2008 State of Religion Report
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 7PM
Morse Auditorium
602 Commonwealth Avenue
In The Idea of the Holy, a phenomenological account of Christian mysticism, Rudolph Otto explained the encounter with divinity as the mysterium tremendum et fascinans, the tremendous and fascinating experience. R.Scott Applebee used this account to explain how religion can motivate people either for peace or for violence in The Ambivalence of the Sacred. Another outcome of ambivalence in religious experience, especially in the modern period, seems to be a disconnect from religion, an uprootedness and confusion as to implications of a religious outlook for daily life. This has led many, especially in the west, to identify as "spiritual but not religious." Nevertheless, there is intense interest in religious and spiritual matters globally, including (and perhaps most prevalent among) students in American colleges and universities. Even areas that had previously been understood as becoming increasingly secular are now more accurately understood as maintaining, or even increasing, their religiosity.
This combination of intense interest and ambivalence is precisely the human response to divinity as Otto described. Unfortnately, while the fact of religiosity is now broadly acknowledged, both academically and publicly, the realities surrounding religiosity are less well understood, especially publicly. Why is religion important? And what exactly is it doing?
Thankfully, Boston University Professor Emeritus Peter Berger has been at the forefront of examining just these issues for several decades. Professor Berger is probably best known for his work in the sociology of knowledge, especially in The Social Construction of Reality. He is also frequently cited for his articulation of secularization theory in The Sacred Canopy. Having since publicly and humorously retracted the latter claim, Professor Berger has been at the forefront of interpreting the place of religion in modern culture. This includes his leadership of the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs at Boston University, a research center committed to systematic study of relationships between economic development and sociocultural change around the world. There is no more profound voice to delve into the global state of religion in the world today.
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