New Age Religion and Globalization

Book excerpt: New globalized religions take two forms. Unlike new religions such as Transcendental Meditation, the former Unification Church and The Family - which are just a few of the recent religions to form networks of essentially identical communities around the world - the New Age beliefs discussed in this volume have spread without the benefit of any organisation or unified culture, and their more diffuse nature resists easy categorisation. While some of the chapters in this publication consider aspects of the general nature of New Age religion - spiritual imperialism versus cultural diversity, the overlap of globalisation and westernisation, the sources of New Age revelation and whether another age will follow - the remaining chapters are case studies which examine particular New Age beliefs, including the healing movement, the spiritualization of money, and the UFO, Gnostic and goddess myths. The book will appeal not only to scholars of the history of religions and sociology of religion, but also to those with an interest in New Age religious beliefs.