Traditional and non-traditional religiosity
Traditional and non-traditional religiosity
Author(s): Mirko Blagojević, Dragan M. Todorović
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, History, Social Sciences, Theology and Religion
Published by: Институт друштвених наука
Keywords: religious change; non-traditional religiosity; new religious movements; desecularization; religion and nationalism; postmodern spirituality; sociology of religion
Summary/Abstract: Religious life and the connection between people and social groups with religion and church are subject to constant change and different social influences. The history of the Balkans undoubtedly testifies to how out-religious and out-ecclesiastical circumstances (concentrated around the believers’ salvation) contribute to the changes in the religious and ecclesiastical life of individuals and social groups. These changes are so remarkably strong and obvious that, after a certain period, it is difficult not to highlight social and even political and international factors as inevitable in their explanation, although we are, therefore, exposed to the danger of falling into a kind of sociologism. However, between the assertion that the entire religious and ecclesiastical life depends on the constellation of ambient and social circumstances, and the claim that these circumstances affect the spiritual and ecclesiastical sphere, there is an evident difference. Social sciences are the most competent to analyze and explain how and to what extent the social events of the 1970s in Europe and the world have influenced changes in the connection between people and social groups, both with established religions that have existed for centuries, as well as new religious ideas, expressions and practices. These differences also influenced the changed social position of religions and churches in the world. Therefore, the ambient influence on religions and churches is not one-way, since the changed religious situation afterwards influences social roles, culture, politics, morality and general social values.
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-86-7093-227-2
- Page Count: 300
- Publication Year: 2019
- Language: English
New Religious Movements: Typical Characteristics of a Cult
New Religious Movements: Typical Characteristics of a Cult
(New Religious Movements: Typical Characteristics of a Cult)
- Author(s):Dragoljub B. Đorđević
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:13-25
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:new religious movements; new sects; new cults; North America; typical characteristics
- Summary/Abstract:New religious movements – new sects and cults – in comparison with the sects and cults that have been around for several centuries, are considered “new” because they first began to appear in the 1950s, or more significantly at the end of the 1960s, in North America. They act in line with the slogan “Every cult would like to become a sect, and the latter, through denomination, a church” and the practice of “All and everything for the leader, the leader for no one, only for himself”; they possess and require: a charismatic leader, a strict hierarchy of relations, complete separation from the society, complete separation from the family, a small number of members, usually young believers, property and work for the leader, manipulative means and techniques of programming, economic, psychological (and sexual) abuse, and the existence bordering on legality (on the edge of crime).
The Challenge of New Religiosity
The Challenge of New Religiosity
(The Challenge of New Religiosity)
- Author(s):Mijo Nikić, Marko Jurčić
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:27-53
- No. of Pages:28
- Keywords:new religiosity; sects; religious dependence; church; society
- Summary/Abstract:The new religious movements are community of believers who have separated themselves from their already existing large religious communities and continue their own way by creating new beliefs for themselves. Unlike the movement, these followers are better organized and have a firmer internal hierarchical structure. The slogans often radically interrupt all ties with the larger religious community they used to belong. New religious movements and religious sects represent a great challenge for society and the church, and we cannot remain indifferent towards them. This phenomenon is a double challenge for us: on the one hand, it causes us to seriously reconsider ourselves, our faith which has perhaps lost the power of yeast, which for many is no longer the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If that is not the case, then it is no wonder that new religious movements are successful because they offer exactly what true Christians should be. Another challenge is the need to critically examine new religious movements and religious sects and discover obvious or, as is often the case, hidden pitfalls and dangers in the form of new addictions that lie in them. New religiosity mostly gives preference to emotions over reason and relativises what is absolute, and it absolutizes what is relative. The followers largely nurture the fundamental, uncritical interpretation of the Bible. The Church and the state must defend the youth and protect them from destructive sects and new religious movements that manipulate them. Sects that serve the methods that endanger the mental integrity of a person or encourage young people to some criminal offenses must be prevented and sanctioned.
