Evaluate Postmodernist Explanations of the Role and Functions of Religion in Contemporary Society Essay

measure post in advance(p)ist explanations of the berth and functions of trust in contemporary federation. postmodernist piety fucking be defined as any type of religious belief that is influenced, interpreted or shaped by postmodernism and postmodern philosophies. Postmodern righteousness is non an attempt to veto religion from exclusivelyiance rather, it is a philosophical approach to religion that considers Orthodox assumptions that whitethorn reflect fountain differences in society rather than universal truths. A postmodern interpretation of religion emphasises the key shoot for that sacred truth is highly individualistic, personal and resides within the individual.Science technology and capability would overcome umteen hearty problems. The fracture of the grand-narrative is part of post-modernism as it is a stamp establish custodyt that claims universal authority, religion cognizance and philosophies argon examples of these. They hand a sterling(pren ominal) status over other principle arrangements and similarly claimed they could beg off the causes of societys problems and could at that placefore leave alone solutions. According to denim-Francois Lyotard, the grand-narratives effective attraction has been lost during the 20th century.So, scientific discipline hasnt delivered solutions, wars beat deva fixd nations, and the hu whileity is let off full of evils that the grand-narratives shtupt explain or resolve. Examples of this ar world wars atomic warfare AIDS and global poverty. The every sidereal day perspective of post-modernist religion is on that point is a god who washstandt do anything, there is a god who wint do anything, or there isnt a god. Zygmunt Bauman said post-modernism is the irrecoverable loss of trust in the stray of modernity and its ability to man age, enhance and carry out human potential. Symbols, signs and meanings are also virtually other theory to post-modernism.Mass media ho mogeneous video and the internet have exposed us all to antithetic cultures and ideas from across the globe, also k directn as globalisation. The meanings of things have flat lead more individualised, we consume the products, symbols and signs of a globalised economy, but we provide our own meanings to these. Jean Baudrillard said we are what we consume and our identities are formed and changed through with(predicate) acts of white plague. Signs and symbols have become detached from their original meanings original decisions and meanings have become lost.Religious signs and symbols are losing their meaning, these signs and symbols have been adopted by mass consumer culture, usually used for decorative and playful purposes such(prenominal) as jewellery. Joseph Natoli said post-modernity has questioned the authority and legitimizing of both(prenominal) faith and reason, opting for the persuasion that both provide stories of human race both do so on the shifting sands of a post-modernist outlook. Signs and symbols have become insecure from the things they were link up to originally. Individuals no seven-day identify with a single religion and so they operate different precepts with practices to create an identity for themselves.This can be known as cosmos utilitarian, so there is no philia to our identity and actions, we are no longer just shaped by the perimeter force of sociableisation. Zygmunt Bauman said the consumption of goods and go becomes more important in our lives as a way of constructing and changing identity. This consumption is addictive and advertising drags us in. I dont know whats sort out and whats real anymore, and I dont know how Im meant to feel anymore, and when do you come back it will all become get in? from The Fear by Lily Allen (2009).Many different religions now exist and peck lead to mix the styles and genres with one another. Baudrillard said it is tricky to find guidance in our lives as sources of autho rity and moral leadership are often undermined, they seem al most(prenominal) irrelevant. In the past we bankd anything that religious leaders told us, precisely because they were a religious leader, but this is no longer the case as we are now sceptical. We live in a world of images, and so it is hard to tell apart surrounded by image and reality as we live in a world where media simulations are more real than the reality that we live in.Anthony Giddens said we live in a new form of modernity where we have lost faith in the project of modernity. We are now able to try out many different cultures in a globalised world. liveliness is now more uncertain than before. So to sum up, we live in a society characterised the coexistence of many different subgroups and cultures the eroding of traditional social classes the growing of movements such as environmentalism, feminism and ethnic regime the absence of agreed standards for evaluating what is true/ ludicrous and right/wrong the blurring of what is real and not and experimentation with self-identity.Stewart Clegg said that organisations are different in the post-modern age. For example, in the modern age there is rigid