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heir infl also reinforced conservative goals has the nature of Australian nd Tutu was a prom n South Africa Bishop Desmon which urch and view was firmly committed to a tt ditional view of family of the role of 48) This has been a force for In many cases when religion results may linge in society, religion among many Ian Mociety present in Musli stian groups and is also strongly im and wish ones. This supports the LIBERATION THEOLOGY Christiani The combinution of Marxism nd argument gion exerts on society. tive influence es one of the best form of liberation theology provi influence on gion exerting a radical ke Marx, Religion as a radical influence society did realise that examples ion could be a force for society. Friedrich Engel some circumstances rel gion often exerts a conservative influence which turn can also th groups hange. He argued reaten the status quo and promote progres- h oppression coul d develop sive social change gion as a way of coping wi on earth movements see king (1982), a on Maddox than salvation in heaven. Otto Maduro that generally been a challenges the clai rather with Engels says that if conse nfluence contemporary neo-Marxist, agrees and can help Catholic divide one looks beyond the AuEtral revolutionary force from testant- religion can be a the Pro battle for religion has often is considerable evidence tha oppressed groups in their that the Catholic and has been a challenged right-wing bourgeois ic he accepts to side with the gious source of social her view. Church in Latin America has tended years matters have change. In recent we consisten y broken through rich and powerful, he argues that in autonom secularism of Australian politics, often challenging Catholic priests have demonstrated th eir political orthodoxy (2001). Her vie are supported by from the bourgeoisie by criticising them and acting the recent role ofch challenging government against their interests Maduro believes that members policies such as migrant detention and the of the clergy can develop revolutionary potential when erosion of workers' rights. oppressed members of the population have no outlet Angela Davis (195 argues that Marx underestima for their grievances. They pressure priests to take up extent to which rel play a transformative their cause, and theological disagreements gon can role in society. She points out that church provide interpretations of a religion which are African slaves in the States was a source of critical of the rich and powerful. All these conditions resistance co white do nation and did not always ave been met in Latin America and have led to the encourage false consciousness African sacred music development of a church-based liberation theology. not only helped to preserve African cultural memory but also encouraged resistance to revolutionary activ ity through the 'sacred articulation of freedom battles Secularisation among African-Americans (pp. 234 5. In the United States in the 1960s the Reverend Martin New Age crystals, born-again Christians, Anglo Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Buddhist stockbrokers, Twelve-step recovery groups, a ghts and securing legislation intended to reduce magazines racial discrimination. tablishing civil plethora of on holistic health, goddess worship and concern for planetary healing--these are just a few examples of religious expression in the 21st entury. While 19th-century sociologists regarded reli gion as an anach Poland provides another example of religion stimulat g change. The Roman Catholic Church opposed the communist state in Poland and supported the attempts of the free trade union Solid to achieve changes Polish society, 198 arity modernity progressed, nevitably toda many are s dead but the e communist declaring that is not rel gion th y was debate (yon 1996 secularisation theorists refuse t monopoly on power was broken when Solidari p, 14). How e down and still