Perspectives on the Role of Religion in the

Globalization Process

1. The Modernist Perspective.

It is the perspective of most intellectuals and academics. Its view is
that all secularizations would eventually look alike and the different religions
would all end up as the same secular and “rational” philosophy. It sees
religion revivals as sometimes being a reaction to the Enlightenment and
modernization.

2. Post-Modernist Perspective.

It rejects the Enlightenment, modernist values of rationalism,

empiricism, and science, along with the Enlightenment, modernist
structures of capitalism, bureaucracy, and even liberalism. The core value
of post-modernism is expressive individualism. The post-modernist
perspective can include “spiritual experiences,” but only those without
religious constraints. Post
modernism is largely hyper- secularism, and it joins modernism in
predicting, and eagerly anticipating, the disappearance of traditional
religions. Globalization, by breaking up and dissolving every traditional,
local, and national structure, will bring about the universal triumph of
expressive individualism.

3. The Pre-Modernist Perspective.

There is an alternative perspective, one which is post-modern in its

occurrence but which is pre-modern in its sensibility. It is best represented
and articulated by the Roman Catholic Church, especially by Pope John
Paul II. The Pope’s understanding is drawn from his experiences with
Poland, but it encompasses events in other countries as well. Each religion
has secularized in its own distinctive way, which has resulted in its own
distinctive secular outcome. This suggests that even if globalization brings
about more secularization, it will not soon bring about one common, global
worldview.

Secularization is understood as a shift in the overall frameworks of

human condition; it makes it possible for people to have a choice
between belief and non belief in a manner glocalizahitherto unknown . (162 )

Transnational Religion and Multiple Glocalization

Throughout the 20th century migration of faiths across the globe has
been a major feature. One of these features is the deterritorialization of
religion – that is , the appearance and the efflorescence of religious
traditions in places where these previously had been largely unknown or
were at least in a minority position .
(163)

Transnational religion is a means of describing solutions to new-

found situations that people face as a result of migration and it comes as
two quite distinct blends of religious universalism and local particularism.
1. It is possible for religious universalism to gain the upperhand,
whereby universalism becomes the central reference for immigrant
communities. In such instances, religious transnationalism is often
depicted as a religion going global.

2. It is possible for local ethnic or national particularism to gain or

maintain the most important place for local immigrant communities.