despotical take for mass consumption it is dominate by technology and is demarcated and deskilled. Whereas, in the post-modern age there is flexible and democratic regard niche markets it is enabled by technology and is undemarcated and multi-skilled jobs. Postmodernists believe that the advent of postmodernity has led to significant changes in religion.In particular, they see it as leash to the decline of traditional church-establish religions in which believers stick rules laid down by their religion, and the growth of new age beliefs where people can pick and choose their own belief systems. red ink religion is all roughly the ruling class owning the means of production, and through wealth they derive power which allows control over the superstructure of society. Ruling class po litical theory of religion keeps the ruling class in power by discouraging the operative classes from realising they are being exploited and in turn trying to rebel against the ruling class power.Karl Marx famously described religion as the opium of the masses, by this he meant that religion was seen as being like a drug that helps people barter with pain, much like opium. religion promises eonian life in heaven for people who accept religion. As the biblical inverted comma says it is easier for a camel to pass through the substance if a selectle, than for s rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. It offers expect of supernatural intervention to end suffering, for example, clerics witnesses believe that judgement day will arrive and those who are not religious will be judged and punished.Marx adage religion as a instrument of social control. It creates false class consciousness, sham beliefs about the true nature of social life, which justify the gear up of the ruling c lass. This prevents the working(a) class developing class consciousness, in which they become aware that they are exploited, and fuse to overthrow the capitalist system that exploits them. Marx believed the however escape of this exploitation was communism, this way religion would no longer be necessary. Without social classes there would be no need for religion as its sole purpose was to legitimate ruling class power.Religion would therefore disappear. For example, in the Soviet meat under communist leadership from 1917 to 1990 the state consistently opposed the existence of religious beliefs and set downed many Russian orthodox churches, as well as mosques and synagogues. The Marxist view of religion has been proven in many societies across the world some examples of these are the Hindu caste system and evangelical Christianity in Latin America. In the Hindu caste system in India, people were divided into 5 castes based upon their supposed degree of religious purity.The Brahm ins (priests) were at the top and the untouchables (unskilled labourers) at the bottom. This supports the Marxist view since no movement was permitted between castes, this system ensured the ruling class maintained their power and control and justified the lowly position of those at the bottom in legal injury of their religious impurity. The new Christian right have encouraged the spread of Protestant religious beliefs in predominantly Catholic Latin America countries particularly amongst the measly in shantytowns.This supports the Marxist view of religion as protestant religious beliefs provide religious discipline and hope of buyback in afterlife to some of the poorest in Latin American societies, discouraging them from backing radical catholic liberation righteousness and encouraging support for US-style capitalist values. notwithstanding Marxist view can also be criticised, just a a few(prenominal) criticisms would be that Marxist only direction on one possible role of re ligion in society and it ignores the much broader range of effects religion aptitude have. Another criticism would be that attempts to destroy religion in communist countries were not successful.Religion survived in the USSR and Catholicism thrived in communist Poland. Much like Marxists, feminists believe that religion does not serve the interests of society as a whole, and only serves the interests of a particular social group. They see religion as being patriarchal, male-dominated, and serving the interests of men. Karen Armstrong argued that religion has not always been patriarchal and that in early history women were considered central to spirituality and archaeologists have found numerous symbols of the coarse mother goddess, in comparison there were few portrayals of male gods.With the advent of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, monotheistic religions largely replaced polytheistic religions. In all these cases god was portrayed as a male. Jean Holm argues that in the public force field of religion when important positions are held, men almost always dominate. However, in the mysterious sphere, women are dominant and do most of the religious work. Holm has identified inequality between men and women in all major world religion. Some examples of these inequalities are shown in Christianity/roman Catholicism Islam Hinduism Chinese home religions Orthodox Judaism and Sikhism.