Secularization, in this context, refers not to a decline or disappearance but to a through transformation of religion under the impact. This fascinating work presents the first comprehensive analysis of new age religion and its historical backgrounds, thus providing a means of orientation in the bewildering variety of the movement. Download new age religion and western culture pdf ebook new age religion and western culture new age religion and western culture ebook author by judith r. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read new age religion and western culture. New age religion and western culture pdf ticketsinterf7. They pick and mix what they believe with bits taken from both eastern and western culture and religions.
With memories of the second world war still fresh in peoples minds, the work highlights the striking relevance of a study of medieval culture. They point out that new age more than normal institutionalized religions, are uniquely. Leiden new york cologne 1996 state university of new york press. New age beliefs common among religious, nonreligious.
But mystics have always remained on the margins of the western religious establishment. Hanegraaff w 1998 new age religion and western culture. Hanegraaff regarded the new age as a form of popular culture criticism, in that it. Jan 01, 1996 hanegraaffs doctoral dissertation explores the phenomenon of new age religiosity in terms of the greater field of western esotericism and examines it via the etic lens of objective analysis pioneered by previous scholars such as frances yates 18991981 and antoine faivre b. Hanegraaff regarded the new age as a form of popular culture criticism, in that it represented a reaction against the dominant western values of judeochristian religion and rationalism, adding that new age religion formulates such criticism not at random, but falls back on the ideas of earlier western esoteric groups. New age religion and western culture esotericism in the mirror of secular thought by wouter j. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought suny series, western esoteric traditions reprint by hanegraaff, wouter j. Hanegraaff state university of new york press, 1998 this book is the first comprehensive analysis of new age religion and its historical backgrounds.
Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought brill. The new age movement is the first comprehensive and affordable book on new age to appear it has an equally comprehensive but more expensive competi tor in wouter hanegraaffs new age religion and western culture. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought recent years have seen a spectacular rise of the new age movement and an everincreasing interest in its beliefs and manifestations. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought in pdf, epub, mobi, kindle online.
The celebration of the self and the sacralization of modernity, oxford blackwell 1996. New age religion and western culture is a gold mine of wellargued research by religious studies scholar wouter j. Making extensive use of primary sources, the author thematically analyses new age beliefs from the perspective of the study of religions. The first chapter introduces the new age movement as the contemporary manifestation of a longstanding occult tradition in the west. At once part consumer culture and part counterculture, the new age is something of a conundrum that raises alluring. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought wouter j. In fact, western culture is currently experiencing a phenomenal, spiritual, ideological, and sociological shift. Furthermore, the new age movement is both the symptom of a culture in deep crisis and the wrong answer to this situation of cultural crisis, its worries, questions, aspirations and hopes religioni e sette nel mondo. New age religion and western culture esotericism in the mirror of secular thought studies in the history of religions, 72. Presents the first systematic analysis of the structure and beliefs of the new age movement, and the historical emergence of new age as a secularized version of western esoteric traditions.
And in the new testament the same idea is to be found. This groundbreaking publication is compulsive reading for all those involved or interested in the new age movement. The author, currently a research fellow at utrecht university in the netherlands, is an accomplished young scholar in the field loosely called esotericism. The term new age was first used by a spiritual movement that emerged. It is a multifocused, multifaceted synthesis, in varying degrees, of the far eastern, mystical. Comparison of jewish, christian and muslim traditions. This thesis examines the new age spiritual movement in its relationship with indigenous cultures. New age religion and western culture hanegraaff, wouter j. Religion and the rise of western culture 1950 is the book compiled from the second series of gifford lectures delivered by christopher dawson at the university of edinburgh between 1948 and 1949. Massimo introvigne, cesnur center for studies of new religions, torino, italy. The new age movement represents the historically innovative phenomenon of a secular type of religion based upon a radically private symbolism. While eightinten christians say they believe in god as described in the bible, sixinten believe in one or more of the four new age beliefs analyzed here, ranging from 47% of evangelical protestants to roughly seveninten.
Its great merit is the clear and unambiguous way in which it. New age is a range of spiritual or religious beliefs and practices which rapidly grew in the western world during. New age simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought new age religion and western culture.
