(Re)Introducing “Secular Religion”: On the Study of Entangled Quests for Meaning in Modern Western Cultures
Numen April 20, 2020 DOI: 10.1163/15685276-12341575 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that established concepts such as "cults," "new religious movements," "New Age," "spirituality," "Western esotericism," and "metaphysical religion" are losing their logical connection to the socio-historical phenomena they describe, and proposes "secular religion" as a more appropriate concept for understanding groups that blend secular and religious meaning-making in modern Western cultures. |
Abstract
The disenchantment of reality has bankrupted conventional sources of meaning for many people in modern Western cultures. This has led a growing number of figures and groups to search for alternative sources of meaning. Typical of their quests for meaning is the entanglement of secular and religious discourses. Since the twentieth century, scholars have studied the social configurations of these figures and groups as “cults” or “new religious movements” and their ideologies as “New Age” or “spirituality,” which are seen as parts of a longer tradition of “Western esotericism” (Europe) or “metaphysical religion” (North America). Several leading scholars have also interpreted them as forms of “secular religion,” but this has yet to gain academic traction. This article argues that the former concepts are lacking or losing a logical connection with the socio-historical phenomena to which they pertain and reintroduces the latter concept as a more appropriate one.