Weber believedreligion was a precipitator of social change.

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism-religion responds to the basic human need to understand the purpose of life. In doing so, religion must give meaning to the social world within which life occurs.

Weberwas interested in the generic notion of religion specifically the classification of the sacred and profane.

The Weber tradition has tended to emphasize the role of religion as the expression of interests rather than of suffering.

Religious beliefs offer the comforting sense that the vulnerable human condition serves some greater purpose.