Theorizing the Sacred Heelas, Paul
Implicit religion,
02/2013, Letnik:
15, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Existentially, what is it to live within the secular without the sacred? In the absence of religion, can secular frames of reference provide worthwhile sources of significance? For Charles Taylor, ...“religious longing, the longing for and response to a more-than-immanent transformation perspective … remains a strong independent source of motivation in modernity.” In line with this contention, I argue that the secular is frequently taken to be inadequate: to self-deflate. This essay applies a range of arguments: the role played by ideals, the implicit, the yearning emanating from the imperfect (that is, the secular frame of reference); and the roles played by what the perfect (that is, the sacred) has to promise. Rather than being some kind of end-point (self-sustaining, self-containing, self-limiting), the secular frame of reference readily generates momentum towards, sometimes into, the “truly” perfect. The notion of “a secular age” has to be qualified.
The 'infirmity debate' is becoming increasingly lively. On the one hand, scholars argue that New Age spiritualities of life are in a 'poor' condition; on the other hand, scholars argue that they are ...in a good state of 'health'. Drawing on key publications, including articles from the
Journal of Contemporary Religion
, the argument is couched in terms of 'the turn to the self'-more specifically 'the massive subjective turn of modern culture'. How do New Age spiritualities of life fare in the context of this development? Concentrating on activities found in the holistic milieu which is to be found in many countries today, the argument is that activities like yoga or spiritual aromatherapy serve as 'intermediary institutions', successfully negotiating a path between antinomian freedom and social conformism.
This insightful and provocative journey through spiritual landscapes explores the ways in which spiritualities of life have been experienced and understood in Western society, and argues that today's ...myriad forms of holistic spirituality are helping us to find balance in face of the stifling demands of twenty-first century living. An enlightening book which explores the ways in which spirituality has been experienced and valued in Western society Traces the development of modern spirituality, from the origins of Romanticism in the eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture of today Explores the belief that modern spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back Contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the 'good life', helping us to find balance in the demands of twenty-first century living Written by an acknowledged world-leader working in the field Completes a trilogy of books including The Spiritual Revolution (2005, with Linda Woodhead) and The New Age Movement (1996), charting the rise and influence of spirituality today.
Heelas et al comment on Flere and Kirbis perspectives on New Age. Heelas asserts that Houtman and Aupers claim that New Age spirituality has become most widespread in the most secularized and least ...morally traditional societies, is not contradicted by the positive relationships between measures of New Age, traditionalism, and "general religiosity" among university students from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Slovenia, and Alabama, USA, that are reported by Flere and Kirbis. The two sets of findings rather suggest that, particularly in the least secularized countries, much of what may at face value look like post-Christian New Age spirituality is in fact quite closely related to theistic Christian religiosity. This hypothesis is supported by his analysis of data from the RAMP survey: New Age spirituality is less closely related to what remains of theistic Christian religiosity in the most secularized countries. This suggests that a decline of theistic Christianity leads the two to grow increasingly apart.
This research note provides selected 'belief' data from the RAMP (Religious and Moral Pluralism) survey-data of an apparently arresting nature. The present discussion is primarily directed at ...offering several hypotheses to do with interpretations and explanations of the data. The overarching aim is to contribute to a research agenda which is of considerable significance for the sociological study of spirituality and religion, with profound implications for policy makers.
