Secularization of Religion in In the Beauty of the Lilies.docVIP

Secularization of Religion in In the Beauty of the Lilies 　　【Abstract】With the change of social structure， especially the appearance of consumer society， the Protestant ethics and religious spirit of industriousness and continence gradually disintegrates. The collapse of the institutional religion and the transformation of conventional Christian belief is a chronic disease of American society and is also the basic reason which creates predicament for the souls of ordinary Americans. The characters in Updike’s novel Lilies attempt to seek one sort of balance between the sacred world and the secular life. 　　【Key words】secularization； religion； sincerity of faith 　　Before the middle of the 19th century， the appearance of consumer society， this system of distinctive culture and characteristics disintegrates. In different ways many classical social thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th century all thought that religion would either disappear or become progressively attenuated with the expansion of modern institutions， resulting in a “secularization thesis” aptly captured in the title of Freuds famous The Future of an Illusion. Previously accepted symbols， doctrines， and institutions lose their prestige and influence. Organizational forms and doctrinal content are becoming ever more secondary in terms of the ways that religion is experienced and practiced. 　　Updike suggests that religion has simply become transformed―Americanized. As is disclosed by the story of Essie that there is no fierce rivalry between religion and film yet they are linked closely in one person. As is described in the novel， “she had trouble understanding how people could doubt God’s existence. He was so clear there， next to her， interwoven with her， a palpable pressure， as vital as the sensations in the skin， as dependable as her reflection in the mirror.” （354）. 　　From her infancy time， Essie has been repeating one action when she is lying alone peacefully in bed and watching the ceilin