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La Sociología De La Religión De Joachim Wach: Una Lectura Epistemológica Del Concepto De “Experiencia Religiosa”

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La Sociología De La Religión De Joachim Wach: Una Lectura Epistemológica Del Concepto De “Experiencia Religiosa” (cc)2015 TEODOR MELLEN VINAGRE (cc by-nc-sa 4.0) La sociología de la religión de Joachim Wach: una lectura epistemológica del concepto de “experiencia religiosa” Tesis Doctoral Noviembre 2014 Teodor Mellen Vinagre Director: Dr. Imanol Zubero Beaskoetxea I A Helena, a Joan, a Joaquín y Juana. II III “El sentimiento es objeto de la ciencia, pero no criterio de la verdad científica.” Émile Durkheim: Las reglas del método sociológico, 1895. “Lo externo experimentado no pertenece a la interioridad intencional, aunque la experiencia misma sí forma parte de ella como experiencia de lo externo.” Edmund Husserl: Invitación a la fenomenología, 1992 “No consideraremos milagrosa ninguna experiencia que podamos tener, sea la que sea, si de antemano mantenemos una filosofía que excluye lo sobrenatural.” Clive Staples Lewis: Dios en el banquillo, 1996 “Si no se respeta lo sagrado, no se tiene nada en que fijar la conducta.” Confucio IV Agradecimientos En primer lugar me gustaría dar las gracias al profesor Imanol Zubero, por aceptar dirigir esta tesis doctoral desde el principio, por su gran ayuda, su confianza y su generosa disposición mostrada en todo momento. También quisiera agradecer los ánimos recibidos por parte de muchas per- sonas, su apoyo, calor e interés. De forma especial a quiero agradecer a Joa- quín y Juana; a Oriol, Maria, Marga, Arkaitz, Ramon, Nani, Mercè y Xavier. También me gustaría tener un recuerdo para Juanmari, Alfonso, Ernest, Ro- ser y Javier; para Rafael, Àngeles, Mercedes, Andreu, Alexandra, Jeroen; para los compañeros del departamento de ciencias sociales de Esade (y de forma especial para Lluís, Joan, Josep, Pep, Àngel, Núria, Xavier, Pau, David, Da- niel y Rai); para los amigos de l’Autònoma y de la UOC; para Emilio y Bisera; para Quique, Rafa, Chema, Cleto, Guillermo, Sergio, Jesús, Santi, Luis, Pep, Llorenç, Javi, Quico, Quim, David, Pedro y Chiqui; y para las comunidades del Carmel de Mataró, Puiggraciós, Solius y de Sant Pere de les Puel·les. Muchas gracias por ayudarme de muy diversas formas a escribir esta tesis. No me olvido del apoyo incondicional de Helena, su aliento y su compren- sión, ni de Joan, porque su venida ha servido de motivación para acabar este trabajo. Probablemente me olvide aquí de escribir el nombre de muchas personas que me han ayudado en este camino. También a ellos les doy las gracias y les muestro mi reconocimiento. A ellos les dedico unos versos que leí no hace mucho en la conclusión de un libro que Rodríguez Olaizola (2009:316) recoge de Pedro Casaldáliga que lleva por título “Corazón lleno de nombres”,: «Al final del camino me preguntarán: “¿Has vivido?”. “‘¿Has amado?”. Y yo, sin decir nada, abriré el corazon lleno de nombres.» V VI Índice general 1. Introducción 1 1.1. Interés de la problemática . 3 1.1.1. Interés por la experiencia religiosa . 3 1.1.2. Interés por la obra de Joachim Wach . 5 1.2. Plan de trabajo . 8 2. Construcción del objeto de estudio 11 2.1. Introducción . 12 2.2. Los nuevos condicionantes de la problemática . 14 2.2.1. Una nueva transformación social de partida . 15 2.2.2. Nueva vivencia de la religión . 23 2.3. Objetivos . 25 2.3.1. Objetivos generales . 27 2.3.2. Objetivos específicos. 27 3. Sociología de la religión 29 3.1. Nuevas formas de religiosidad . 31 3.1.1. La individualización de la religión . 32 3.1.2. Hacia una religiosidad experiencial . 35 3.2. Hacia una definición de religión . 37 3.2.1. El carácter occidental del término . 37 3.2.2. La definición de religión . 41 3.3. Consideración final . 46 4. Joachim Wach (1898-1955) 49 4.1. Introducción . 50 4.2. Biografía y trayectoria académica . 53 4.2.1. Biografía personal . 53 4.2.2. Etapas académicas . 57 4.3. Aproximación a la metodología de J. Wach . 59 4.3.1. Verstehen y Erlösung ................... 60 VII VIII Índice general 4.3.2. La hermenéutica de J. Wach . 62 4.4. Aproximación al concepto de religión de J. Wach . 67 4.4.1. La definición de la religión . 68 4.4.2. Universales de toda religión . 71 4.4.3. Función de la religión y posibilidades de la sociología . 73 4.5. La sociologia de la religión de J. Wach . 78 4.5.1. The Sociology of Religion (1944) . 81 4.5.2. El estudio de la religión en su dimensión comunitaria . 88 4.6. La experiencia religiosa . 93 4.6.1. La naturaleza de la experiencia religiosa . 94 4.6.2. La experiencia religiosa, perspectiva metodológica . 101 4.6.3. Estudio comparado de las religiones . 103 4.6.4. Distinción entre magia y religión . 108 4.7. Reflexión final . 110 5. Las aportaciones de los clásicos 113 5.1. Introducción . 114 5.2. Max Weber . 