Dick Houtman

TL;DR: This article used data from the World Values Survey to study the spread of post-Christian spirituality in 14 Western countries (1981•2000, N = 61,352) and found that this type of spirituality, characterized by a sacralization of the self, has become more widespread during the period 1981•2000 in most of these countries.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on different kinds of things that matter for religion, including sacred artifacts, images, bodily fluids, sites, and electronic media, and offer a wide-ranging set of multidisciplinary studies that combine detailed analysis and critical reflection.

TL;DR: This paper analyzed survey data collected among the Dutch population at large in 1998 and concluded that the decline of the Christian tradition and the growth of nonreligiosity as well as New Age are caused by increased levels of moral individualism (individualization).

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that New Age spirituality is substantially less unambiguously individualistic and more socially and publicly significant than today's sociological consensus acknowledges, and propose a radical socologisation of New Age research to document how the doctrinal ideal of self-spirituality is socially constructed, transmitted, and reinforced and critically to deconstruct rather than re...

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that New Age spirituality is substantially less unambiguously individualistic and more socially and publicly significant than today's sociological consensus acknowledges, and propose a radical socologisation of New Age research to document how the doctrinal ideal of self-spirituality is socially constructed, transmitted, and reinforced and critically to deconstruct rather than re...