'Je hoeft er niet in te geloven: het werkt!' Over de instrumentalisering van New Age-spiritualiteit

Samenvatting

"You Don't Have to Believe in It: It Works!" On the Instrumentalization of New Age Spirituality. Although the recent popularity in the Netherlands of the so-called New Age movement and its spirituality-based techniques has convinced many sociologists of the validity of a process of religious reorientation that counteracts processes of secularization, it is argued that this perspective fails to account for the increasingly secular character of the New Age movement. It is argued that New Age spirituality in the 1990s is no longer used as a religious guideline, but rather, as a pragmatically chosen instrument to optimize physical and psychological well-being and increase personal and professional prosperity. Drawing on New Age best-sellers, interviews with participants in New Age courses (eg, in Bekker, J. W., Hart, J., and Mens, J., 1997), and promotional material from New Age centers, it is shown that many participants, as well as course leaders, do not feel they need to believe in the metaphysical truths underlying many courses; the point is illustrated with a description of methods used in and reactions to reincarnation therapy sessions. 1 Table, 41 References. Adapted from the source document.