New Age is Not Inimical to Religion and Traditionalism

摘要

New Age is a complicated issue, as many authors note. Theoretical approaches differ about its nature and very existence, as well as its substance and historic novelty. Of particular note are the disputes about New Age's alleged unique "spirituality" or "subjective-life spirituality" and "holism," its relevance and pervasiveness in contemporary society and culture, and whether the practices of New Age can be found in all strands of Christianity, not to speak of other religions (Heelas 1996; Henriksen 2005; Sutcliffe 2006; Woodhead and Heelas 2000). In our response to Houtman, Aupers, and Heelas (2009), we limit our focus to defending and further strengthening our position that New Age is positively related to both general religiosity and traditionalism, at least in the environments we studied.