All four of these
major forms of ascetic Protestantism are very similar, but they do have key
dogmatic differences
and Calvinism’s most distinctive one is the
doctrine of
predestination. This doctrine says that
God preordains which people are saved and which are damned. According to Weber since Calvinists believed
that their fates were already determined, they had no choice to believe that
they were saved and to conduct their lives in that manner. Calvinists could also receive no help in
this matter and they could not gain
salvation through the Church or the
sacraments. This shows why Calvinists
rejected the sensual and emotional elements of culture because they are not a
means to salvation. Weber argues that
the Calvinists then pursued labor and economic success as a means to an end and
a way to prove to themselves that they in fact were saved. They saw their successes in the business
world as a sign from God that they were saved.
Although Calvinists could never be sure if they were saved or not, Weber
argues that it was psychologically necessary to have some means of knowing
whether they were saved. This is why it
became necessary to consider oneself saved and see any doubts as a temptation
of evil. So therefore good works were
not a means to salvation, but rather a way of convincing oneself of being one
of the chosen ones. It is through these
ideas and the Calvinist doctrine of predestination that Weber forms his
argument of how the Protestant Ethic helped shape and form the modern
capitalist economy and society.
He then concludes
his study by attempting to explain the relationship between ascetic Protestantism
and the spirit of capitalism. To
support his argument he uses some of the writing s of Protestant ministers, for
example Richard Baxter. Baxter says
that the worst things one can do is participating in relaxation or idleness,
and not pursue a righteous and productive life. Wasting time is the worst sin because this time could have been
used in serving or promoting God.
Therefore Baxter preaches continuous work and labor even for those who
are already wealthy. Weber then
clarifies how these Puritan ideas influence the capitalistic way of life. He says asceticism was opposed to any
spontaneous enjoyment of life because it takes people away from what is
important such as their religion.
Spending money on things that did not serve to support God was frowned
upon whereas holding and increasing ones possessions was almost a duty. Attaining this wealth through continuous
work and labor became a sign of God’s blessing. These are the kind of Puritan ideas that lead Weber’s theory that
Protestant asceticism, specifically Calvinism, influenced the development of
capitalism.