现代宗教的变化与伦理生活的意义困境

The Change of Religion in Modern World and the Crisis of Meaning in Ethical Life

现代世界是一个以理性化和分殊化、自由个体及其多元性为标志的世俗化社会,传统建制的宗教在现代世界的位置发生了由中心到边缘的重大变化。借用西美尔和卢克曼的视镜来看,这一变化可称之为"宗教"向"宗教性"、"有形宗教"向"无形宗教"的转化。不过,传统的建制宗教的边缘化并不意味着宗教性意义完全淡出了现代人的生活世界,现代宗教的个体性取向意味着宗教落实在生命存在的维度上,它并不必然导致现代伦理生活的意义根基走向碎裂。但是,现代伦理生活的意义共识的确存在着困境,重构个体生存的宗教意域,将之作为内在又超越的安身立命之所,是宗教在现代世界的意义定位。而要实现这一点,需要个体之间在生活圈里的互动来养成。

The modem world is a secular society characterized by rationalization, differentiation, free individual and pluralism. The traditionally organized religions have been moved away from its central position to the edge in modem world. From the perspectives of Simmel and Luckmann, the change can be called transformations of ＂religion＂ into ＂religiousness＂ and ＂visible religion＂ into ＂invisible religion＂. However, the marginalization of the traditionally organized religions does not mean a complete disappearance of religious significance in modern human lives. On the contrary, the individualistic orientation of modern religion indicates that religion has put its root into the existence of life, which does not necessarily lead to collapse of the foundation of modem ethical life. Indeed the consensus on the meaning of modern ethical life has been involved in difficulties. Therefore, to reconstruct the religious domain of individual life and to hold it as being both immanent and transcendent is the orientation of religion in modern world. To fulfill it, interactions between individuals in their life circles are needed.