ABSTRACT
It has become commonplace in the sociology of religion, consumer research, and discussions of consumer culture to maintain that religion and con- sumption are opposing forces in contemporary life (e.g., Burroughs and Rindfleisch, 2002). These views are reflections of the broader seculariza- tion thesis that maintains religion is losing its power as other institutions such as consumption, science, and entertainment become dominant. From this perspective, it appears that consumer culture is ascendant, the sacred is being replaced by the secular, and religion is being forced to adapt in order to compete in a marketplace with multiple sources of meaning (e.g., Hoover, 2000; Miller, 2004; Roof, 1999; Twitchell, 2007). The resulting marketing and consumption of religion and religious objects and icons are found by some to be shocking, ironic, and tacky, with these practices seen as profaning the sacred religions that they objectify (e.g., Einstein, 2008; McDannell, 1995; Moore, 1994). These arguments can be broadly classi- fied as being about the secularization of the sacred.
