Religion, Development, and Changing Paradigms
Since European feudalism was overtaken by the commercial-industrial culture of contemporary western society, an underlying theme has been one of development. The understanding of development has undergone some changes over time, though an economic theme has always been present. Supported by the work...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[publisher not identified]
1988
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| In: |
Sociological analysis
Year: 1988, Volume: 49, Pages: 33S-48S |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Since European feudalism was overtaken by the commercial-industrial culture of contemporary western society, an underlying theme has been one of development. The understanding of development has undergone some changes over time, though an economic theme has always been present. Supported by the work ethic legitimated in the Protestant Reformation, the developmental theme has been nurtured and expanded in the United States through the experience of settlement, the western frontier, and the exploitation of the vast resources of the continent, along with a unifying sense of nationhood, until the United States has become a global exemplar of development, exporting its cultural and economic patterns throughout the world.This paper traces some of that development from its early beginnings in Europe to the present, and some of the religious forms that have accompanied the process. Following McLoughlin, attention is given four periods of “awakenings” in American society and their relation to the development of modern American culture. The fourth, identified as the present time, is examined through the lens of Wallace's theory of revitalization movements, in order to test whether current changes in the society and its religious expressions represent a major break with a culture of development or indicate simply a redefinition of the notion of development to an emphasis on the individual rather than the economy.Serious questions emerge concerning the public applicability of an ethic of individual development. As yet, no religious “awakening” seems to have emerged to provide this ethic with sufficient public relevance. In the meantime, other religious movements challenge the whole idea of development, but so far have not coalesced with sufficient power to underwrite a major cultural shift. No positive answer can be given the question of future directions. |
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| ISSN: | 2325-7873 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociological analysis
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3711142 |