Abstract
This study provides a contemporary sociological overview of the place of the afterlife in late modernity. Examining literature emerging from the growing afterlife movement in Western society, the paper provides a sociological framework for studying the rise of popular theology or what I refer to as the spiritualization thesis of late modernity. This postmaterialist thesis argues that modern society is witnessing the rise of a post-secular spirituality rooted in various conceptions of the doctrine of the survival of consciousness after physical death, which are examined here. The study thus offers a theoretical framework to analyze the sociological significance of the growing popular and academic interest in the question of life after death.
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Religious Commonalities and Differences
KEYWORDS
The Afterlife, Eschatology, Survival of Consciousness, Evolutionary Spirituality, Popular Theology
