Individualism and Religion in Contemporary Society

Abstract

This article investigates how modern and postmodern individualism has transformed religion in Europe, not by erasing it but by reshaping its role and meaning. It contrasts holistic societies, where collective hierarchy is sanctified, with individualistic societies that elevate equality and subject authority to rational scrutiny. From this shift emerges the “autonomous self,” which separates rational public life from private spheres of conviction and belief. The study then highlights the “Second Individualist Revolution” or “Age of Narcissism,” marked by the extension of choice into ethics and daily life, the decline of ascetic discipline, and the rise of self-realization and bodily concerns. Within this climate, Christianity undergoes “internal secularization,” expressed as the individualization of faith: religion becomes a reservoir of resources selectively drawn upon for comfort, meaning, and celebration, while obligations and moral rigor are often set aside. This dynamic raises concerns of relativism and diffuse religiosity, though it also opens possibilities for new forms of justice, cooperation, and human rights. The article concludes by examining the proliferation of New Religious Movements and the emergence of an “Esoteric Nebula,” underscoring the complex ways individualism continues to reshape Europe’s religious landscape.