The Question of “Theodicy” in Contemporary Society: The Imagery of (after) Death in Religion and New Forms of Spirituality

Dear Colleagues,

The different forms through which individuals relate to the sphere of the sacred always refer—more or less explicitly—to a “theodicy” (Berger 1967; Weber 1976, 1980). Both religion and new forms of spirituality must necessarily provide an “explanation” and a “justification” for the presence of suffering, injustice, and evil in the world (Berger and Luckmann 1991). Above all, they must answer the fundamental question about the mortal condition of the human being. “Theodicy” therefore fixes the boundary of the “ultimate meanings” (Berger 1970), enhancing the experiential content of individuals’ lives. The concept of “theodicy” is particularly useful for investigating the different ways in which individuals live their relationships with the sacred. Above all, this concept—used à la Weber and Berger—allows us to scrutinize even those systems of sacred beliefs in which there is no God; however, as suggested by Wolfgang Schluchter (2017: 34), in these cases it would perhaps be more correct to speak of “cosmodicies”.

Nevertheless, thanks to the concept of “theodicy” we can effectively understand the fundamental promises of meaning underlying different religions and new forms of spirituality. The universe of religious and spiritual beliefs as well as practices gives meaning to the experience of individuals, especially (but not only) concerning critical moments of existence. Analyzing the way in which religion and new forms of spirituality provide answers to the presence of evil, suffering, and injustice in the world allows us to better understand the different forms of human conduct in the most diverse areas of social life. The sociological effects of “theodicy” go far beyond the field of faith, as Weber (2006) explains in his well-known study on “the Protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism”.

From this perspective, the different ways in which religion and new forms of spirituality integrate suffering, death, and the post-mortem into their universes of meaning is a very significant issue. The effectiveness of a specific theodicy comes from its ability to guarantee the “just equalization” (according to the Weberian formulation) between what was accomplished in life and the corresponding “compensation” after life (Weber 1980: 211). The strength of the promises of meaning of theodicies varies by the different imageries of what awaits everyone after death (Morin 1976). The light of “ultimate meanings”—the proper field of “theodicy”—radiates on the existence of individuals, in a more or less conscious way, giving shape to their relationships towards the world and towards the alter.

For these reasons, the analysis of the “theodicies” that underlie the different social relations with the domain of the sacred is an object of study of the utmost importance. This Special Issue aims to provide an original contribution to this specific field of analysis, not yet adequately explored by contemporary sociological reflection.

In this Special Issue, all scholars who study religion and new forms of spirituality using the concept of “theodicy” as an analytical tool are invited to submit a proposal. All contributions that deal with analyzing the imagery of (after)death in religion and new forms of spirituality from the point of view of social sciences will also be welcome. Furthermore, research on the topic of “ultimate meanings” regarding religion and new forms of spirituality will be of interest to this Special Issue.

Empirical and theoretical research papers or sociological literature reviews on the topic will be welcome. The research areas should include (although not exclusively) the following:

• Presentation of the concept of “theodicy”, showing its theoretical and empirical usefulness;
• Empirical or theoretical research where the concept of “theodicy” is used (e.g. case studies);
• Variations of “theodicy” in the religion of contemporary society;
• Variations of “theodicy” in the new forms of spirituality;
• Variations of “theodicy” in other universes of beliefs and practices;
• Variations of “theodicy” in pre-modern and modern societies;
• “Ultimate meanings”: religion and new forms of spirituality;
• “Theodicy” and imagery of (after) death. 

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors have to submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purpose of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Please send the manuscript to the Guest Editor Dr. Antonio Camorrino ([email protected]), or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Antonio Camorrino
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• theodicy
• religion
• new forms of spirituality
• ultimate meanings
• suffering
• death
• after-life
• imagery