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

estimate post innovativeistist explanations of the role and functions of piety in coetaneous parliamentary law. postmodernistist organized holiness enkindle be delimitate as any type of faith that is influenced, see or shaped by postmodernism and postmodern philosophies. Postmodern trust is not an attempt to banish religion from society rather, it is a philosophical approach to religion that considers orthodox assumptions that may reflect office differences in society rather than universal truths. A postmodern interpretation of religion emphasises the key point that ghost alike truth is highly individualistic, subjective and resides within the individual. accomplishment engineering and efficiency would oercome legion(predicate) neighborly problems. The collapse of the grand-narrative is part of post-modernism as it is a printing system that claims universal authority, religion science and philosophies atomic number 18 examples of these. They have a superior status ove r other belief systems and also claimed they could explain the causes of societys problems and could therefore provide solutions. According to Jean-Francois Lyotard, the grand-narratives healthy attraction has been addled during the 20th century.So, science hasnt de go throughred solutions, wars have devastated nations, and the country is still full of evils that the grand-narratives to a lower placesidet explain or resolve. Examples of this ar man wars nuclear warf atomic number 18 AIDS and global poverty. The plebeian perspective of post-modernist religion is there is a immortal who elicitt do anything, there is a god who wont do anything, or there isnt a god. Zygmunt Bauman tell post-modernism is the unretrievable loss of trust in the project of modernity and its ability to manage, enhance and fulfil human potential. Symbols, signs and meanings be also another theory to post-modernism.Mass media like television and the internet have exposed us all to distinct cul tures and ideas from across the globe, also cognize as globalisation. The meanings of things have instantly become more individualised, we consume the products, symbols and signs of a globalised economy, besides we provide our deliver meanings to these. Jean Baudrillard state we be what we consume and our identities are formed and changed through acts of spending. Signs and symbols have become unaffectionate from their original meanings original purposes and meanings have become lost. apparitional signs and symbols are losing their meaning, these signs and symbols have been adopted by passel consumer culture, usually used for decorative and playful purposes much(prenominal) as jewellery. Joseph Natoli state post-modernity has questioned the authority and legitimizing of both opinion and reason, opting for the view that both offer stories of earthly concern both do so on the shifting litoral of a post-modernist outlook. Signs and symbols have become insecure from the th ings they were linked to originally. Individuals no longer identify with a undivided religion and so they blend different beliefs with practices to fix an identity for themselves.This can be spangn as be utilitarian, so there is no centerfield to our identity and actions, we are no longer proficient shaped by the moulding force of socialisation. Zygmunt Bauman said the consumption of goods and services becomes more important in our lives as a way of constructing and changing identity. This consumption is addictive and advertising drags us in. I adoptt know whats right and whats real anymore, and I dont know how Im meant to feel anymore, and when do you moot it pull up stakes all become clear? from The business organisation by Lily Allen (2009).Many different religions now know and pile tend to mix the styles and genres with one another. Baudrillard said it is hard to find guidance in our lives as sources of authority and moral leadership are oft undermined, they seem more or less irrelevant. In the past we opined anything that ghostlike leaders told us, simply because they were a religious leader, but this is no longer the case as we are now sceptical. We live in a world of doubles, and so it is hard to distinguish amidst 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 spick-and-span form of modernity where we have lost faith in the project of modernity. We are now able to try out legion(predicate) different cultures in a globalised world. Life 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 erosion of conventional social programes the growth of movements such(prenominal) as environmentalism, feminism and ethnic politics the absence seizure of agreed standards for evaluating what is true/false and right/ wrongfulness the blurring of what is real a nd 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 authoritarian chasten mass consumption it is dominated by technology and is demarcated and deskilled. Whereas, in the post-modern age there is flexible and classless control 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 leading to the decline of traditional church-based religions in which believers follow rules laid down by their religion, and the growth of new age beliefs where people can pick and choose their own belief systems. redness religion is all about the ruling class owning the means of production, and through wealth they derive violence which allows control over the superstructure of society. Ruling class ideology of religion keeps the r uling class in place by discouraging the working classes from realising they are being exploited and in turn trying to grow 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 medicate that helps people deal with pain, much like opium. piety promises eternal life in promised land for people who accept religion. As the biblical quote says it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye if a needle, than for s rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. It offers swear of supernatural intervention to end suffering, for example, clerics witnesses believe that judgement day give arrive and those who are not religious will be judged and punished.Marx saw religion as a mechanism of social control. It creates false class consciousness, monstrous beliefs about the true nature of social life, which confirm the position of the ruling class. This prevents the working class growing clas s consciousness, in which they become aware that they are exploited, and unite to overthrow the capitalist system that exploits them. Marx believed the completely 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 mend purpose was to legitimate ruling class power. pietism would therefore disappear. For example, in the Soviet Union under communist leadership from 1917 to 1990 the state consistently debate the existence of religious beliefs and reposeed many Russian orthodox churches, as well as mosques and synagogues. The red ink view of religion has been proven in many societies across the world some examples of these are the Hindoo caste system and evangelical Christianity in Latin America. In the Hindu caste system in India, people were divided into 5 castes based upon their suppositional degree of religious purity.The Brahmins (priests) were at the top and the untoucha bles (unskilled labourers) at the bottom. This substitutes 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 terms of their religious impurity. The new Christian right have encouraged the riddle of Protestant religious beliefs in pre paramountly Catholic Latin America countries particularly amongst the poor in shantytowns.This supports the Marxist view of religion as protestant religious beliefs provide religious discipline and hope of salvation in afterlife to some of the poorest in Latin American societies, discouraging them from supporting total catholic liberation theology and encouraging support for US-style capitalist values. However Marxist view can also be criticised, just a hardly a(prenominal) criticisms would be that Marxist only focus on one possible role of religion in society and it ignores the much broader range of effec ts religion might have. Another criticism would be that attempts to destroy religion in communist countries were not successful. trust survived in the USSR and Catholicism thrived in communist Poland. a lot like Marxists, feminists believe that religion does not assist 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 ever been patriarchal and that in early history women were considered profound to spirituality and archaeologists have found numerous symbols of the slap-up 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 sphere of religion when important positions are held, men almost always dominate. However, in the private sphere, women are dominant and do most of the religious work. Holm has identified contrariety between men and women in all study world religion. Some examples of these inequalities are shown in Christianity/ papist Catholicism Islam Hinduism Chinese folk religions Orthodox Judaism and Sikhism.