Home > History Fact Finder > Religion - What Is The Protestant Ethic?

1. Printable Version
2. Download PDF
3. Cite this Page

What is the Protestant ethic?

The Protestant ethic is a set of moral and social values encouraged by the leaders of the Reformation, a religious revolution that took place in Europe during the sixteenth century. Among those who directly influenced the Protestant ethic were Martin Luther (1483–1546), John Calvin (1509–1564), John Knox (1513–1572), Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531), and Conrad Grebel (c. 1498–1526). Their Protestant successors were Methodist Church founders John (1703–1791) and Charles Wesley (1707–1788). These religious leaders stressed the holiness of daily life, the importance of education and study, and the necessity of personal responsibility. They contended that the person who is hardworking, thrifty, and honest will be of value to his or her community and to God.

In the essay "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" (1905) German sociologist Max Weber (1864–1920) claimed...

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

1. Mythology
   1. How are religions classified?
   2. What is mythology?
2. Eastern Faiths
   1. What is Buddhism?
   2. What are the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism?
   3. Who is the Dalai Lama?
   4. What is the controversy over Tibet?
   5. What is Zen Buddhism?
   6. What is Hinduism?
   7. What is karma?
   8. What is Shinto?
   9. How old is Islam?
   10. Who wrote the Koran?
   11. What are the two main groups of Islam?
   12. What are Islam's Five Pillars of Faith?
   13. Why is Mecca a holy city for Muslims?
3. Judaism And Christianity
   1. When was the Bible written?
   2. What is the difference between the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament?
   3. What are the divisions of the Hebrew Bible?
   4. What is a prophet?
   5. What are the Dead Sea Scrolls?
   6. What was the Exodus from Egypt?
   7. What were the Ten Plagues?
   8. Did Moses really stutter?
   9. What are the Ten Commandments?
   10. Who was Jesus of Nazareth?
   11. Why were the religious leaders angered by Jesus of Nazareth?
   12. Are apostles the same as disciples?
   13. What are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
   14. Why do Jews, Christians, and Muslims all claim Palestine as their Holy Land?
   15. What is Golgotha?
   16. What was an infidel?
   17. What were the Crusades and how did they change Europe?
   18. How does the Roman Catholic Church choose who will be the pope and how many popes have there been?
   19. What caused the East-West Schism in the Catholic Church?
   20. Why was the Bible translated into English?
   21. What was the Reformation?
   22. Why were Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses so important?
   23. What was the Peace of Augsburg?
   24. What was the Counter Reformation?
   25. Who are the Jesuits?
   26. Who were the Puritans?
   27. What was the Great Awakening?
   28. What is the Protestant ethic?
   29. What are the criteria for sainthood?
   30. Will Mother Teresa be sainted?

1. Crusades