Showing papers in "Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion in 1979"

Revivals, awakenings, and reform : an essay on religion and social change in America, 1607-1977

Abstract: In "Revivals, Awakenings, and Reform," McLoughlin draws on psychohistory, sociology, and anthropology to examine the relationship between America's five great religious awakenings and their influence on five great movements for social reform in the United States. He finds that awakenings (and the revivals that are part of them) are periods of revitalization born in times of cultural stress and eventuating in drastic social reform. Awakenings are thus the means by which a people or nation creates and sustains its identity in a changing world. "This book is sensitive, thought-provoking and stimulating. It is 'must' reading for those interested in awakenings, and even though some may not revise their views as a result of McLoughlin's suggestive outline, none can remain unmoved by the insights he has provided on the subject."-"Christian Century" "This is one of the best books I have read all year. Professor McLoughlin has again given us a profound analysis of our culture in the midst of revivalistic trends."-"Review and Expositor"

Of Churches, Sects, and Cults: Preliminary Concepts for a Theory of Religious Movements

Abstract: This paper constructs a set of concepts needed for a theory of religious movements. First, the boundaries for such a theory are set by defining religion and then by translating this definition into terms more useful for theorizing. Next, we demonstrate why a faulty understanding of "ideal types" has led to conceptualizations of church and sect that prevent theorizing. We adopt Benton Johnson's solution for defining the underlying church-sect axis. In the remainder of the paper we show that the concepts of church and sect are not adequate to encompass the full range of religious movements. The concept of cult is introduced, clarified, and then delimited to exclude cults that fall short of constituting religious movements. Throughout, we molest a variety of sacred cows.

Self-Esteem and Religiosity: An Analysis of Catholic Adolescents from Five Cultures

Abstract: On the basis of a social contextual model this paper hypothesizes: first, a positive relationship between adolescent self-esteem and religiosity across twelve purposive, middle-class, Catholic, samples from cities in five cultures: New York and St. Paul; Merida, Yucatan; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Seville, Spain; and Bonn, West Germany; and second, on the basis of traditional sex-role theory, a stronger relationship between the two variables is hypothesized for females than for males. The findings yield consistent support for the first hypothesis, and mild support for the second in the Latin samples only. The cross-cultural support for the first is underscored and speculation concerning the apparent contradictory evidence for sex-role theories is offered. The emergence of a Latin/non-Latin dichotomy is discussed. Suggested expansions of the topic include motivational and church-sect issues.

Denominational Switching in the Seventies: Going beyond Stark and Glock

Abstract: This paper examines the switching of religious preferences among Protestants in the seventies. The NORC General Social Surveys data indicate: (a) little support for Stark and Glock's switching model, and (b) considerable diversity in switching such as shifts of the upwardly mobile to status churches, of others to conservative and fringe groups, and sizable proportions away from religious identification. An alternative model utilizing a mainline fringe distinction is proposed for describing these trends, and for illuminating the cultural meanings associated with religious preference.

The Return of the Sacred

Abstract: 1975 "A new Mayo Indian religious movement in northwest Mexico." Journal of Latin American Lore, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 127-145. 1977 The Mayo Indians of Sonora: A People who Refuse to Die. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. Erasmus, C. J. 1961 Man Takes Control. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 1977 In Search of the Common Good. New York: The Free Press. Europa Yearbook 1977 Europa Yearbook, vol. II. Europa Publications, Ltd., London. Instituto Nacional Indigenista 1976 Raw census data, Mayo River Region. Mexican Department of Census 1970 Mexican National Census, Sonora. Perez de Ribas, Andres 1645 Historia de los triunphos de Nuestra Santa Fee, en las misiones de laprovincia de Nueva Espana. Madrid. Spicer, Edward 1970 "Contrasting forms of Nativism among the Mayos and Yaquis of Sonors," in The Social Anthropology of Latin America, ed. by Walter Goldschmidt and Harry Hoijer. Los Angeles: U. C. Press. Wallace, Anthony F. C. 1956 "Revitalization Movements." American Anthropologist, vol. 58, pp. 264-281. Weber, Max 1958 The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Trs. by Talcott Parsons. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.

Religious Participation, Religious Motivation and Individual Psychosocial Competence

Abstract: One hundred thirty-three Protestant, Jewish and Roman Catholic church and synagogue members from twelve congregations completed a battery of religiosity and psychosocial competence scales. The dimensions of religiosity and psychosocial competence were significantly related. Attendance at religious services was asqociated with sets of psychosocial benefits and tradeoffs. Intrinsic religiously motivated members, in general, manifested more favorable competence attributes than less intrinsically rhotivated members. The interactions between the dimensions of religiosity were also meaningful for the psychosocial competence of the member. Variations in participation and motivation had similar psychosocial meaning for Protestants, Jews and Catholics. These results point to the important implications of religiosity for the full range of human functioning, a range which includes strengths and resources as well as deficits.