Pentecostalism in Southeastern Serbia
Pentecostalism in Southeastern Serbia
(Pentecostalism in Southeastern Serbia)
- Author(s):Dragan M. Todorović
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:55-75
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:Pentecostalism; Serbia; Southeastern Serbia; Roma People
- Summary/Abstract:The paper gives a survey of the history of the Serbian evangelist movement, significantly influenced by Roma participation: the greatest religious communities are concentrated in Roma mahalas in Niš, Leskovac, Vranje and other towns in Southeastern Serbia. Leskovac, which boasts an exclusively Roma Pentecostal Church (better known as “The Church under the Tent”, with a few hundred baptized believers), is considered as the center of Evangelical Christianity. In conclusion, we are discussing the potentials of evangelism of Southern Serbia for encouraging ethnic reaffirmation by cultural rebirth and by advocating for political dialogue and praxis.
Contemporary Alevi and Bektashi Religiosity in Turkey and the Balkans - Traditional Forms and Postmodern Expressions
Contemporary Alevi and Bektashi Religiosity in Turkey and the Balkans - Traditional Forms and Postmodern Expressions
(Contemporary Alevi and Bektashi Religiosity in Turkey and the Balkans - Traditional Forms and Postmodern Expressions)
- Author(s):Yuri Stoyanov
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Islam studies, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:77-95
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:Post-secularism; Heresy; Heterodoxy; Islam; Christianity; Orthodoxy; South-East Europe/Balkans; Ottoman Empire; Alevism; Bektāşīsm; Sufism; Syncretism; Religious Conversion; Slavonic Cultures
- Summary/Abstract:In this paper, the author will be examining the different varieties and expressional forms of the contemporary Alevi/Bektāşī religious identity in modern Turkey and the Balkan countries, with an overview of its historical development spanning from pre-Islamic Central-Asian and neighbouring Christian influences to the XIX and early XX century Ottoman and subsequent Balkan Slavic nation-building policies. With a reference to a vast theoretical and research background, it also sheds light on the syncretic and heterogeneous nature of Bektashi identity and also the contemporary identities of both the Bektashi diaspora and the population of the aforementioned regions. From a theoretical standpoint, the paper also points out the significance of some newly conducted interdisciplinary research that specially focuses on the Anatolian and Balkan communities. Finally, it is noteworthy that, due to modernization processes and urban migrations, a rise of secular, ”progressive“ and left-leaning elements withing these communities has been noticed since the ’60s and ’70s. Such views are sometimes seen as opposed to religious traditionalism of the Bektashi, and sometimes complementary to this groups universalist values.
Concepts of the Unity of Religions in the Teachings of New Age and the Traditionalism of R. Guénon
Concepts of the Unity of Religions in the Teachings of New Age and the Traditionalism of R. Guénon
(Concepts of the Unity of Religions in the Teachings of New Age and the Traditionalism of R. Guénon)
- Author(s):Vladislav Yeryomin
- Language:Serbian
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:97-113
- No. of Pages:17
- Keywords:New Age; integral traditionalism; unity of religions; orthodoxy; esotericism; initiatory chain; individualism
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of the work is to carry out a comparative analysis of the idea of the unity of religions in the teachings of New Age and the traditionalism of R. Guénon in the context of Cultural Studies. The methodology of the research is to combine comparative, logical and historical methods. Scientific novelty. In the post-Soviet space the research of the phenomenon of “New Age” has been conducted since the mid-1990s. Among its researchers D. Manchenko, A. Shchedrin, Yu. Kosorukova can be called. The topic of integral traditionalism is less explored. In domestic science A. Shchedrin, S. Vyshynskyi, O. Gutsulyak are involved in it, but this comparative analysis was not the subject of a separate review. Conclusions. The concepts of the unity of religions in the “New Age” teachings and integral traditionalism have both common and different sides. The first of them demonstrate eclecticism of religious teachings, both among themselves and with ideas of Modernity and Postmodern; R. Guénon seeks to discover esoteric unity of religions, avoiding eclecticism and abstracting as much as possible from the latter.
