Methods for the Study of Religious Change - From Religious Studies to Worldview Studies - André Droogers
Chapter 1 Introduction
Methods for the Study of Religious Change - From Religious Studies to Worldview Studies - André Droogers
André Droogers [+]
VU University, Amsterdam (Emeritus)
Description
Faster than ever before, religions and religiosity are changing. Modernization, by which we mean the application of the results of science and technology in society, is an important driving force. Various modernizing processes are at work simultaneously, generating complex and diffuse worldviews. The trend towards individualization presents many people with the freedom and the impetus to devise their own authentic worldviews, including secular views. Not only new forms of individualism, but also new social forms are emerging. In this new constellation, the concept of spirituality has gained popularity, sometimes replacing “religion” as a label for the personal worldview.