Stepanova Elena
The article observes the differences in religious situation in the USA and Western Europe, as well as the concepts of American and European scholars of religion, which strive to interpret those differences (P. Berger, G. Davie, S. Bruce, N. Ammerman, J. Casanova, D. Martin, etc.). It is mentioned that, in spite of the differences, there are many commonalities due to the pluralistic character of the contemporary societies. The inclination of people to construct freely their religious preferences also plays important role. The author concludes that in order to estimate the social role of religion it is necessary to take into account its historical-cultural context. After all, the example of the USA and Western Europe proves the multiplicity of interdependence between modernity, secularity and religiosity in the contemporary world.
Keywords: Secularity, pluralism, religious market, “bricolage”, multiple modernities.