116 5.2.1. El antipositivismo de la sociología de Max Weber . 119 5.2.2. La sociología weberiana de la religión . 121 5.2.3. El problema de la teodicea . 124 5.2.4. El neoweberianismo de Peter L. Berger y la teodicea . 128 5.2.5. Los estudios comparativos y el carisma . 132 5.3. Emile Durkheim . 135 5.3.1. Contra el individualismo metodológico . 135 5.3.2. Las formas elementales de la vida religiosa . 138 5.3.3. El concepto de anomia en Durkheim . 142 5.3.4. Lo sagrado y lo profano . 146 5.4. Otras influencias de Joachim Wach . 155 5.4.1. Karl Marx . 156 5.4.2. Mircea Eliade . 159 5.4.3. Rudolf Otto . 161 5.4.4. Peter L. Berger . 165 5.5. Consideraciones finales . 172 6. Lectura del concepto de ‘experiencia religiosa’ 177 6.1. Desde los paradigmas emergentes . 178 6.1.1. Perspectivismo . 179 6.1.2. Construccionismo . 184 6.1.3. Lectura hermenéutica . 190 6.1.4. La ‘sociología de la experiencia’ de F. Dubet . 196 Índice general IX 6.2. Consideraciones epistemológicas . 200 6.2.1. Ruptura epistemológica y construcción del objeto de es- tudio . 201 6.2.2. Superación de la tensión teoría–práctica . 203 6.2.3. Superación de la tensión subjetividad–objetividad . 206 6.2.4. Problemas personales y problemas colectivos . 210 6.3. Consideraciones finales . 212 7. Conclusiones 215 8. Bibliografía general 227 Referencias . 228 A. Bibliografía de Joachim Wach 249 X Índice general Capítulo 1 Introducción Contenido 1.1. Interés de la problemática . 3 1.1.1. Interés por la experiencia religiosa . 3 1.1.2. Interés por la obra de Joachim Wach . 5 1.2. Plan de trabajo . 8 1 2 Capítulo 1. Introducción No hay duda de que la religión a principios del tercer milenio continúa siendo una cuestión debatida, discutida y polémica. Se discute y se debate la importancia de la religión en la vida cotidiana, su significación y sus con- secuencias. Esta discusión últimamente se ha visto fuertemente reforzada en nuestras sociedades contemporáneas por la existencia de una caótica multi- tud de religiones, confesiones, denominaciones, sectas, grupos y movimientos religiosos de diversa índole, fruto probablemente de los procesos de globali- zación, pluralismo y secularización. Parece ser que los pronósticos de la desaparición del fenómeno religioso han fracasado, y en Europa el retorno de la religión parece tomar nuevas ca- racterísticas, sobre todo en que afecta a su dimensión eclesial. Hace ya más de cuarenta años Heinz Zahrnt publicó un largo artículo que llevaba por título “Aspectos religiosos de la experiencia del mundo” (1974) donde ya advertía del redescubrimiento de la religión después de “la muerte de Dios”. Desde en- tonces se han escrito y publicado centenares de monografías sobre el retorno de la religión, sobre el resurgimiento de lo sagrado, sobre la reanimación de la religiosidad, el renacimiento del politeísmo u otras expresiones análogas. Sin embargo, más allá de las aproximaciones legítimas al fenómeno, es necesario preguntarse atentamente qué es lo que vuelve, porque si juzgamos el retorno a partir la participación en los ritos o bien a partir de las vocaciones sacerdotales y el entusiasmo hacia la vida religiosa consagrada que hay en Europa en estos momentos, tendremos que decir que este retorno es ‘pura ficción’, puesto que la deserción es masiva y el envejecimiento de las comu- nidades eclesiales, sobre todo en Europa occidental, es un hecho empírico incontestable. Podremos decir también que aumenta la indiferencia —y en al- gunos ambientes incluso la hostilidad hacia el cristianismo clerical y la Iglesia institucional—, pero no por ello disminuye el interés por el fenómeno religioso, sino que más bien lo incrementa. Este retorno no es una reconversión o renuncia al mundo racional y secu- lar ni la proclamación de otro mundo religioso y sagrado. No es un retorno a un “estadio religioso” de la humanidad, por expresarlo a la manera de Auguste Compte, pero tampoco sabemos demasiado qué podemos esperar después del estadio científico y positivo. Quizá lo más preciso sería señalar, tal y como sostiene Torralba (2008:22), que lo que se produce no es tanto un retorno de la religión, y mucho menos de un retorno de la institución religiosa, sino que más bien lo que resurge es una renovada sensibilidad religiosa, una nueva manera de vivir la religión y una nueva forma de vivir ‘la experiencia religiosa’. Las diversas disciplinas científicas tampoco han sido ajenas a la influencia de estos fenómenos religiosos ni a los múltiples debates y discusiones que se han suscitado en torno a este tema. En concreto, en algunas disciplinas tan variadas como la sociología, la teología o la filosofía la discusión principal 1.1. Interés de la problemática 3 se centra en saber si estos fenómenos de la religión tienen mayor o menor importancia, por una parte, y si esta importancia es comparable o no con situaciones pretéritas, por otra.
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