“Weak Religiosity” Prototypes: How to See What is Absent?

Contemporary sociology of religion interprets the weak religiosity of the Orthodox Christians in Russia either as a “nominal” membership in Orthodox Church, or as a particular stage on a linear path to full churching. Both views oversimplify rich religious experience. The boundaries between the main oppositions (sacred‑profane, religious‑secular), on which the sociology of religion was based, are no longer obvious in the modern world. We are trying to discover new themes and analyze the contribution of both traditional church piety and new values of self‑realization, environmental friendliness, body, etc. The analysis is carried out within the framework of Q‑methodology: 30 respondents, analysis of prototypes of religiosity based on Q‑sorts of a set of 136 cards and in‑depth interviews. The “Weak Religiosity” Q‑set was developed based on the ideas of T. Luckmann’s “Invisible Religion” and represents 8 spheres. Each sphere is actualized through a set of statements that describe potential experiences of the transcendent at different levels or indicate the importance of this experience. Statements (136 in total) are formulated in the third person. The paper describes eight prototypes: 1) “classical” religiosity, 2) civic and political engagement, 3) relationships with other people, 4) spirituality, 5) body and a healthy lifestyle, 6) creativity and personal self‑realization, 7) self‑development and the common good, 8) work. We argue that these prototypes can be interpreted as specifically religious, irreducible to any non‑religious factor.