The Protestant Ethic: Time for a Moratorium

American sociologists continue to use the Protestant Ethic hypothesis as a theoretical framework in studying the presumed differences between Catholics and Protestants in this country. However, a review of recent studies indicates that this hypothesis is anything but fruitful. It is suggested that the survival of the Protestant Ethic as a testable theory is due to a misunderstanding of Weber, an oversimplification of history, an ignorance of the pluralistic nature of Catholicism, and a refusal to be persuaded by empirical data. It is doubtful that sociological study of American religion will make much progress until a moratorium is proclaimed on further use of the current simplistic version of the Weberian theory.