Question 1

Is postmodernity just another word for secularisation?

Accepted Answer

No, they are distinct concepts. Secularisation theory, in its classic form (e.g., Wilson), argues that religion is in a process of terminal decline. Postmodernists, like David Lyon, argue that religion is not disappearing but is being transformed. Belief is disembedded from traditional institutions and re-emerges in new, individualised forms. This is sometimes called 're-enchantment', a direct challenge to the secularisation thesis.

Question 2

Are New Age movements a type of organised religion like Christianity or Islam?

Accepted Answer

No, the term 'New Age Movement' is a broad umbrella for a highly diverse and diffuse collection of beliefs and practices. Unlike traditional religions, NAMs typically lack formal organisation, hierarchical structures, sacred texts, or collective worship. They are highly individualistic, centred on personal experience and self-development, making them more of a spiritual milieu or 'audience cult' (Stark and Bainbridge) than an organised religion.

Question 3

Do all sociologists agree that we are living in a postmodern era?

Accepted Answer

No, it is a highly contested theory. Some sociologists, like Anthony Giddens, argue that we are not in a new 'postmodern' era but rather in 'late modernity' or 'high modernity'. They suggest that the features described by postmodernists, such as globalisation and individualism, are actually an intensification of modern trends, not a radical break from them. Therefore, you should always treat postmodernism as one perspective among several, not as an established fact.

Religion and post-modernity

What you need to know

Religion and post-modernity