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New Ag The New Age Essay

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The term ‘New Age’ refers to a wide range of mind-body-spirit ideas, interests and therapies from across the globe that started to become prominent in the late 1970s. Heelas (2008) estimates that there are 2,000 such activities and 146,000 practitioners in the UK. According to Heelas (1996), the wide range of ideas and activities of the New Age are characterised by two common themes: self-spirituality and detraditionalisation (the rejection of tradition ‘external’ religions and sources of spiritual authority and instead valuing personal experiences). For the growth of New Age to be evidence for a spiritual revolution, it would have to be enough to replace the declining influence of traditional religions.

The extent to which the New Age is causing a spiritual revolution will depend on the definition of religion that is used - broad or narrow (Hansen). Using the narrow content view that religion involves the belief in a God or the supernatural, the New …show more content…

In the Kendal Project, Heelas and Woodhead (2005) found the most popular activities were yoga, massage, aromatherapy, homeopathy and reflexology. Bruce (2002) argues that all New Age religions have five common features: an emphasis on the self; a holistic approach with the mind, body and spirit all connected to the environment and the supernatural; a belief that there is no authority higher than the individual and no single truth; people being able to mix the vast range of beliefs, therapies and techniques in ‘the global cafeteria’; and the aim of making individuals more successful, happy and healthy. Despite, these common features, New Age beliefs vary. For example, they include world-affirming aspects that help people to succeed in the everyday outer world and world-rejecting elements that allow individuals to achieve enlightenment in their inner

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