Verbal, Silent, and Nonverbal Religion: Philosophical Remarks on the Necessity and Absence of Religious Language

Tommi Lehtonen, Univeristy of Vaasa

Recent European surveys show that what people seek from religion is silence and an experience of the holy. Many people say they are interested in spirituality and spiritual values, but they shun doctrines and institutions. At the same time, religious practice is becoming more and more private, and public worship is on the decline (see Bruce; Casanova; Davie; and Zulehner). It has also been claimed that religious beliefs are fading away and that religion is changing from being belief oriented to experience oriented. This claim is problematic, and Steven Katz is among those scholars for whom religious beliefs essentially determine what religious experiences people have (see Katz; on the criticism of Katz’s approach, see Forman). It is clear, however, that old beliefs wax and wane, and new beliefs are born (see Berger; Stark and Bainbridge; Swatos and Olson).