The Transformation Of Religious Culture Within Modern Societies: From Secularization To Postsecularism

Abstract

The theory of postsecularism maintains that religions and religious communities are being transformed, while remaining important social factors in modern societies. Secularism submits that religion does not play a role in public affairs and is disappearing more and more from the public sphere. In this chapter, the author attempt to show that the term 'postsecularism' covers the wide transformation of religion into a dimension of personal experiences and convictions which are not limited to religious institutions and communities. The term also confirms that secularization has taken place, but denotes a differentiation of church and state, religion and politics, as well as a decline in church membership and a loss of power for religious institutions. It is also a result of our forgetting that religion can be understood as a personal experience close to aesthetic experiences, an understanding of religion which was developed by liberal Protestant theologians in the 19th century. Keywords: aesthetic experiences; liberal Protestant theologians; Postsecularism; Secularism