postmodernist view of religion Flashcards
what are the main beliefs of the postmodernist approach?
- the way we believe and practice has changed
- their is diversity of religion and beliefs
- religion no longer functions to provide social solidarity as there is such diversity of beliefs
- religion is based on consumerism
- religion has been relocated
what does herview-leger argue?
- decline in religious socialization
- religion has become a personal choice
- we’re ‘spiritual shoppers’
what does lyon argue?
- religion has become a commodity
- globalisation - greater access to a wider range of religion
- religion has become ‘disembedded’ from real life
what does bauman argue?
postmodernity - lead to a ‘crisis of meaning’ - no universal truths about universe/meaning
decline of metanarratives, the fragmentation of belief, secularization and the growth of do-it-yourself spirituality
- decline of metanarratives is accompanied by people abandoning once taken-for-granted religious belief systems, and they are less willing to accept what religious authorities say they should believe
- now a wide diversity of belief including rejection of religious beliefs
- declining attachment to religious explanations led to secularization
- people are choosing to ‘pick and mix’ beliefs
religion as a consumer product, lifestyle and identity choice
- people ‘shop’ for beliefs in a spiritual marketplace
- they are choosing to create their own do-it-yourself combination of beliefs
the global spiritual supermarket
baudrillard - ‘media-saturated’ society. people now have access to a huge range of ideas, which enable them to pick n mix beliefs from across the world adapted to their own personal lifestyle choices
the ‘vacuum of meaning’
bauman - now a ‘crisis of meaning’ as people reject traditional religious metanarratives they no longer regard as credible. contributed to the rise of new religious movements
disneyization of religion
one way religion markets and packages itself to appeal to a wide variety of consumer tastes is by disneyization - blending religion, consumerism and popular culture and placing an emphasis on fun and amusement, and merchandising itself like a fantasy world of the disneyland themepark to increase its appeal in the spiritual marketplace
what is davie’s concept of ‘believing without belonging’?
- people are increasingly reluctant to belong to organizations
- most people may not normally go to church or pray, but they remain attached to the church as an institution that provides ritual and support when needed
what do voas and crockett argue?
- both church attendance and belief in god are declining together
what is herview-legers concpet of ‘spiritual shopping’?
decline in institutional religion - cultural amnesia largely lost the religion that used to be handed down from generation to generation
religion has not disappeared, instead individual consumerism has replaced collective tradition
