The Weakness of the New Age

Question 1

The problem of scale (Example)

Answer 1

Even if New Age forms of individualised religion are springing up, this would have to be on a much larger scale if it is to fill the gap left by the decline of traditional institutionalised religions.

Question 2

Socialisation of the next generation

Answer 2

For a belief system to survive it must be passed down to the next generation. However, in Kendal, only 32% of parents who were involved in the New Age said their children shared their spiritual beliefs.

Question 3

Weak committment

Answer 3

Although many people dabbled in meditation, alternative medicine, astrology, horoscopes and so on, serious commitment was very rare.

Question 4

Structural weakness

Answer 4

New Age lacks an external power to extract commitment from New Age participants against their wishes.
It cannot achieve consensus about its beliefs because everyone is free to believe whatever they wish, so it lacks cohesion as a movement.
It cannot evangelise because it believes that enlightenment comes from within, not from someone else.

These make the New Age structurally weak and unlikely to fill the gap left by the decline of traditional institutional religion.