Commercialization of Religious Objects: A Comparison between Traditional and New Age Religions

The present study is an attempt to understand the differences between modern and traditional religions regarding trade in religious goods. It presents an analysis of the world of goods and participants' cultural worlds, as well as the transformation of meaning in objects. The study focuses on members of two different subcultures in Israel: New Agers and Jews of North African origin who are involved in pilgrimage to local saints' tombs. The results show that traditional and New Age subcultures differ with regard to participants' perspectives on the commercialization of religious goods, the role of marketing agents, and the general characteristics of the market.