De moderne kerk
This paper tries to identify the characteristics of viable religious communities in modern, Western society. Developments regarding church membership and church attendance in the Netherlands and the United States show, that especially liberal and mainline communities are affected by religious disaf...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | nld |
| Published: |
Radboud University Press in cooperation with Open Journals
2013-12-01
|
| Series: | Religie & Samenleving |
| Online Access: | https://religiesamenleving.nl/article/view/12693 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850103729481580544 |
|---|---|
| author | Paul Vermeer |
| author_facet | Paul Vermeer |
| author_sort | Paul Vermeer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This paper tries to identify the characteristics of viable religious communities in modern, Western society. Developments regarding church membership and church attendance in the Netherlands and the United States show, that especially liberal and mainline communities are affected by religious disaffiliation, while conservative and orthodox communities are far better able to resist the secularizing forces of modernity. This difference is explained in terms of strictness and the adoption of a more absolutist religious stance. Thus it is argued, that viable religious communities in the West will eventually become more sect-like. That is to say, these communities focus on establishing strong social bonds between their members, reject common ‘Western’ values like tolerance and relativism and emphasize the personalistic aspects of faith. These sect-like characteristics result in strong religious communities that consciously exist in a high degree of tension with the wider social environment and that, in this way, are able to recruit and preserve a small but loyal group of followers.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9f01ba48cb184eb4a35ca8c8ea06d889 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1872-3497 2773-1669 |
| language | nld |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | Radboud University Press in cooperation with Open Journals |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religie & Samenleving |
| spelling | doaj-art-9f01ba48cb184eb4a35ca8c8ea06d8892025-08-20T02:39:28ZnldRadboud University Press in cooperation with Open JournalsReligie & Samenleving1872-34972773-16692013-12-018310.54195/RS.12693De moderne kerkPaul Vermeer0Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen This paper tries to identify the characteristics of viable religious communities in modern, Western society. Developments regarding church membership and church attendance in the Netherlands and the United States show, that especially liberal and mainline communities are affected by religious disaffiliation, while conservative and orthodox communities are far better able to resist the secularizing forces of modernity. This difference is explained in terms of strictness and the adoption of a more absolutist religious stance. Thus it is argued, that viable religious communities in the West will eventually become more sect-like. That is to say, these communities focus on establishing strong social bonds between their members, reject common ‘Western’ values like tolerance and relativism and emphasize the personalistic aspects of faith. These sect-like characteristics result in strong religious communities that consciously exist in a high degree of tension with the wider social environment and that, in this way, are able to recruit and preserve a small but loyal group of followers. https://religiesamenleving.nl/article/view/12693 |
| spellingShingle | Paul Vermeer De moderne kerk Religie & Samenleving |
| title | De moderne kerk |
| title_full | De moderne kerk |
| title_fullStr | De moderne kerk |
| title_full_unstemmed | De moderne kerk |
| title_short | De moderne kerk |
| title_sort | de moderne kerk |
| url | https://religiesamenleving.nl/article/view/12693 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT paulvermeer demodernekerk |