Discussion Questions

  1. What are some ways that religion and government are interdependent and interrelated in the United States?
  2. If you are a person of faith and affiliated with a religious community, how did you become so? If you are not, explain why. How did your family members and peers influence your views toward religion?
  3. What motivates you to work hard and try to succeed professionally? Think about how Weber perceived the relationship between the development of the capital­ist economic system and thoughts about sacrifice and work. Does it relate to your answer to the first part of this question? Why or why not?
  4. Do you think religion is more of a unifying or divisive force in (a) the United States and (b) the world today? Why? Do you have many friends from different reli­gious groups? Why or why not?
  5. What do you think might happen to society if religions did not exist? Why? How would an absence of religion impact you personally?