The Contemporary Trend of Individualization of Faith (the first part)

Abstract

In the recent decades, there have been complex changes in religions and even the religiosity, faith, religious emotion that have caused many difficulties in explaining “the new religious movements” and religions in general. At present, the sociologists of religion in the Europe and the United State of America are discussed on the “religious switching” such as the conversion, the integration of  churches, new sects or even “digging” the whole of a religion, etc.. This text examines these tendencies. In my opinion, “the tendency of the individualization of faith” is a popularity and the core of the religious switching. It also explains “the logical switching of the religiosity” and its trends. Basing on the method of typology, it shows four specific forms of  the tendency of the individualization of faith with their features and manifestations. This research contributes to approach the diversity and complexity of religions in the religious life in the contemporary Vietnam, especially “the new religious movements”.