Liminoid religion: Ritual practice in alternative spirituality in the Netherlands

Abstract

Alternative spirituality can be seen as a particular form of religious practice related to processes of de-traditionalisation and deinstitutionalisation. Although often regarded as a western, secularised phenomenon, such alternative forms of spirituality are becoming increasingly popular among the middle classes worldwide and in the Netherlands in particular. In this article I look at the distinction between institutional religion and spirituality through the lenses of liminality and the liminoid. I argue that religion is becoming a liminoid domain in society and, through an example from Christian spirituality in the Netherlands, I show how, in spirituality, religion itself becomes liminoid, suggesting a subjectivised approach to identity and meaning.