Review article
Some Theoretical Implications of the Religiosity as a Mass Phenomenon in a Socialist Society
Srđan Vrcan
Abstract
The paper starts with the assumption that the contemporary historical situation in Yugoslavia, particularly in regard to religion and religiosity, may be considered as a privileged situation, which is very relevant for a discussion about the possible theoretical implications and theoretical consequences that from the standpoint of a sociological inquiry on religion, might be drawn from the fact of the persistence of religion and religiosity on mass scale in a global society with a functioning, radically lay social system, but also from the existing trends both to further secularization and a possible religious revival. The contemporary historically situation in Yugoslavia, and in that respect the religious situation in particular, seem to be so arranged by the course of recent historical events, that my be experienced as at least in some respect an almost experimental situation, very dynamic and very open in the prospect for the future. In this connection it is pointed out that it is the Marxist theoretical approach, that must find a theoretically acceptable way to account for the empirical facts of the persistence and vitality of religion and religiosity in their contemporary dimensions on mass scale in a socialist society many years after the victory of the socialist revolution and important transformations in political, economic and cultural organization of the society. But the Marxist approach is facing a dilemma: either to insist on the idea that religion is a symptom of alienation, historically and socially rooted in to the most problematic aspects of human existence, the most drastic human privations and humiliations on mass scale, produced constantly by the existence of on entire world of class society and then to question the radical character of the revolutionary transformations, or to take for granted the radical nature of revolutionary changes and then to forget in fact the fundamental ideas form Marx’ own approach to religion and religiosity. The author insists that after so many hesitations and so many ad hoc hypothesis the time has come to explore a very simple possibility — to return back to Marx, fundamental ideas on religion and religiosity.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
156601
URI
Publication date:
30.6.1971.
Visits: 1.120 *