Post-secular religious practices entering traditional religion

Authors

• Urszula Pękala Institute for European History, Mainz

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30674/scripta.67419

Keywords:

Religious change, Postsecularism, Catholic Church, Germany, Secularism, Advertising, Marketing, Consumption (Economics), Church buildings, Health, Contentment, Mind and body, Healing, Spirituality, Christianity, Meditation -- Buddhism, Body, Human

Abstract

Nowadays we can observe complex interactions between the religious and secular spheres. Several different processes take place simultaneously: the traditionally religious elements function in the secular sphere as if they were part of secular culture; elements of the secular sphere build a specific kind of post-secular religiosity; finally, this post-secular religiosity influences traditional religions. This article focuses on the last stage of these changes. The author's purpose is to describe and interpret the practices we can observe. Because of the complexity of this issue, the analyses are limited to examples taken from the Catholic Church in Germany, where this process seems to be as popular as it is paradoxical. Catholicism realises that the post-secular forms of religiosity are very popular and that many people choose them instead of the traditional Church. It could offer them spirituality based on ages of experience. But instead of making its own spiritual tradition competitive on the spiritual market, Catholicism seems to offer Christianised post-secular goods, or its own traditional elements represented in a secularised form. It seems difficult to predict how it will all end. However, we observe an interesting encounter and interaction between an ‘old’ religion and a new religiosity, which will certainly have impact on further presence of the Church in the society.