當代台灣社會中的宗教浮現：以社會分化過程為焦點所做的初步考察

The Visible Religion: Social Differentiation and Religious Ferment in Modern Taiwan

丁仁傑(Jen-Chieh Ting)

《台灣社會研究季刊》 41期 (2001/03) Pp. 205-270

https://doi.org/10.29816/TARQSS.200103.0005

摘要

本文的目的，在對於台灣當代的各種宗教現象提出一整體性的分析架構。運用源自於社會分化概念的分析角度，以宗教制度在社會結構位置上的變遷做為觀照點，本文指出，宗教的由「無形」到「看得見」的這一個變化，是當代台灣社會宗教現象發展的主要基調，這一個變化的過程與近代西方社會宗教制度變遷的過程有所差異。在本文的分析架構中，以三種基本型態來看待今日台灣整體社會宗教團體滋生蔓延的情況，1．宗法性傳統宗教剩餘，2．核心性宗教替代，和3．邊陲性宗教擴張。而主要在以「邊陲性宗教擴張」這一標記來理解當代台灣各種新興宗教現象的實質內涵，有助於我們對台灣與其它地區像是歐美與日本等地的新興宗教現象間做一基本區別。本文最後對於西方學界中的世俗化與私人化等理論，以及本地學者對於台灣當代新興宗教現象所曾提出過的各種解釋也做了一定程度的檢討與反省。

關鍵字

新興宗教 ； 新興宗教運動 ； 台灣宗教 ； 社會分化 ； 世俗化 ； 私人化

並列摘要

This paper offers a general framework for the study of new religions in modern Taiwan. Based upon the concept of ”social differentiation” and the examination of changes in position in social structure, it is pointed out that in terms of the dimension of institutional change, the forms of religion in Taiwan can be characterized as having progressed from the previous ”invisible” to the current ”visible” form. In this paper, a characterization of the three types of religions in modern Taiwan are explained as: 1. residues of patriarchal religions; 2. substitutes for core religions; and 3. an expansion of peripheral religions. Clearly, it is the latter that has made most religions sharply more visible in modern Taiwan. The characteristics of the new religions in Taiwan are distinct from those in the West and in Japan. Finally, we discuss how the theories of secularization and privatization can or cannot be applied to the present situation in Taiwan today, and why the theories of new religions in modern-day Taiwan, as proposed by other researchers, have failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.

並列關鍵字

New Religion ； New Religious Movements ； Taiwanese Religions ； Social Differentiation ； Secularization, Privatization

參考文獻

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