Evaluate the postmodernist explanation of the role and function of religion in contemporary society. (40 marks)
According to postmodernists such as Foucault we live in a ‘post-modern’ world, where none of the accepted theories or ‘truths’ or ‘narratives’ can be relied on. One really big narrative is that of religion, which postmodernist refer to as ‘meta-narratives’ (the grand explanations or big stories of modern society provided by science, religion and political ideas).
According to postmodernist the ‘post-modern’ society we now live in consist of; the development and spread of information and communication technology, such as; TV and the internet. As a result people are increasingly exposed to images, ideas, information coming from around the world. What’s more, the growth of consumerism, which is the idea that buying goods and services are becoming increasingly central to people’s lives. Furthermore, mass travel and migration (through the increase of technology i.e. the expansion of trains and transportation) means people are becoming more exposed to different societies and different ways of life, which causes more countries to become multicultural. As a result of this change to a ‘post-modernist’ world a sense of growing social and environmental risk are threatening the security of people’s lives. Hence, globalization where goods, capital, fashion and beliefs are flowing across national boundaries is adding to the risk and uncertainty accumulating in people’s lives.
The belief of a ‘post-modernist’ world rejects the claim that science holds the answers for all, most postmodernist’s believe there would be no health scares if science provided the answers for all, since science would find the cures for all. Thus, this reinforces the postmodernist main view that science and ‘meta-narratives’ cannot provide the answers for all.
According to the postmodernist view on religion, the growth of the ‘postmodernist world’ has resulted in; a decline in previous...