評Peter Beyer的《宗教與全球化》

A Comment on Peter Beyer's Religion and Globalization

張洪勝(Cheung Hung Shing)

《道風：基督教文化評論》 12期 (2000/01) Pp. 295-307+338-339

並列摘要

In recent decades, the whole world seems undergoing a process of globalization. Thus globalization becomes a hot topic and common interest in recent academic discussion, which also attracts and influences the study-trend of religion. Peter Beyer has thoroughly and deeply examined the relationship between globalization and religion. He trenchantly boils down globalization of religion into two streams, so called privatization (or individuation) of religion and performance of religion. Following the way, therefore, this article focuses on introducing and expounding these two concepts. According to Peter Beyer's observation, globalization hampers the process of individualization and differentiation of social systems, which leaves so many social communications undetermined - also called residual sphere. Differentiation of social systems means a unified and embracing system passing away, and privatization of religion effects in both ways: the leveling down of the importance of the representatives of religion to public influences and privatized decision-making through complementary social roles. In other way, differentiation of social systems produces a number of residual problems (social problems) which cannot be tackled by the systems themselves. This lets religion have the opportunity to activate its traditional influences to public by various ways. This is so-called the performance of religion. Globalization of religion just ensures us again that in the 21^(st) century religion will still have to face these two processes.