Immaginare il sacro

Abstract

Imagining the Sacred.
The imaginary would not seem to constitute an object of sociological investigation, as it is based on its abstract character. Unless one wishes to investigate it by passing through the subject itself, which imagines. The very variety of these multiple forms of acting, understood in a broad sense, presages a broad spectrum of possibilities, ranging from pure and simple inventiveness to the consolidation of a belief, which can become a reason for living, supported by a sacred dimension.
If there is one dimension of the sacred that fits well into the category of the imaginary, it is that defined by Rudolf Otto as numinous, that is mysterious and at the same time inspires awe and fascination, in short, it is mysterium tremendumet fascinans. What is mysterious and therefore hidden represents something grandiose, something majestic (from which majestas emanates), in other words something that is 'totally other' (das ganz Andere), which produces awe and no longer fear.