Some Sociological Aspects of Religiosity
Some Sociological Aspects of Religiosity
(Some Sociological Aspects of Religiosity)
- Author(s):Vladimir B. Bakrač, Predrag R. Živković, EMIL HILTON SAGGAU
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:115-135
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:religion; religiosity; globalization; identity; neoliberalism; welfare state
- Summary/Abstract:Religion, as a social phenomenon, has not always played a central role all societies throughout all times. The period after the Second World War is characterized as such a period. Here religion lost in many modernized societies much of its former social significance. This development was closely bound to the growing atheism and secularism. We argue in this article that religion has been eroded by a series of social transformation. Namely, the industrialization, urbanization, large scale wars, state’s ideological pressure leading to a lack of religious infrastructure and education. Transformation that all could be encapsulated as a sort of modernization. Numerous sociologists of religion have until recently to some level glorified the end of religion in modernity. However, this seems to have been a premature conclusion. In the late eighties and the nineties, the social and cultural reality, as wells as the states support to religion, changed, among other reasons, because of new economic and political developments – e.g. in Eastern Europe. Whether by accident or not, in the period after the fall of communism, religion has become revitalized on the social stage. The revitalization of religion trajects along the same line as globalization and neoliberalism. These two phenomena seem to have changed the foundations of identity, which in turn affects religion, because religion is often used to form the sense of identity and identification. This article takes a deeper look into, how neo-liberalism and globalization has affected religiosity in order to pin out the central determinants and their effect on religiosity.
The Paradoxes a Return of Religion to Public Debates and Political Discourses
The Paradoxes a Return of Religion to Public Debates and Political Discourses
(The Paradoxes a Return of Religion to Public Debates and Political Discourses)
- Author(s):Zora Hesová
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Politics and religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:137-155
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:Religion; Right-wing populism; Catholic Church; Central and Eastern Europe; Culturalism; Christianism
- Summary/Abstract:Religion has made a return into European politics, at least if we are to judge from the appearance and increase of religious arguments, concepts and symbols, especially in the politics of right-wing populists. Nations, national traditions are being redefined around religious events, institutions and personalities; public spaces invested with religious symbols. Political identities and struggles are being articulated increasingly in religious, culturalist and civilizational terms. This article aims to describe the most salient features of this recent and flagrant religious turn of right-wing populist politics, and to analyse ways in which religion is used and redefined by new political actors.
Religion and Nationalism in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia – A Structural Equation Model
Religion and Nationalism in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia – A Structural Equation Model
(Religion and Nationalism in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia – A Structural Equation Model)
- Author(s):Kjell Magnusson
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Theology and Religion, Nationalism Studies, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:157-183
- No. of Pages:27
- Keywords:Religion; Nationalism; Ethnic Distance; Dimensions of Religiosity; SEM (Structural Equation Modeling)
- Summary/Abstract:The purpose is to discuss the relationship between religiosity, national ideology and ethnic distance, based on a sociological survey undertaken in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. Religion is regarded as a multidimensional phenomenon, as is nationalism. In accordance with classical theories on nationalism and social identity theory, a distinction is further made between ethnocentrism and nationalism proper. In order to answer the question whether there is an association between on the one hand religion, and on the other nationalism and ethnocentric attitudes, the method of structural equation modeling has been used. An initial model where ethnocentrism is regarded as an independent dimension was compared to an alternative model where it is understood as an integral part of nationalism. The analysis compares both religious traditions (Islam, Catholicism, and Orthodoxy) as well as different cultural and political contexts (Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia).
