The rise of Materialism
Increasingly materialistic nature of society
There seems to be close correlation between the rise of materialism, particularly in the
western world and the growth in new religious expressions. It is evident that the
abundant wealth and prosperity advertised and promoted in a materialist society
creates in individuals a strong desire to gain a significant share in this wealth.
Some new age religions attest to being a means of gaining wealth
This desire can also be accompanied by a wish to gain wealth and prosperity
quickly and without great effort on the part of the individual. As a consequence
of these desires, many people are attracted to philosophies and approaches which
claim to facilitate a quick and certain accumulation of wealth for those who follow it.
A number of new religious expressions advocate ways of achieving individual wealth
and prosperity and appeal very strongly to many individuals in materialist societies.
Cult of individualism
A second factor related to the growth of materialism is what is often referred to as the
cult of individualism. Materialism often encourages individuals to seek their own
fulfilment and satisfaction without regard for others. Many examples of new
religious expression are characterised by their claim to achieve personal fulfilment
and wellbeing. There is, therefore, a clear and strong link between the aims of
materialism and the claims of many new religious expressions.
Personal wellbeing offered as a commodity
A third aspect of the relationship between the rise of materialism and the growth in
new religious expressions is the ethos of consumerism. Consumerism effectively
claims that personal fulfilment, happiness and wellbeing can be "purchased" as a
kind of commodity. Such claims are particularly evident in media advertising. The
notion of depicting fulfilment and wellbeing as commodities which can be purchased
provides an environment where individuals will use their material wealth to try and
buy the things that will make them happy. In this environment, programs,
philosophies and practices which purport to provide this fulfilment and wellbeing are
commodities which can be bought and sold.
Scientific progress
The impact of scientific progress on the growth in new religious expressions is
directly related to the effect of scientific progress on the status and authority of
traditional religious beliefs and practices.
Science can undermine faith in traditional religious institutions
In many situations, new religious expressions are taken up by people who feel that
traditional religious beliefs and practices have not fulfilled a particular role or met a
particular need. When scientific progress has the effect of undermining or reducing
the authority of religious traditions then it is inevitable that some people will go in
search of other religious expressions to meet their needs.
The place of religion in providing explanation for matters of concern to humankind
has been significantly affected by progress in the field of the sciences. Increasingly
science has achieved developments which raise questions about the worldview of
traditional religious understanding.
While this tension between religious understanding and scientific discovery is not a
new one, recent decades have seen rapid growth in scientific knowledge and
discoveries in fields which have raised serious questions for some religious
perspectives.
Not all scientific discoveries provide such challenges, however, recent decades have
seen work done in areas which seem to directly challenge and confront traditional
religious perspectives.
Examples of how science can challenge religion
Developments in the field of genetics has called into question the role of a divine
creator in light of the capability of cloning different species. Discoveries drawn from
space exploration have raised new questions about the origins and development of our
solar system.
While many people holding religious beliefs will not be overly concerned by such
developments, for others they raise significant challenges. In particular there are two
types of people who are likely to be affected by these challenges in a way which may
cause them to abandon traditional religious beliefs.
A simplistic understanding of religious truth can lead to loss of faith
Some people who have an unsophisticated understanding of the relationship
between religious truth and scientific truth are likely to find discoveries of this type
to be confirmation of the failure of religion in this area. As a consequence, some are
likely to abandon traditional religious beliefs and practices, believing them to be
discredited by scientific discoveries.
Fundamentalist understandings of religious truths can lead to loss of faith
A second group who are likely to be affected are those who hold literal or
fundamentalist understandings of religion. Such people may be devastated by the
impact of discoveries which seem to disprove matters which they had regarded as
utterly reliable on the basis of their biblical authority. To have such things
overturned by scientific discoveries may lead to a loss of faith and sense of
disillusionment on the part of such people.
Thus, scientific progress can challenge the religious perspectives of some people and
as a consequence of their disillusionment they may begin seeking answers in other
areas. New expressions of religion provide many attractive options to people in such
situations and it is likely that scientific progress has indeed had the effect of causing
disillusionment in some people which ultimately leads them into taking up
alternatives to their traditional religious beliefs.
Many new age religions have a pseudo-scientific basis
While scientific progress can have the role of challenging and confronting some
aspects of religious belief, it can and does also provide a new avenue of religious
expression. Many examples of new expressions of religion have a pseudoscientific basis. Some claim to provide healing, fulfilment, wellbeing etc through
harnessing of the power drawn from some aspect of scientific progress.
