By David Zahl
Modern life's quasi-religious obsessions
Subject
Themes
Contemporary life presents a paradox in which people claim to be less religious than ever, yet exhibit behaviours and anxieties strikingly similar to those found in traditional religious practice. This phenomenon, termed "seculosity", describes how everyday activities like career advancement, parenting, technology use, food choices, political engagement, and romantic relationships have absorbed the functions historically served by organised religion, creating new systems of meaning, identity, and moral evaluation.
Contemporary life presents a paradox in which people claim to be less religious than ever, yet exhibit behaviours and anxieties strikingly similar to those found in traditional religious practice. This phenomenon, termed "seculosity", describes how everyday activities like career advancement,…
Published in 2019, Seculosity emerged at a moment of heightened cultural and political polarisation in American society, when debates about identity, meaning, and belonging intensified across social, religious, and political domains. The work participates in a broader conversation about…
The decline of traditional religious observance in Western societies has not produced the purely rational, secular culture that Enlightenment thinkers anticipated. Instead, the human need for meaning, transcendence, and moral framework has migrated into ostensibly non-religious domains. Activities…
Modern secular life operates according to what can be termed a religion of law rather than grace. Each domain that has absorbed religious function establishes standards of acceptable performance, creating systems where worth must be earned through achievement. Whether in parenting, career, romance,…
Contemporary culture places unprecedented emphasis on individual identity construction, requiring people to actively create coherent selves through choices, achievements, and affiliations. Where previous generations inherited relatively stable identities from family, community, religion, and social…
Christianity itself frequently falls prey to the dynamics it should counter, transforming from a religion of grace into another system of performance and self-justification. This distortion appears in both conservative and progressive expressions, where faith becomes primarily about personal or…
The alternative to religions of law, whether sacred or secular, lies in grace rather than performance. This shift fundamentally reorients the relationship between worth, achievement, and transformation. Instead of treating acceptance as something to be earned through meeting standards, grace offers…
Modern life exhibits a curious paradox. As traditional religious observance declines in Western societies, people display behaviours and anxieties remarkably similar to those found in religious practice. This phenomenon, termed seculosity, describes how everyday activities absorb the functions…
Romantic relationships in contemporary culture carry weight far beyond companionship or affection, functioning as a primary source of identity, meaning, and salvation. The search for 'the one' reflects not merely a desire for partnership but a quest for completion and transformation. Romance…
Parenting in contemporary culture has transformed from a natural part of life into an all-consuming project of optimisation, where children's achievements reflect parental worth and adequate parenting demands constant effort, vigilance, and sacrifice. The parenting-industrial complex supplies…
Technology in contemporary life functions as far more than a collection of tools or conveniences. It operates as a quasi-religious system promising connection, control, and self-improvement whilst demanding constant engagement and creating new forms of anxiety. The relationship people maintain with…
Work in contemporary culture provides far more than economic sustenance. It functions as a primary source of identity, meaning, and moral standing. The question 'What do you do?' seeks information about who you are rather than merely how you earn income. Careers define individuals in ways that…
Leisure in contemporary culture undergoes a paradoxical transformation, shifting from genuine rest and recreation into another domain requiring optimisation and performance. Activities once pursued for simple enjoyment become projects demanding strategic planning, skill development, and measurable…
Food in contemporary culture transcends its basic functions of nutrition and pleasure, becoming a primary site for moral signalling, identity construction, and spiritual meaning-making. Dietary choices demonstrate ethical commitments, cultural sophistication, and self-discipline in ways that…
Politics in contemporary culture functions as far more than civic engagement or policy debate. It operates as a comprehensive system providing meaning, identity, belonging, and moral certainty in ways historically supplied by religious communities. Political affiliation determines social circles,…
Christianity itself frequently falls prey to the very dynamics it should counter, transforming from a religion of grace into another system of performance and self-justification. Both conservative and progressive expressions reduce faith to programmes of transformation, whether personal or social,…
By David Zahl
Subject
Themes
Contemporary life presents a paradox in which people claim to be less religious than ever, yet exhibit behaviours and anxieties strikingly similar to those found in traditional religious practice. This phenomenon, termed "seculosity", describes how everyday activities like career advancement, parenting, technology use, food choices, political engagement, and romantic relationships have absorbed the functions historically served by organised religion, creating new systems of meaning, identity, and moral evaluation.