Religion and popular culture: philosophical and social prerequisites for the emergence of new forms of religiosity

The article attempts to describe and conceptualize the socio-historical factors of the emergence of new forms of religion in the XX century, the source of inspiration for which was popular culture, that was called «Hyper-real religions» (Adam Possamai) or «Invented religions» (Carole M. Cusack). Three factors and their interaction are investigated: the process of secularization, the emergence of an autonomous entity, the formation of consumer society and mass culture. Consideration of this phenomenon allows us to confirm the prospects of the theory of secularization of Ch. Taylor, while the theory of P. Berger proves unable to explain it. Further the emergence of the autonomous subject and its crisis, marking the transition from modernity to postmodernity, is considered. The involvement of consumerism theory allows to supplement the description of social dynamics and to consider new forms of religiosity as some of a number of proposals on the «spiritual market place».