ABSTRACT
All of the terminology referred to above is part of a polemical discourse of inclusion and exclusion, of identity marking and making and, as such, is itself, of course, also part of the global discourse on religion. is means that the terms that are used refer to the contemporary situation and that they are comparative. Comparative approaches to the study of religion are in principle to be welcomed, but perhaps they are not comparative in a way that is optimal? Use of these various terms signals that believers, critics and scholars alike seek to maintain clear water between religion and “New Age” phenomena. When, for instance, the believers use “spirituality” as a preferred term in relation to religion, it includes a criticism of religion as being on a lower level than spirituality. “Alternative” used by the believers, signals something that is better than or superior to religion, while when it is used by the critics and scholars the term signals that “New Age” phenomena are secondary and inferior.