Such pseudo-scientific approaches can have considerable appeal to some people. The
association with science provides them with a degree of authenticity which many
people find reassuring.
Growth of ecological awareness
Closeness to the environment can be a healing thing
Many examples of new religious expression have close connections with the
environment. As such they are particularly attractive to people who feel that
closeness to the environment is a fulfilling and/or healing thing.
New age religions adapt animistic and ancient nature religions
A number of these new religious expressions are adaptations of animistic
perspectives and ancient nature religions. They seek to recapture elements of
universal power which they believe are available through the natural environment.
These might include rituals to connect to spiritual elements of the environment or
possibly the use of natural elements in some therapeutic or medicinal way.
The growth of ecological awareness in recent generations has made a significant
contribution to the awareness of the beauty and sanctity of creation as well as its
power and fragility. With this growing awareness there is an opportunity for people to
become attracted to the types of new religious expression which have close
connections to ecological concerns.
Some new religious expressions and spiritualities make use of the connection between
the human person and their natural environment as a source of healing and personal
enrichment. These may include nature retreats, rituals involving elements of nature
and prayers invoking a power or spirit from within creation.
Adoption of nature's inherent wisdom by new age religions
Other forms of new religious expression focus more on a study of ecology to learn
ways of living in harmony with the environment and responsibly using the healing
and therapeutic elements of the earth to provide for the needs of human beings. These
examples do not seek the intervention of an earth spirit but rather belief that there is a
traditional wisdom within the environment which can be beneficial to humankind
if studied and explored.
Disenchantment with traditional religious practice
and guidance
Key reason for the growth of new age religions
It is far from coincidental that the growth in new religious expressions and
spiritualities is occurring at a time when there is a steady decline in the numbers of
people who are following traditional religious practices. In many cases the
disenchantment with traditional religious practice and guidance is the primary
reason for an individual seeking fulfilment in other religious practices.
Traditional religious support is often seen as meaningless
Many people have simply found that traditional religious practices do not provide
a relevant and meaningful support for them in the challenges they face in the
modern world. Such people often find the rituals of these traditions to be detached
from the concerns of their daily lives, they also find the guidance on moral and ethical
issues to be harsh and unreasonable.
Decline in the authority of religious leaders
In addition to the question of relevance, there has also been a serious loss of
confidence in the authority of religious leaders and representatives. This is partly
due to a perception that their leadership is out of touch with the concerns of the
modern world and partly due to a serious breach in trust resulting from various
instances of abuse which have come to light in recent decades.
It is socially acceptable not to follow a traditional religious belief
Finally, the increasing secularism in western societies such as Australia means that
there is no social imperative for a person to follow a traditional religious belief.
There is no sanction, moral or otherwise, against a person who chooses not to adopt a
religious belief and there is no social or cultural pressure for a person to conform to
religious standards or practices.
Many still hold religious beliefs of some form
Given the extent of the grounds for disenchantment with traditional religious practices
it is hardly surprising to note that only a small percentage of Australians regularly
attend religious services and even fewer use religious authority and teaching as a
primary source of ethical guidance.
Although approximately 75% of the Australian population are nominally Christian,
statistics on Church attendance show that between 10 and 20% or these nominal
Christians attend Church services regularly. Overall it would be very optimistic to
claim that one in five Australians are regular in their practice of traditional religion
and/or rely on religious authority and teaching to guide their moral and ethical
decisions.
Despite the relatively small numbers who regularly take part in religious services,
there are apparently many Australians who hold religious beliefs such as believing
in a divine being, believing in some type of afterlife or rebirth and believing that there
is a divine purpose or plan for human beings. Some studies have shown that up to
90% of Australians hold such religious beliefs yet many of these do not identify with
the traditional religious practices available to them.
The reality of the disenchantment with traditional religious practice and guidance and
the decline in the numbers of people who are following these religious practices
provides an interesting juxtaposition with the relatively high percentage of the
population who espouse some type of religious faith or belief.
In this environment, it is not surprising that many who have become disenchanted
with traditional religious beliefs and guidance are being attracted to the range of new
religious expressions and spiritualities. The breadth of options available, the focus on
personal fulfilment, the absence of authorities and structures and the appeal of the
exotic are among a number of reasons that those disenchanted with mainstream
religions may be attracted to new religious expressions and spiritualities.