By Katie Cosgrove
This week I read Spirituality and the Re-branding of Religion by Jeremy Carrette and
Richard King. This article discusses the problems associated with contemporary
use of spirituality for supporting corporatization or the rebranding of
religion as spirituality. It at first seems surprising that spirituality could
even be associated with economic and political gain, yet Carrett and King argue
that it traces back to the enlightenment (2012:60).
Carrett and King point out that through out history there
has of course always been the presence of religion in economics. The rebranding
of religion as spirituality in corporatization is different it is a new
development, one that has a monopoly of the term spirituality (2012:62).
The article discusses how there is an increased
interest in spirituality in contemporary society in the form of new age and
self -development. These forms of spirituality are now incorporated into
everyday society through education, health and business (2012:59). It seems that spirituality for many
people has replaced traditional religion.
Spirituality has become so influential as it is seen
as an avenue to healing and transformation that traditional religion could not
offer (2012:59). Yet Carrette and King argue that spirituality has been taken
over by a capitalist society that we live in today. That it is important to
challenge the use of spirituality for gaining economic, political and corporate
gain (2012:60).
Carrette and King argue that this spirituality employed
in corporatization is packaged as transformative and trendy yet it does little
for helping a person actually transform there life (2012:62). Religion is being
rebranded as spirituality in clothing and perfume and in the purchasing of
relgious buildings and ideas to promote certain values all to support
capitalism (2012:65).
Even though Carrett and
King argue that there is an exploitation of spirituality for the purpose of
corporate gain the important point to challenge is the way in which spirituality
is being used to
“smooth out resistance to
the growing power of corporate capitalism and consumersim as the defining
ideology of our time” (2012:65) .
That this issue is important to address as
our world is being dominated, eroded and driven by capitalism.
References:
Carrette J. and R. King. 2012. Spirituality and the Re-branding
of Religion. In Lynch G. and J. Mitchell with A. Strhan. Eds., Religion,
Media and Culture: A Reader. 59-70. London and New York: Routledge.
Image Source:
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