THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

Globalization of
Religion

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Size of Major Religious Group

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Religion. a unified
system of beliefs and
practice related to
faith, the sacred,
higher moral values
RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
Definition of Religion
"a unified system of beliefs and practices relative
to sacred things-that is to say, things set apart and
forbidden; beliefs and practices which unite into
one single moral community called a Church all
those who adhere to them". (Durkheim iterated in Field, 1995)

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Three essential elements of the definition:
First, religion is defined as an "observable
phenomena", which can be studied
objectively.
Second, it is construed as an organized and
ordered system.
Third, the sacredness of religious entities is
collectively constructed in a social process
toward a united "moral community"
RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
Definition of Religion
"a process, a search for
significance in ways
related to sacred"
(Pargament cited in Xu, 2016)

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Definition of Religion
(People private and personal views)

• Some affiliate with a religion because of affiliation

motivation (to have positive social interaction with
people) (Van Capellen et al., 2017)
• affiliate with a religion as a form of coping with stressful
situations- religious coping (Pargament,1997)

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Definition of Religion
(People private and personal views)

• some relate religion as a spiritual experience outcome

of the experience of the mystical and the divine and a
celebration of their spirituality (Rankin, 2009)
• some look at it as a mechanism promoting self-control
and moral behaviors (Association of Psychological Sciences, 2011)

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

 Religion in the Age of Globalization

Secularization -
diminishing role of
religion in the
society

Secularism – philosophical
view oriented toward the
need for a secular life
beyond one’s religious life RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
 Two distinct perspective related to
secularization in the modern times:
1. the notion of post-secularity or the return of
religious consciousness in the public
sphere;
2. religious modernity, where secularization is
an active process emerging from social
action
RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
 Religious Pluralism and Tolerance
cultural pluralism religious tolerance
• when a small group • allowing others to abide
of shared identity by their religious
maintains their practices and beliefs,
cultural practices as such as consenting the
long as it aligns with establishment of places
the larger society's of worships
norms
RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
In a study among university students, it was
found that adolescents tend to be more tolerant
when they realize how religious tolerance is
part of their religious beliefs and when they are
allowed to appreciate the entire spectrum of
their religious tradition than "be religious
exclusively with a legal-style ideology" (Firdaus, 2018)

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

 Case Study

Baha'i Faith-a small religion with approximately 7 million

followers around the globe (Grim, 2012, in Fozdar, 2015). Baha'i
upholds principles of equality and social justice, peace and
unity, world citizenship, and cultural pluralism, among others
(Fozdar, 2015). In the age of globalization, however, what is
interesting is that Baha'i apparently evolved into a religion that
is taking the route of homogenization-i.e., using Ruhi books as a
central source of doctrine-to systematically and efficiently pass
on its belief systems in a global community (Fozdar, 2015).
RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
 Religious Fundamentalism
The belief that there is one set of religious teachings that
clearly contains the fundamental, basic, intrinsic, essential,
inerrant truth about humanity and deity; that this essential
truth is fundamentally opposed by the forces of evil which
must be vigorously fought; that this truth must be followed
today according to the fundamental, unchangeable
practices of the past; and that those
who believe and follow these fundamental teachings
have a special relationship with the deity.

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

 Varying Opinions about Religious
Fundamentalism
• cognitive and affective processes that
influence behavior (Kossowska et al., 2018)
• linked to some form of conflict and
hostility toward people of different
belief systems (Koopmans, 2014)
RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
 Manifestation of Religious
Fundamentalism (Ylmaz, 2006)
• nonviolent intolerance ("extreme
identification with a particular religion")
• violent intolerance ("direct use of physical
violence in pursuing subjectively-defined
religious missions")
RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD
 Glocalization of Religions
• “universal religion is thematized alongside local
particularity" (Beyer, 2007, cited by Roudometof, 2013)

• linked with deterritorialization-the flow of religious

traditions in areas where these traditions are unfamiliar
or unpopular, paving way for the emergence of
transnational religions-i.e., "religion 'going global"
(Roudometof, 2015)

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Forms of Glocalization

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Forms of Glocalization

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD

Activity
Write an essay: In the age of globalization, does religion
matter, and how?

RUEL G. GERONA, LPT, PhD