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Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions pp 1528–1531Cite as

New Age Religions

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Related Terms

Meditation; Metaphysics; Mind; Self-help; Spiritualism; Spirituality; Theosophy

Description

New Age religions lack a formal social structure as a whole. Any easily discernible social group is usually based on a common interest in a specific topic, such as meditation, healing, or energy, rather than a formal commitment (Albanese 2008). Any social structure usually develops out of an audience membership or with local teachings from a knowledgeable source. A lot of material familiar to the traditions comes from mass media such as books, videos, and Internet websites and may contribute to the nonsocial structure of New Age religions (Jenkins 2001). There is no set belief system that encompasses all New Age religions traditions; rather, markers such as an emphasis on the mind, metaphysics, meditation, human ability, and science’s role in spirituality are common characteristics.

The most recent developments incorporate scientific and pseudoscientific findings as...

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References

  • Albanese, C. (2002). Rediscovering nature religion. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International.

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  • Albanese, C. (2008). A republic of mind and spirit. New Haven: Yale University Press.

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  • Chasse, B., & Vicente, M. (2005). What the bleep do we know? DVD. 20th Century Fox.

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  • Jenkins, P. (2001). Mystics and messiahs. New York: Oxford University Press.

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  • Melton, J. (1998). Finding enlightenment. Hillsboro: Beyond Words Publishing.

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  • Rothstein, M. (2003). UFO beliefs as syncretistic components. In C. Partridge (Ed.), UFO religions (pp. 256–273). New York: Routledge.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Anthropology, St. Peter’s College, University of Oxford, 51/53 Banbury Road, Oxford, UK

    Justin E. Lane

Authors
  1. Justin E. Lane
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Correspondence to Justin E. Lane .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Systematic Theology, Faculty of Theology, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Anne L. C. Runehov

  2. Pontificia Universita Antonianum, Roma, Italia

    Lluis Oviedo

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Lane, J.E. (2013). New Age Religions. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1497

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_1497

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8264-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8265-8

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

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