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CHAPTER 15
The Future of
Religion:
Religion in the Twenty-first century
Outline
The Vitality of Religion
The Secularization Theory
Increased Church Attendance in the U.S.
Liberal Religiousness and Supernaturalism
The Growth of Expressive Individualism
New Age Beliefs and Practices
New Religious Movements and Cults
The Vitality of Non-Western Traditions
Stages and Styles of Religion Today
James Fowler's Stages of Faith
Postmodernism and Religion
Postmodernism and Cultural Relativism
A Postmodernist Form of Anti-Secularism
Postmodernism Limits Science
The Late Modern, Postmodernism, and Fowler's Stages
Summary
THE
VITALITY OF RELIGION
Many had claimed
that the influence of religion would gradually decline in the modern era,
a theory often known as the "secularization thesis." However,
some indicators contradict this idea. Increased church
attendance, a revival of supernaturalism, the growth of New Age beliefs,
the continuing success of new religious movements, and the vitality of
non-Western religions show that the spirit of religion is very much alive.
STAGES AND STYLES OF
RELIGION TODAY
As the introduction noted, the stages of individual development proceed along a path similar to
cultural development. Cultures and individuals both require time to
develop complex modes of thought. This development is a cumulative
process in which old ideas are not always rejected, but often enriched or
reinterpreted. Both societies and individuals can pass through
stages of a) simple belief, b) respect for authority figures, c) living by a grand narrative, and
relying on critical reflection -- or some combination of these..
POSTMODERNISM AND RELIGION
Historians and philosophers define the early "modern" era as a time
characterized by the confidence in rational inquiry in a search for
universally valid truths and values
characteristic of the Enlightenment. Postmodernism is the label for
various theories which argue that the rationality of modern thought is
flawed. Postmodernists argue that all ideas are products of existing
societal structure and norms. Therefore no framework for
understanding things is universally valid. For this reason
postmodernism is closely related to cultural relativism, the idea that the
beliefs and practices of a society can only be judged in terms of how well
they function in that society. But many postmodernists nonetheless,
perhaps inconsistently, tend to favor universal human rights and to
promote their viewpoint as universally valid.
A Post-Modernist Form of
Anti-Secularism
Postmodernism can provide support for anti-accommodationism--
a rejection of the idea that religious beliefs ought to accommodate the
general wisdom of the secular world. Postmodernists argue that if
the secular world fails to provide a compelling enough story for a fully
meaningful life, religious beliefs are a perfectly reasonable alternative.
Postmodernism Limits
Science
By arguing that even science must be viewed as a product of its social
environment, postmodernism gives religious beliefs a shield against
scientific thought. It is legitimate for religious traditions to accept a
version of reality that is different from widely-held scientific opinion,
as long as this reality serves a useful function.
End of notes to Chapter 15
This page last changed
Sunday November 16, 2003
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