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Hyper-Real Religion is a Sociological term coined to describe a new consumer trend in acquiring and enacting spirituality. The term was first described in the book ''Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament'' by Adam Possamai.〔Possamai, A. (2005), "Religion and Popular Culture: A Hyper-Real Testament", Brussels: P.I.E-Peter Lang〕 The term is used to explore the intersection between post-modernity and religion/spirituality. The idea has been expanded and critiqued by a number of academics since its creation. ==Origins and usage== According to theories of postmodernisation, the last half of the 20th century (often termed as the 'postmodern era') saw consumerism, individualisation and choice come to the forefront of Western societies via capitalism.〔Giddens, A. (1991), ''Modernity and Self-Identity'', Stanford University Press〕〔Jameson, F. (1991) ''Postmodernity, or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism'', Durham, NC: Duke University Press.〕〔Bauman, Z. (2000), "Liquid Modernity", Polity〕 Thus religion as a part of this culture became increasingly commercial, individualised and democratized.〔Turner, B. S. (2010), "The New Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Religion", Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell〕 People now have more choices in religion, they can often practice it in privacy and as they wish, outside of traditional institutional boundaries.〔Davie, G. (1994), "Religion in Britain Since 1945: Believing Without Belonging", Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell〕 Due to this change, the sociology of religion has become increasingly interested in the potential for typologization of the modes of non-institutional religion and the foundation of non-institutional religion in human nature.〔〔Davidsen, M. (2013), "Fiction-based religion: Conceptualising a new category against history-based religion and fandom", Culture and Religion, Volume 14, Issue 4.〕〔Heelas, P. and Woodhead, L. (2004), "The Spiritual Revolution: Why Religion is Giving Way to Spirituality", Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell〕 It has become increasingly clear that the people leaving the structures and ceremonies of traditional religions are not instantly becoming non-religious in an atheistic sense. For example, some continue ‘believing without belonging’ to a church,〔 others turn to alternative spiritualities〔 and others, as discussed by Possamai, turn to consumer based religions/spiritualties partly based on popular culture, what he calls "hyper-real religions." With hyper-real religion, elements from religions and popular culture are highly intertwined.〔 They are post-modern expressions of religion, likely to be consumed and individualised, and thus have more relevance to the self than to a community and/or congregation.〔 Thus in postmodern times, the relation between people and religion/spirituality is very fluid; if modernity brought the disenchantment of the world, as Max Weber puts it, postmodernity is re-enchanting the world through a proliferation of 'subjective myths' (myths that are relevant to the self) and through the expansion of consumerism and the internet. Possamai explains that the concept of hyper-real religions is derived from the work of Jean Baudrillard. Baudrillard put forward that we are living in an age of hyper-reality in which we are fascinated by simulations that lack a real world referent or ‘simulcra’.〔Baudrillard, J. (1998) "Simulcra and Simulations", Stanford University Press.〕 Possamai〔Possamai, A. (2012) "Handbook of Hyper-real Religions", Lieden: Brill〕 sees these simulations as part of the popular cultural milieu, in which “signs get their meanings from their relations with each other, rather than by reference to some independent reality or standard”. With no way to “distinguish the real from the unreal”, Hyper-reality – the situation in which reality collapses – emerges. For example, we may refer to a person as being like Superman or Homer Simpson, rather than a real-life example of a hero or dunce, and theme parks represent movies or Disney creations rather than real life.〔 The fictional character and world become more real for us than the real person or real world.〔Geoffroy, M. (2012) in "Handbook of Hyper-real Religions", Lieden: Brill〕 Possamai,〔 as Geoffroy〔 puts it, ‘re-adapted’ Baudrillard’s theory by applying it to religions that are engaged with these same simulated realities. In the most obvious examples, the Church of All Worlds draws its inspiration largely from Robert Heinlein’s ''Stranger in a Strange Land'', Jediism draws on George Lucas’ ''Star Wars'' mythology and Matrixism on ''The Matrix'' film franchise.〔〔 Following these ideas Possamai defined hyper-real religions as: ...a simulacrum of a religion partly created out of popular culture which provides inspiration for believers/consumers at a metaphorical level.〔 Following critiques in the ''Handbook of Hyper-real Religions'',〔 Possamai modifies his original〔 definition of hyper-real religions to: A hyper-real religion is a simulacrum of a religion created out of, or in symbiosis with, commodified popular culture which provides inspiration at a metaphorical level and/or is a source of beliefs in everyday life.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hyper-real Religion」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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