, ▁were ▁common ▁att itudes . ▁As ▁he ▁wrote ▁in ▁his ▁ess ays : ▁ ▁After ▁defining ▁the ▁" sp irit ▁of ▁capital ism ," ▁We ber ▁arg ues ▁that ▁there ▁are ▁many ▁reasons ▁to ▁find ▁its ▁orig ins ▁in ▁the ▁religious ▁ideas ▁of ▁the ▁Re formation . ▁Many ▁others ▁like ▁William ▁Pet ty , ▁Mont es qu ieu , ▁Henry ▁Thomas ▁Buck le , ▁John ▁Ke ats ▁have ▁noted ▁the ▁aff inity ▁between ▁Protest ant ism ▁and ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁commercial ism . ▁ ▁We ber ▁shows ▁that ▁certain ▁branches ▁of ▁Protest ant ism ▁had ▁supported ▁world ly ▁activities ▁dedicated ▁to ▁economic ▁gain , ▁seeing ▁them ▁as ▁end owed ▁with ▁moral ▁and ▁spiritual ▁significance . ▁This ▁recognition ▁was ▁not ▁a ▁goal ▁in ▁itself ; ▁rather ▁they ▁were ▁a ▁by product ▁of ▁other ▁do ctr ines ▁of ▁faith ▁that ▁encourag ed ▁planning , ▁hard ▁work ▁and ▁self - den ial ▁in ▁the ▁purs uit ▁of ▁world ly ▁rich es . ▁ ▁Orig ins ▁of ▁the ▁Protest ant ▁work ▁eth ic ▁ ▁We ber ▁trac ed ▁the ▁orig ins ▁of ▁the ▁Protest ant ▁eth ic ▁to ▁the ▁Re formation , ▁though ▁he ▁acknowled ged ▁some ▁respect ▁for ▁sec ular ▁every day ▁labor ▁as ▁early ▁as ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges . ▁The ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁assured ▁salv ation ▁to ▁individuals ▁who ▁accepted ▁the ▁church ' s ▁sacr aments ▁and ▁submitted ▁to ▁the ▁cler ical ▁authority . ▁However , ▁the ▁Re formation ▁had ▁effectively ▁removed ▁such ▁ass ur ances . ▁From ▁a ▁psych ological ▁view point