ABSTRACT
The sociological story Berger determines the account he gives of the problems facing religion in an increasingly secular culture. As for the various movements, including religion, which compete for the allegiance of individuals, the situation facing them is said to be obvious: 'The pluralistic situation is, above all, a market situation'. Berger thinks that the absolutism of neo-orthodoxy is very hard to maintain, but his reason for thinking so is extremely odd. He says, 'the "outside" world is attractive'. For him, the ecumenical movement is simply the 'increasingly friendly collaboration between the different groups engaged in the religious market' as 'demanded by the pluralistic situation'. The difficulty with Berger's sociological story can be expressed as follows: it is indeed true that we have the expressions, to which Berger refers, in common speech. After foundationalism, the sociologist sees that the intelligibility of social practices cannot be shown to depend on rational foundations.
