Waarom lopen de kerken leeg, maar groeit New Age? Over individualisering, secularisering en religieuze verandering

Samenvatting

The Growth of New Age versus the Decline of Christian Churches: Individualization, Secularization, and Religious Change. Research carried out by the Dutch Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) has pointed out that the increased popularity of New Age since the mid-1960s by no means compensates for the decline of the Christian churches. Here, reasons behind the occurrence of these remarkably divergent developments are explored, based on analysis of 32 in-depth interviews with New Agers and, comparing the young and the elderly, survey data collected among the Dutch population at large in 1998 (N = 1,848). Findings reveal no indications that the decline of the Christian tradition has been caused by a process of rationalization. It is argued that the decline of the Christian tradition and the growth of nonreligiosity, including New Age, are caused by increased levels of moral individualism ("individualization"). Implications for the sociological analysis of cultural and religious change are discussed. 2 Tables, 3 Figures, 70 References. Adapted from the source document.