Cohesion in Question: The New Age Movement as Rationalized Religion

• In Event: 262 - Section on Sociology of Religion Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02. Secularism, Syncretism, and New Age

Abstract

In a post-modern society, social change and development correlate with the New Age religious movement and the phenomenon’s followers. Traditional religions over time have proven to be highly collective due to regularly scheduled meetings and collective beliefs and symbols, contributing to the social cohesion of the religious group. New age religious ideas allow for individuals to subscribe to an overwhelming variety of spiritual beliefs and rituals of their personal choice. As more and more individuals are describing themselves as “spiritual” and not traditionally religious, studying new age religion and how it affects social cohesion in a post-modern world becomes relevant and important. Throughout my literature review, I will address the following question: How has postmodernism specifically influenced new age religion with respect to social cohesion? After analyzing my research question through various social cohesion and new age movement theoretical ideologies and completing a literature review, I argue that compared to traditional religions, the New Age religious movement does not contribute to social cohesion and solidarity in a post-modern society.

Author

• Emily V Cleary, Florida Atlantic University