Rutkevich E.D. Western Sociology about Religion in Modern World

Abstract

Last decades there are several global trends in the Western sociology. Firstly, rethinking correlation between modernity and secularization, the assumption of universal and irreversible character   secularization’s  processes, leading to revising secularization theories and shift from unending debates of secularization to fruitful cultural-historic empiric researches of “public religions, “multiple secularizations”, “multiple globalizations”, “deprivatization of modern religion”. There are also significant resonance and spreading of new approach to the study of religion – “ideological critique”- questioning usual (euro-centric) religion’s definitions and descriptions and maintaining inseparable connection of religion-secular. New sight on religion and spirituality is constituted, resulting in the gradual forming new discipline “sociology of spirituality. Widely spreading of evangelical Christianity all over the world in conjunction with native religions brings to hybridization and syncretism of religious traditions. All these changes confirm rather religion’s “return” and growth, than its decline, although in new form and quality. In the focus of this article – some approaches and problems accompanied the study of these trends