Pilgrimage tourism in consumer society: Foot pilgrimages to the jasna góra sanctuary in częstochowa

Abstract

In contemporary society, a change in the function of religion is taking place. It is possible to state that the religiousness of consumer society is that of syncretic religiousness as for instance in õa house with a multitude of deitiesö. One such deity is that of the religious market, together with its economic mechanism. This market is characterized by regulations and patterns of procedure with regard to the faithful that are drawn from the consumer market. In truth, this is the result of a change in Western cultures in which the culture of consumption is of an everincreasing level of importance. The values associated with this are becoming absorbed into religion, which is leading to a change in the relation between the faithful and the church itself. Hence, strategies of attracting the congregation, as well as patterns of religious leadership, or even religious doctrine need to be reconsidered in order to respond to the new conditions.