Spiritual Shopping

• Hervieu-Lerger (2000;2006): Decline in institutional religion in Europe due to Cultural Amnesia as less youths inherit religion
• Hervieu-Lerger 2006: trend towards social equality has undermined the traditional power of the church to impose religion from above
• Hervieu-Lerger 2006: Individual consumerism hsa replaced collective religion
• Hervieu-Lerger 2006: People have become spiritual shoppers
• Hervieu-Lerger 2006: two new types of religious types

  1. Pilgrims: follow an individual path of self improvement
  2. Converts: join religious groups with a strong sense of belonging
• Hervieu-Lerger 2006: related to late modernity where some trends have accelerated explaining the weakening of traditional institutions as well as the growing importance of individual choice in religion