The Journey of the Sacred: From Institutions Toward Responsibility

The text analyzes the evolution of the sacred, pointing to the tension between institutionalized religion and contemporary, privatized spirituality (SBNR). The author argues that while beliefs may be individual, social life and responsibility for another human being require communal structures. Drawing on Durkheim's concepts, the article emphasizes the role of ritual as a social technology of memory that gives form to human biography and builds lasting bonds. The main challenge for individualized spirituality is the creation of a new moral language and mechanisms of solidarity to replace former institutions in areas of care, mourning, and the intergenerational transmission of values, thereby preventing the total privatization of duty toward the community.