A Critical Review of the Components of Humanistic Spirituality in Emerging Spirituality-based Movements within the Postmodern Context

Contemporary emerging spirituality, arising from postmodern conditions, responds to the spiritual shortcomings of modernity by pursuing tranquility, accommodating existing circumstances, and disengaging from moral and political commitments. Using qualitative content analysis, the study extracted and critically reviewed components of humanistic spirituality in these movements. A defining characteristic is humanism, which regards humans as the measure of all things and the axis of the universe, opposing theocentric religious thought. Prioritizing humanity and its desires over God's primacy leads to empiricism, pluralism, liberty, and individualism. Spiritual modernism re-presents the sacred in different forms, and religious experientialism stems from flawed understandings of God, cosmos, and humanity, making religiosity relative and replacing religious realism with relativism.

Study at a glance

Abstract

SUBJECT & OBJECTIVES: Contemporary emerging spirituality is derived from spirituality in postmodern conditions, moving beyond the era of modernity toward a form of spirituality without religion. Thus, the formation of contemporary emergent spirituality arises in response to the spiritual deficiencies of modernity, characterized by a pursuit of tranquility, accommodation to existing circumstances, and a stance of moral and political disengagement. This study aims to examine the critiques leveled against the elements of humanistic spirituality in newly emerging spiritual movements situated within the postmodern framework.METHOD & FINDING: Using qualitative content analysis, the components of humanistic spirituality in emerging spirituality-based movements within the postmodern context were extracted and subsequently subjected to critical analysis and review. The findings of the study indicate that one of the defining characteristics of this movement is humanism, according to which the human being is regarded as the measure of all things and the axis of the universe, standing in contrast to the various forms of theocentric religious thoughts. CONCLUSION: Prioritizing humanity and its desires over the primacy of God and His absolute will is a central consequence of humanistic spirituality, resulting in tendencies toward empiricism, pluralism, the pursuit of liberty, and individualism. Spiritual modernism is centered on a re-presentation of the sacred in a different form, and the stress on religious experientialism is rooted in an inadequate or flawed understanding of God, the cosmos, and the human being. With the introduction of religious experience, the legitimacy of every religion and denomination becomes dependent on the personal experience of each individual, making religiosity a relative matter and replacing religious realism with religious relativism.