Title: Lights on Immortality. Historical religions, movements, new age – Futures 2-3
Author: Cingolani G., Urpis O. (ed.)
Year: 1999
Publisher: Franco Angeli, Milan Pages: 528

Language: Italian

Content: Today we are witnessing what many have called the “return of the sacred”: religiosity, albeit in new forms, is once again coming to public attention, with a vitality that belies those who prophesied its disappearance in the complex societies of the West. This raises new questions, about the essence of the religious phenomenon itself, but also about the relationship between religion and society and between different faiths, in a context in which religious pluralism seems irreversible.
In the first part of the booklet these issues are addressed from a sociological, philosophical and theological point of view. New forms of religiosity are also examined, with special attention to the developments and needs that animate the very current New Age phenomenon.
The second part collects interventions by authoritative representatives of the great religious traditions present in Italy. These religions, which have a long and rich history behind them, are urged to give adequate responses to the new cultural climate, also in order to meet the challenge launched by the new and emerging forms of spiritual initiation.
The third part directly presents the most relevant spiritual realities currently widespread in Italy. Sixteen non-Christian spiritual experiences, often of Eastern origin; six Christian denominations; and six other relatively recent Catholic spiritual experiences are illustrated and discussed.