A philosophical assessment of the ‘New Religion’ phenomenon in the global context today
Van Hau Vu – Thu Nghia Nguyen – Thi Minh Tuan Dang – Thi Thanh Huong Do
DOI: 10.18355/XL.2020.13.03.20
Abstract
With the changing culture and abrupt shifts in the socio-economic and political layouts of our globalized world, the religious situation, too, undergoes major changes. The article analyzes the phenomenon of New Religious Movements (NRM) in its current socio-cultural and political context. After defining the guiding terminology relevant to NRM, we proceed to (1) show the historical roots of this new religious trend, (2) expose the existing diversity of NRM, (3) define their characteristic traits, and philosophical assessment of the phenomenon as a whole (rather than its specific beliefs or practices). The article ends with identifying potential social, psychological, and political impacts of the NRM, calling for epistemological humility on the side of philosophers, and critical openness and cautiousness on the side of governmental institutions.
Key words: New Religious Movements (NRM), modern age, post-modernism, post-industrial age, epistemology
Pages: 241 - 254
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