religious economy , religious consumer supermarket

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Contemporary Religious Environment

• religious economy , religious consumer
  supermarket
• personal inner experience all-determining,
  irrefutable, final, and most importantly mine
• not constant affiliation and identification with
  particular religious institutions or ideologies

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Attractiveness of New Age

• good behaviour
• supernatural adventure
• mission
• glow experience
• pragmatic effect

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Attractiveness of New Age

• class affiliation
• prosperity
• market principle
• variety like supermarket
• contradictory elements gt syncretism

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New Age

• is not defined by
• Monism
• Pantheism or Panentheism
• Theosophy
• Hinduism
• Gnosticism
• Immanent spirituality
• Individualism

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New Age
does not insist any dogmatism or exclusivistic
doctrines. New Age is

religious syncretism
taken to the extreme
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How extreme?
rapidly-growing numbers of people . claim that
it is possible to blend Christianity and New Age,
by taking what strikes them as the best of both.
(Pontifical Council for Culture and Pontifical
Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, 2003)
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How extreme?
Academic studies on compatibility of Christian
ltgt New Age beliefs
Mears and Ellison 2000 there is little
association between religious affiliation and
consumption of New Age materials. Rose 1998
a little over 20 definitely believe that
such theistic concept can exist in New Age.
Waterhouse 1999 it is perfectly possible both
to go to church and to believe in reincarnation

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• New Age is de-institutionalization of the
  religious practices from various mainstream,
  heretic, occultic and indigenous traditions. The
  New Agers de-contextualized these practices,
  creatively jumble and recast them into discourses
  with fashionable outlook and entrepreneurially
  transplant to a matrix of capitalistic social
  relationships.

What is New Age?
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Spirituality

• not related to specific religions
• religions can be good but have no monopoly of
  truth and goodness
• absorbing different religions
• serving religious functions (like answers to
  essential human problems, objects for worship)

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Spirituality

• transcending exclusivity of religions
• not concerned with doctrines and
  organizations
• individualistic overtone

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New Age and Capitalist Materialism

• work is spiritual discipline
• spirituality is profitable
• creating abundance
• immediate enjoyment of heavenly bliss
• stitch spirituality and empowerment

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Religious Evangelism
Preaching belief
religious experience
practice
New Age Conversion
Practice
spiritual experience
preaching belief
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New Age Journey
Vegetarianism
New Age Music
Holistic healing
New Age Journey
Human Potential Movement
Crystal
occult
Channeling
Hypnosis