Social Development, Traditional Religion Movements and Migrants in Europe
Social Development, Traditional Religion Movements and Migrants in Europe
(Social Development, Traditional Religion Movements and Migrants in Europe)
- Author(s):Nada G. Novaković, Marijana Maksimović
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Theology and Religion, Migration Studies, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:185-205
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:social development; Europe; globalization; migrants; traditional religious movements
- Summary/Abstract:The subject of sociological and economic analysis is the relationship between traditional religious movements, migrants and social development in contemporary Europe. An interdisciplinary approach to researching these phenomena is unavoidable, and sociology and economics can make a significant contribution to it. Therefore, the authors use a variety of scientific materials, data from official domestic and European institutions and find relevant research on these phenomena. The starting point is: international migration has made a significant contribution to social development, and the role of traditional religious movements in society is changing with globalization. Policies of immigration countries towards migrants of different cultures and religions are changing, which often aggravates (or alleviates) the conflicts between migrants and the local population. In the first part of the paper, research is about the characteristics of globalization, its causes, subjects, dynamics the most important economic, social, political, demographic and cultural consequences. The second part is dedicated to the essence of traditional religiousness. The differences between traditional and new religious movements are outlined. The third part deals with the research of the characteristics of international migrants in Europe, which belong to different cultures and religions. Finally, it is concluded that traditional religious movements and migrations have predominantly positive consequences for the immigration country and contribute to economic, social, political and cultural development.
Max Weber on Russia and Orthodoxy: An Analysis of the Collectivist Ethical Basis of Eastern Christianity
Max Weber on Russia and Orthodoxy: An Analysis of the Collectivist Ethical Basis of Eastern Christianity
(Max Weber on Russia and Orthodoxy: An Analysis of the Collectivist Ethical Basis of Eastern Christianity)
- Author(s):Nataša Jovanović Ajzenhamer
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:207-225
- No. of Pages:19
- Keywords:Max Weber; Otherness; Russia; Orthodoxy; Revolution; Collectivist ethical basis
- Summary/Abstract:In this paper, we will focus on the connection between Max Weber’s interpretation of political events in Russia in 19051907 and after 1917 and his interpretation of Orthodoxy as a collective religion. Although we do not consider that there is a direct causality, this connection can be seen on some examples with positive (when it comes to the compatibility of the democratic spirit of the German and Russian people) or negative connotation (when accusing Russia of cooperation with Serbia beyond every rational geopolitical logic, leading by emotions) with which Weber talks about the relationship between Russian national ethics and the spirit of Orthodoxy. From the point of view of the sociology of religion, it will be interesting to explore why Weber puts Orthodoxy in the same category with Islam and Judaism and separates it from the Western variety of Christianity. This view from the history of sociological theories will be an illustration of how cumulative knowledge is an important part of the study and understanding of contemporary phenomena.
Культурологические проблемы религиоз- ной жизни украинских земель в х – XVII вв.
Культурологические проблемы религиоз- ной жизни украинских земель в х – XVII вв.
(CULTUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF UKRAINIAN LAND RELIGIOUS LIFE IN THE X - XVII)
- Author(s):Olga Olegivna Smolina
- Language:Russian
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion, History of Religion
- Page Range:227-247
- No. of Pages:21
- Keywords:religious culture; Kyiv Orthodoxy; Ukrainian lands in X - XVII centuries; binary oppositions; Ukrainian culture
- Summary/Abstract:In the theme of the religious life of the Ukrainian lands of the 10th-17th centuries, despite a significant degree of its study, discussion questions continue to arise. Their consideration from the standpoint of Cultural Studies makes it possible to pay attention to previously unseen aspects, to reveal gaps. In the light of modern complex processes of changing civilizational and axiological landmarks in Ukrainian culture, these topics have not lost their scientific relevance. Therefore, for example, there is a debatable question about the ecology of Slavic paganism, harmonious relations with the nature of the culture that it gave birth, and the miscalculations of Christianity in this area. The justification of the leading role of monasticism in Orthodoxy allows to exclude it from the charge of provocation of modern environmental problems. No less controversial is the question of the version of Christianity that was accepted by Rus’ and the specifics of the Kyiv Orthodoxy. Recognition of the difference between the basic images of Christ in the Byzantine and Slavic perceptions (G.P. Fedotov) makes it possible to identify the peculiarities of Kyiv Orthodoxy. Overall, a set of binary oppositions was the determining factor for the culture of the region in this period, the most significant of which were: terrestrial heavenly, national religious, traditional innovative, own alien, monastery world. It should be noted that their resolution was sought and was in the plane of compromise, softening the tension of the contradiction, for example, the identification of faith and the nation, the attempt to unite churches, the irrelevance of the contradiction between love of God and love for people, etc.