The celestine prophecy celestine workbook the tenth insight. Cohen ioannides and dimitri ioannides 12 buddhism, tourism and the middle way 172 c. New age spirituality is fastfood religion perfectly suited for a postmodern culture like ours. The celestine prophecy celestine workbook the tenth. And this for the simple reason that our culture, western cu. Hanegraaff presents the first systematic analysis of the structure and beliefs of the new age movement, and the historical emergence of new age as a secularized version of western esoteric traditions. Hanegraaffs book new age religion and western culture. This fascinating work presents the firstever comprehensive analysis of new age religion and its historical backgrounds, thus providing the reader with a means of orientation in the bewildering variety of the movement. They believe in religious pluralism that people are free to decide what they believe and how they use it in their lives. New age religion and western culture esotericism in the. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought 19961998 download. New age thought really transcends in contemporary western culture and what it fails to. The term new age itself refers to the age of aquarius, which. This causes, that the practicians turn their minds.
New age to postmodern age the cultural location of. The new age movement is both a religious and a social movement. Oct 01, 2018 but new age beliefs are not necessarily replacing belief in traditional forms of religious beliefs or practices. New age religion and western culture esotericism in the mirror of secular thought series. Pdf religion, cultural studies and new age sacralization. It blends the theology of pantheistic eastern religions with practices from western occultism. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought, brill, leiden 1996, state university of new york press, albany 1998. New age religion and western culture uc press journals. Estericism in the mirror of secular thought has 1 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace.
Oct 18, 2014 below is the index for my posts inspired by this excellent book. Recent years have seen a spectacular rise of the new age movement and an everincreasing interest in its beliefs. We periodically post new versions of the handbook as we accumulate new. It is a religious worldview that is alien and hostile to christianity. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Recent years have seen a spectacular rise of the new age movement and an everincreasing interest in its beliefs and manifestations. The 600 pages in this academic volume are packed with insights and information for religious scholars, meditators, and researchminded spiritual seekers who desire indepth knowledge about the origins of esoteric and. The new age, also called the new age movement is a kind of spiritual belief and way of life held by some westerners.
Hanegraaff, journaljournal for the scientific study of religion, year1996, volume36, pages628. The spiritual resources of the church had not been seriously impaired by the. Many western mystics have trodden a path familiar to the buddhist seekers. Pdf religion, cultural studies and new age sacralization of. The author examines new age beliefs from the perspective of the. Part 1 characteristics and origins of the new age movement. Esotericism in the mirror of nature, leiden new yorkkoln brill 1996. Hanegraaff, 9780791438541, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Hanegraaff painstakingly reconstructs the sources of them in western.
Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought 19980401 00. Religion, cultural studies and new age sacralization of. This thesis is developed against the background of a threepart definition of religion, according to which religion in general may manifest in the form of either religions or spiritualities. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought 19961998.
Feb 01, 1998 new age religion and western culture by wouter j. Making extensive use of primary sources, the author thematically. Rather than dismissing the intellectual content of new age beliefs. The buddha made no claim to be any kind of deity or to have 4 the new.
The age of aquarius 333 the timing of the new age the pathos of changethe moderate new age the age of light 3. Brill isbn 9004106960 pb 106952 hb suny isbn 0791438546 pb. The shift from old to new 344 the potentials of crisisevolution of. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought 19961998 wouter j. Six common traits of new age that distort spirituality. Religion and the rise of western culture christopher. Description new age religion and western culture wouter j. Historical religions versus universal spirituality 324 exoteric religions perennial wisdom chapter twelve. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought ebook written by wouter j. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought suny series, western esoteric traditions suny series in western. Wouter hanegraaffs book is the fullest and most incisive overview to date of new age religion as an intellectual movement. Indigenous spiritual traditions have been appropriated to support relevant new age theories. New age religion and secularization 293 new agers themselves tend to present a highly biased and factually misleading picture of these traditions8but from a historical point of view it is true that the new age movement has indeed emerged from what may be referred to as esoteric currents in western culture.
Religious and non religious spirituality in the western world new age lausanne occasional paper no. The modem new age has seen an extensive democratisation of these essentially religious pursuits, and the extent of their secularisation is such that their new age or mystical status is often unacknowledged. The new age movement represents the historically innovative phenomenon of a. The significant cultural shift to an eastern, new age spiritual subculture. New age religion and western culture esotericism in the mirror of. It critiques new age perceptions of indigenous cultures as. Jesus christ the bearer of the water of life a christian. Through an interpretation of new age spirituality, this article is concerned with how cultural studies as a discipline that emerged in the shadow of secularization theory can be involved in the reappraisal of religion. Esotericism in the mirror of secular thought, authorw. Wouter hanegraaff, new age religion and western culture. Jan 21, 2016 pdf download new age religion and western culture. Preliminary demarcation of the field channeling healing and personal growth new age science.
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