현대사회에서의 종교의 사회적 위치와 공공성

Abstract

Centered on the public role of religion, this study tries to research the social location of religions in the modern society. It is due to the fact that, despite of the ideological critique of religion and the theory of privatization of religion, religions of all kinds manage to thrive, and sometimes resurge in the modern world performing new socio-political roles and influence. Thus, this study reevaluates the location and role of religions in the modern socio-political environment primarily based on the dis-establishment of religion, and figures out their reality. For this, the social location of religions is reconstructed with the discussion of Marx's and Weber's theory on religion. Then, by way of reevaluating the theory of privatization, we reveal the reality of religion, especially its tendency to be magicized and commodified. Finally, following the discussion about the historical resurgence of public religions in modern world, we try to characterize them, and reevaluate their social location. In conclusion, religions still work as the last citadel for the social mores, function for the maintenance of the status quo, and often aim to grasp political power organizing political parties. However, what we think highly important is that in the modern society some religions enter into civil society, a public sphere of discourse, providing some discursive issues. Moreover, they can control and balance the bureaucratic state and the capitalist market economy systems, put them into the normative question, and try the re-normatization of public sphere.