Religiosity and Life Satisfaction in economically Developed European Countries
Religiosity and Life Satisfaction in economically Developed European Countries
(Religiosity and Life Satisfaction in economically Developed European Countries)
- Author(s):Vladimir S. Mentus
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:249-261
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:religiosity; life satisfaction; Europe; secularization; cross-section
- Summary/Abstract:In this paper the relationship between religiosity and life satisfaction in economically developed European countries is examined. The data come from the last round of the European Social Survey, from 2016. This data gives an opportunity to analyze three dimensions of religiosity – self-rating religiosity, frequency of attendance of religious services apart from special occasions, and frequency of praying apart from at religious services. On the other hand, life satisfaction data is provided using the single-item self-rating scale. The data from more than 22,000 respondents from 12 economically developed European countries indicated very weak relationship between all examined religiosity dimensions and life satisfaction. In the discussion, possible explanations for lack of relationship between these variables are provided – in the first place by examining existing evidence that in economically developed societies religion has little importance for individual well-being.
New Religiosity, Posmodern Age and Post-Materialistic Values
New Religiosity, Posmodern Age and Post-Materialistic Values
(New Religiosity, Posmodern Age and Post-Materialistic Values)
- Author(s):Neven V. Cvetićanin, Ivana Arsic
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:263-275
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:postmodern age; post-materialistic values; identity; new devotion; new scientific paradigms; the time of new enchantment
- Summary/Abstract:This paper examines one of the most significant structural changes brought about by post-modern age compared with classical modernism. This structural change can be identified in the eruption of so-called post materialistic values that are evident in the very core ideology of post-modernity; the need for belonging and identity. What results is the creation of new post-modern identities as combinations of traditional forms of identities and emerging forms which were being discovered at the time. The eruption of post materialistic values is witnessed also by the accord between civil (democratic) society and conventional religions after World War II, which gives a new post-modern identity to the epoch. Apart from social movements, research results of so-called positive, or natural sciences, contributed greatly to the promotion of post materialistic values. This new, concrete reality of science in practice is manifested in two new modern paradigmsgeneral relativity and quantum mechanics. This paper will finally reach the conclusion that the era of new post-modern «enchantment» is reflected in the phenomenon of post materialistic values and is opposite to Weber’s modernistic «un enchantment» (Entzauberung) of reality.
Пост-традиционное христианство: православная церковь между ностальгией и антиципацией
Пост-традиционное христианство: православная церковь между ностальгией и антиципацией
(POST-TRADITIONAL CHRISTIANITY: THE ORTHODOX CHURCH BETWEEN NOSTALIGA AND ANTICIPATION)
- Author(s):Zlatko Matić
- Language:Russian
- Subject(s):Theology and Religion, Eastern Orthodoxy, Sociology of Religion
- Page Range:277-291
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:post-traditional Christianity; Eastern Orthodox theology; interpretation of tradition; post-modern; dialogical paradigm
- Summary/Abstract:The text presents the philosophical-theological analysis of the phenomenon of “post-traditional” Christianity and attempts to provide the constructive answer of the Orthodox Church to the challenges that this problem poses to it. The goal is to emphasize the need to make a daring reinterpretation of the conception of tradition, to extract it from the treasury of the archives and to make it alive. For such an undertaking, the dialogue with the modern world is crucial, understanding of the postmodernity, consideration of the understanding of time, identity, history, and tradition. Therefore, it is necessary to suggest a vivid move towards a “dialectical paradigm” to overcome not only homogeneous identities and homogeneous repetition (along with nostalgia and lost paradise), but also naive futurology that afflicts both the Church and the world. The dialogical paradigm is not passive. Dialogical principle invites us to the quest to seek another because love for us is the obligation.
Notes on Contributors
Notes on Contributors
(Notes on Contributors)
- Author(s):Author Not Specified
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Theology and Religion
- Page Range:293-298
- No. of Pages:6
