RELIGIOUS SECTS AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: A Comparative Study of Jains, Christians and Sikhs

The interplay between religious ethics and economic development has been one of the focal themes of sociological reasoning and research. Max Weber was the most influential sociologist to establish a positive relationship between the Protestant sect and the development of capitalism in the West. He also aroused the controversy that religion of India, particularly Hinduism, is not conducive to the development of capitalism. The book examines the relationship between religious sects of Christianity, Jainism and Sikhism and the level of their social development in the city of Agra. It also examines social development vis-á-vis social and religious practices of the sect, interplay between sect and society, conflict and harmony, and modernism and development. It is a study that can remove the stigma attached to Indian religions in hindering development. Based on extensive fieldwork, this important contribution to the field of Sociology of Religion will prove useful to students, researchers, teachers and intellectuals.