Today's lecture on fast and slow religion was most poignant. Slow religion being usurped by New Age spirtiualities and fast religion does hit a wistful nerve in me. I think the old religious 'marketplaces', rituals and orthopraxy are so beautiful and wonderfully collective. However as Australian society has become more fast paced with work, studying and generally a 'busy' connotation, fast religion is becoming more necessary. A believer can now use their iPhone or foxtel to catch the weeks sermon while on the bus, or walking to work. This individual experience meshes with the privatization of self that we see people exhibited in these age. When you catch a train or bus most people have their ear phones in, locked in their private world. It is a good thing that religion can adapt and change to meet societal needs.
In saying that, the religions that are categorized as 'slow' religions, may be incorrectly viewed as authocthontic, however they were once 'fast' religions. For example the rise of Christianity in the Hellenistic world. In that era Christianity was branching out, using different modes and methods of experiencing the (transcendent) and to gain followers. I think this shows us that in order to survive, history has already shown us that religion and spirituality needs to be adaptive and reflexive of the society.
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Interesting perspective Billie. Taking us back in time to see how religions had to adapt overtime to changing conditions.
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