Post-Secular Re-Dimensioning of Religion

Alisa Peçi

Abstract

From a sociological point of view, this paper deals with the consequences brought by the narrowing of religion in the secularist period and the need for its expansion in social aspects. With the beginning of the modern era religion lost the direction of social and cultural life. It is argued that, religious institutions were forced to limit their activity to private matters, genuinely religious. In the middle of the last century, the revaluation of the positions of religion in society began. It is argued that, a range of sociologists, such as; Peter Berger, Jürgen Habermas, Charles Taylor, Jose Casanova, etc., analyzed the secular period, and raised a number of post-secular problems. Based on the opinion of sociologists it is argued that, scholars had done an insufficient examination of religion, failing to identify a range of opportunities it offers in the trajectory of social activities. Sociologists also took note of the positive attributes, which appeared in many directions during the period of secularism. It is argued that, in Albania, the policy towards religion went in the opposite direction. The 1976 constitution de jure sanctioned what had been done de facto, in the years of the monist regime, by outlawing religion. Based on the opinion of sociologists, it is argued that, the period of pluralistic developments requires learning to live together in a diverse world and the role that religious knowledge can play in this process. Still, good intentions to acquire satisfying competencies are vital but insufficient. People, whether believers or laymen, feel pleasure when they manage to manifest something good. This requires finding a common denominator between secular and non-secular, despite different traditions. The potency of society requires the discovery of ways in which the collaborative framework can be realized. Secular citizens can and should recognize and appreciate the religious heritage of the country and world culture. This can be achieved by placing religion in its cultural context. Organizations, believers, and clergy themselves have an obligation to engage in social engagement and public debate. This would require not only commitment, but also contemporary skills in dealing with social problems. The study is based on the qualitative research method. The study is located in the Region of Tirana. Due to the potentials that this region has, opportunities are created to make generalizations at the national level. Key words: Post-Secular developments, pluralistic developments, social aspects, religious culture, public discourse.


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