, and those who attain the same reflect the aspect of God’s will in their lives. In a modern setting, the same idea is seen in the prosperity gospel that is available among protestant churches, where one is expected to express faith, work hard, and witness God’s favor being manifested in their lives. Weber argues that the religious beliefs of groups like the Calvinist was responsible for how the world viewed the …show more content…

The prosperity gospel is prevalent in the protestant churches of today, where pastors preach on the premise of riches being part of God’s promise to his people. There are messages in church today about individuals becoming wealthy as part of what they were promised by God, where all they have to do is believe. Most people go to church because of the prosperity gospel, where they are asked to claim their blessing and witness what God has in store for them in terms of how rich they can become. The message of today’s church is based on the notion of “name it and claim it,” where Christians are asked to name their blessing or what they want and claim the same from God because it is within their rights to acquire wealth. In this case, pastors encourage individuals to work hard, give tithes, and await God’s promises of riches in their life by claiming them. The prosperity message of today is characterized by the opinion that God wants his believers to be wealthy. Here, poverty is seen as something that symbolizes that an individual is not doing right by God. Pastors use Bible verses such as “God shall bless the work of your hands” to create the prosperity gospel. Here, individuals who work hard will automatically witness the will of God in their lives that shall be manifested through more riches. By working hard, they are exemplifying what God wants and intends for their life, which they thus expect to be translated into blessings in the form of riches. Hence, the prosperity gospel exemplifies the same attributes of success being a reflection of God’s favor in a person’s

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