Max Weber saw religion and society as closely interrelated in ways that help explain the emergence of modern capitalism and the rationalization of social life. The core idea is that religious ideas and practices can shape economic behavior, organizational forms, and overall social action, sometimes spurring change and sometimes reinforcing existing structures. Key aspects of Weber’s view

• The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: Weber argued that certain Protestant (especially Calvinist) beliefs fostered a work-oriented ethos, disciplined self-control, thrift, punctuality, and a focus on worldly success as a sign of divine favor. This “ethic” helps explain why capitalist development and rational economic behavior were pronounced in societies with strong Protestant currents. Religion, in this sense, becomes a driving cultural force that supports particular economic and organizational dispositions. [Web sources and summaries reflect this classic claim]
• Rationalization of religious life and its social consequences: Weber analyzed how religious communities and doctrines increasingly articulate and systematize beliefs, leading to more standardized, rule-guided behavior. This process of rationalization within religion parallels broader secular rationalization in institutions (bureaucracy, law, administration) and can shape how individuals relate to markets, state, and others. [Web sources discuss the link between communal action, rationalization, and social order]
• Religion as a force in social change, not simply a separate sphere: Unlike Emile Durkheim’s emphasis on religion as a source of social cohesion, Weber treated religion as an independent, sometimes catalytic force that can alter economic and political structures. He studied how religious ideas can motivate social actors to pursue new forms of organization, authority, and expertise, thereby contributing to modernization and transformation of society. [Overviews contrast Weber with Durkheim and Marx, highlighting religion’s potential to drive change]
• “Elective affinity” between religion and economics: Weber suggested that religious beliefs and economic practices can exhibit a kind of mutual affinity, where certain religious cultures create conducive conditions for particular economic behaviors and institutions, and vice versa. This does not imply a simple one-way causal chain but a complex interaction that helps explain cross-national variations in development. [Contemporary discussions reference this concept as central to Weberian analysis]
• The limits and scope of the thesis: Weber did not claim that religion is the sole driver of modernization or capitalism, nor that economic relations fully determine religious life. Instead, he argued that religious ideas can shape motives, values, and institutional forms in ways that influence social development, making religion a key variable in the study of society’s evolution. [Scholarly overviews position Weber’s argument as a nuanced, non-deterministic account]

If you’d like, I can tailor a concise summary to a specific Weber work (for example, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) or compare Weber’s view with Durkheim and Marx to highlight differing assumptions about religion’s role in society.