ABSTRACT
Weber's study concerning world religions contains the assumption that there is a direct and fundamentally interrelation between the beliefs and social structures of a society. Accordingly, in the West religion has been purified from magic and rationalized at an advanced level. The Jewish image of a transcendent god that is different from human beings is the most important element in breaking the hold of magic, for separating the direct link of God to humanity eliminates the importance of magic in religion. Contrary to this, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism and other Asiatic religions turned the world into a magical garden both in theory and in practice. Explaining the relationship between political legitimacy and religion, Weber indicates that situations like famine and invasion led to general discontent because of their adverse effects upon the people's welfare. Separating feudalism and prebendalism from one another in detail, Weber then highlights rational representation, which together with a parliament founded on this historical background.
