Postmodern Spirituality
'Spiritual but not religious' represents postmodern spirituality: pick-and-mix selections from multiple traditions, New Age syncretism, and individualized meaning-making without institutional commitment. This expresses both religion's decline and spirituality's transformation.
Real World
Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle brand Goop sells crystal healing kits, reiki sessions, and shamanic rituals to millions of consumers who identify as spiritual but reject organised religion — a textbook case of postmodern pick-and-mix spirituality.
Exam Focus
Avoid treating 'spiritual but not religious' as straightforward secularisation; argue whether it represents religion's decline or transformation to access higher marks.
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