Three Types of Liquid Religion

Abstract

This article explores ways to think of religion using Zygmunt Bauman's concept of liquid modernity. The concept of liquid religion opens up perspectives for both "new" and "old" social forms of religion that seem to fiourish within a liquid milieu. Attention is also drawn to three types of relationship between solid and liquid religion. The first type consists of liquid phenomena in the religious sphere: religious events, small communities, global religious networks and virtual communities. The second type consists of phenomena on the boundaries between the religious and the secular sphere, such as religious services in a hospital or a prison. The third type consists of meetings and collective activities outside the religious sphere, such as those in the political and cultural spheres, which nonetheless have important religious qualities. This typology is used to make general observations on the basis of empirical research, mainly conducted in the Netherlands.

‘Islamic’ consumers, markets, and marketing: A critique of El-Bassiouny's (2014) “The one-billion-plus marginalization”

“…With reference to the concepts of 'liquid' and 'transient' (Bauman, 2000;De Groot, 2008) realities of life, Gauthier and Martikainen posit that there has been a shift towards "more experiential rather than creed-based forms of religion", "a move from a regime of orthodoxy towards a regime of orthopraxy" (page 4). Other factors -such as the rapid growth of communication media, erosion of nation-state boundaries that historically described religion and prescribed religiosity, emergence of new forms of religiosities, and the transformation of traditional religious institutions -have collectively given rise to a homogenous form of religiosity that seeks salvation (not necessarily in the life hereafter but in this very worldly life and now) in different ways.…”

Bingo! Holy play in experience-oriented society

“…Events in the non-religious, or secular, sphere included artistic, commercial, political and civic events, each with their particular social dynamics. Since the boundaries between the fields are becoming fluid, events may be part of both the religious and secular fields ( Arfman, 2014 : 53; de Groot, 2008 ).…”

Popular and lived religions

“…However, within this movement of the Church attempting to become more popular, some insiders, although agreeing on the necessary changes to adapt themselves to late modern culture, see these mega-churches as offering uninventive pre-package worship and theology (de Groot, 2008;Drane, 2006;Packard and Sanders, 2013). As a reaction to this, emerging churches have recently started to develop.…”