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Religion has been seen as a conservative force for different reasons; it’s often conservative in defending traditional customs, for example customs, institutions and moral views. Religion is also seen to be conservative because it functions to preserve things as they are; it stabilises society and maintains status quo.

Most religions have conservative moral beliefs about moral issues; many of them oppose more freedom in personal and sexual matters, for example the Catholic Church opposes divorce and homosexuality. Most religions also favour the domestic division of labour, for example in the church of England wedding ceremony the bride is to vow to “obey” her husband while he doesn’t have to say this, however its noted the church of England dropped this in the 1960’s. This is also true for non-Christian religions, for example Hinduism endorses male domestic authority.

The view that religion functions to preserve things how they are is taken by Marxists, feminists and functionalists. Although they see the role of religion differently, they agree it contributes to social stability. Functionalists see religion a conservative force because it functions to maintain social stability. For example by creating value consensus it promotes solidarity. It also helps individuals deal with stress that would otherwise disrupt society. However, while Marxists agree religion creates social stability, they argue it favour the rich. By acting as a conservative force it helps to maintain status quo and stops the poor from changing things. Feminists argue religion acts as a conservative force as it acts as an ideology that legitimates patriarchal power and maintains women’s subordination in society.

However sociologists have argued that religion can also be a force for change. Max Weber (1905) studied The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. Weber argues the religious beliefs of Calvinism helped bring major social change; the emergence of modern capitalism in northern...