Explain The Growth Of The New Age Flashcards
New age movement
Growth of spiritual beliefs and practices which have emerged since the 1980’s - usually audience or client cults
Examples
Yoga, meditation, astrology, tarot cards
Heeles (2008)
That the interest in such things has grown as people become more focused on the pursuit of self-spirituality and a rejection of traditional, authoritative religions
Drane (1999)
Claims that the growing popularly of NAM’S is evidence that society has shifted into the era of postmodernity, in which the popularity of meta-narrations as a means of explaining how the world works have declined
Example of drane
People nowadays have less faith in science + religion and are becoming more focused on finding their own truths as individuals, people turn to NAM to help them to embark on journey on self discovery
Bruce
Claims that NAM’S are a feature of the later stages of modern history, a major feature of late modernity is that people are more individualistic and people use NAM’S as part of their expression of individuality
Incoperate religious practices
Which have been imported from eastern societies, which place a lot of emphasis on individual spirituality - meditation is a practice which is from Buddhism
Heeles
The rise in NAM’S is related to the common features of modernity, in a modern society, people have lots of individual identities e.g as workers or parents, which are all very separate from each other
Use NAM’S
Creating an authentic identify for themselves which does not involve serving other people
Consumerism
Becoming increasingly important + the engagement with NAM’S requires people to shop around + spread money on services
Social change
May use NAM’S to confort themselves during times or change + society has changed significantly in the era of late modernity
Organised religion
Loses popularity, people may turn to NAM’S to have something else to occupy themselves in a way which fits in better with their busy modern lifestyles
Evaluation
Irrespective of whose interpretations is correct, none of these theories clarify why people would turn to NAM’S specifically during the current time period, rather than participating in sect activities or more traditional religious movement like the church
