Factors and features of religious modernization in Taiwan: socio-historical retrospective (part 2)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of religious modernization in Taiwan. It has been concluded by the author that the modernization in traditional societies, according to the analysis of key religious communities of Taiwan, can be implemented to a limited extent by means of traditional religions - Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. It is possible only on the basis of syncretic religious cults, which allow placing rationalist values at the first place next to the enrichment of values and self-promotion. For the social morality of Thai society this means crisis situation and the emergence of numerous conflicts on the grounds of incompatibility with the principles of legitimation of traditional social action by Weber. Therefore, there is reason to predict highly probable poor compatibility of modernization vector with traditional Thai religions. However, a small percentage of the Thai population (5%) has the congregation of Christianity and Islam, through which it becomes possible to promote the modified project of modernity. However, this idea requires further proof, as there are some quite ambiguous concepts of strengthening the authority of science, secular world, the capitalist-type accumulation among scientists and experts in the field of sociology of religion. However, the common denominator in the assessment of the discourse of modernization prospects of Thai society has optimistic point of view, allowing significant changes in the social structure and culture of Taiwan by the latent secularization, which is implemented through Christian missionary work.

Keywords

• модернізація
• контрмодернізація
• конфуціанство
• секуляризація
• релігійні спільноти.