Anuvrat Movements Theory and Practical

Author(s): Shivani Bothra
Publisher: USA Florida International University

Page 13

aspects of life - from personal habits to social institutions is a dramatic decline. [...] The
underlying assumption was that people have become or are becoming less religious."
However, Peter Berger, in his popular article, Secularism and Retreat stated: “The idea
that modernization necessarily leads to a decline of religion both in society and minds of
individual has turned out to be wrong."4 Some sociologists have addressed how modern
political and social movements have all tended to diminish the power of churches. Yet
another sociologist, Antonio Flavio, notes: "In the last three decades of XX century (sic),
the last quarter was the most secularized century of all centuries, religions have regained
vigor expanding and multiplying themselves considerably."
Following from
these
viewpoints, Tulsi's approach recognized that the power of religious institutions was
diminishing in response to secularization, but spirituality was not. He wished therefore to
incorporate spirituality into a secular movement without direct reference to any specific
religious institution.
Objective of the Study
My goal was to analyze how a mission of character development led by a leader
monk follows the trajectory of a mass movement. As a member of the Jain tradition
myself, I had observed how a relatively small proportion of Indians acknowledge the
movement, and those who know of it are either unsure of the methods of practice, do not
practice it consistently, or chose not to practice it at all. Therefore, I sought to examine
3 William H. Swatos and Kevin J. Christiano, "Secularization Theory: The Course of a Concept," Sociology of Religion 60, no. 3 (October 1, 1999): 217, doi:10.2307/3711934.
* Peter L. Berger, "Secularism in Retreat” 46, The National Interest (1996): 3.
Antonio Flavio Pierucci, "Secularization in Max Weber. On Current Usefulness of re-Assessing that Old Meaning" no. 1, Brazilian Issue of Social Sciences (October 2009): 131.