While Christianity, especially in its mainline Protestant denominations, has been in continuous demographic decline in the U.S., there has been a steady growth of what some observers have termed “neopaganism.” The trend may have seen its most public manifestation when a group of self-described witches gathered in a Brooklyn bookstore and “metaphysical boutique” to put a hex on Brett Kavanaugh before the Senate hearings on his confirmation to the Supreme Court. There are also “spiritual but not religious” practices, often associated with bodily health, and often available only at a price—ranging from healing crystals to the evocatively named SoulCycle exercise classes.
Together, do these point to a form of paganism, or an emerging post-Christian religious reality? What is the chance that some sort of quasi-pagan spirituality will become America’s dominant religion? Ross Douthat, Tara Isabella Burton, and Steven D. Smith—all three of whom have written books on this subject—discuss these and many other related questions. (Video, 86 minutes.)
Read more on American Enterprise Institute: https://www.aei.org/events/the-next-american-religion-a-conversation-with-ross-douthat-tara-isabella-burton-and-steven-smith/