Religious Correlates of Fear of Death

Abstract: Hogan, Michael Charles Queensland. 1978 The Catholic Campaign for State Aid. A Mol, Hans Study of a Pressure Group Campaign in 1971 Religion in Australia. A Sociological N.S.W. and the A.C.T. 19501972. Sydney: Investigation. Melbourne: Nelson. Catholic Theological Faculty. O'Farrell, Patrick Kemp, D. A. 1977 The Catholic Church and Community in 1978 Society and Electoral Behaviour in Australia. A History. Melbourne: Nelson. Australia St. Lucia, Qld.: University of

Religious Conversion and Community Development

Abstract: This paper deals with an issue much discussed since the time of Max Weber in social science literature: the relationship between Protestantism and socio-economic development. Data from a Mexican Indian municipality whose members have recently experienced mass conversion to Protestantism are presented to give a non-Western perspective on Weber's thesis. The resultant socio-economic changes are discussed in terms of alleviating three major problems of any underdeveloped Indian community: poverty, disease, and illiteracy. After dealing with the history of conversion and community development, the question of why conversion took place is discussed by identifying the relevant socio-economic, cultural, and other factors. Finally, the question of how conversion became the catalyst for community development is discussed, focusing on the implications of the conversion experience, its confirmation, and the resultant value orientation changes.

Commitment and Religious Community: A Comparison of a Charismatic and a Mainline Congregation*

Abstract: A "charismatic" and a "mainline" Presbyterian congregation in the same geographic area and whose members show similar socioeconomic and demographic characteristics were compared in order to analyze religious commitment. Commitment is conceptualized in terms of meaning and belonging, and various measures are suggested for operationalizing the concepts. It is found that the charismatic congregation has stronger commitment and that it does so because it is more effective at providing meaning and belonging to its members through stronger closure, strictness, consensus on authority, and cohesion. In addressing the relative importance of meaning versus belonging, it is found that both are highly salient but that belonging is perhaps more central than is usually suggested in the literature. The findings have relevance for the current debate over the reasons for the growth of conservative churches: It is suggested that social structure, or community, is as important as doctrinal stance in explaining their growth. Recent demographic studies of church membership and growth in the United States have conclusively indicated relative declines in the "mainline/liberal" churches and surprising growth and vitality in the "conservative" bodies. Kelley's (1972) thesis has demonstrated this most forcefully, while providing plausible explanations for the phenomenon. His explanations are based mainly on the perception of the conservative churches as effective providers of meaning in a time of social change, unrest, and anomie which have watered down the ability of the more mainline and liberal denominations to provide meaning in life.

A Typology of Religious Experience

Abstract: A typology of religious experience was developed based on interviews (N = 45) with individuals claiming to have had religious experiences. Subjects' accounts were content-analyzed to extract the major attributes of the experience. These attributes were then factor-analyzed to determine the number of distinctively different types of the religious experience. A total of four factors were extracted, each descriptive of a distinct type of religious experience.

Religious Orientation the Key to Psychodynamic Differences between Feminists and Nonfeminists

Abstract: Angyal's theory that personality types can be differentiated on the basis of autonomy and homonomy was used as a framework for studying psychodynamic differences between 50 feminist and 45 nonfeminist university women. In addition to Allport's Religious Orientation Inventory (ROI), the subjects were also administered three other personality tests. Discriminant function analysis was applied to the Allport scales and to 17 scales from the other three tests (7 expressive of autonomy and 10 expressive of homonomy). The feminists scored significantly higher on the 7 autonomy scales and nonfeminists significantly higher on the 10 homonomy and on the ROI Intrinsic scale. In the prediction equation generated by discriminant analysis, the ROI Intrinsic scale had a loading predominantly higher than that of any other scale. The discussion of the results pointed out their consistency with the theoretical model.

God, church, and flag : Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and the Catholic Church, 1950-1957

Abstract: Crosby examines Catholic thought of McCarthy, the relationship between Catholics and Protestants, and the political ramifications of the Catholic vote" for McCarthy. Catholics were nearly as divided over McCarthy as the rest of the country, and the senator's Catholic strength was not as great as it often seemed as reflected in the vociferous pro-McCarthy Catholic press. The study also details the senator's religious beliefs and his attitudes toward fellow Catholics."Originally published in 1978.A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.

The sociology of secularisation : a critique of a concept

Abstract: terms of their professional attitudes' (p. 55). What is average ? I do not know. On a theoretical point, they have totally ignored the debate on professions and see it solely as an 'empirical question' (p. 54). Another apparent flaw is the sample itself. Denominational administrative units were chosen to be representative as to size and extent of urbanization. For some unexplained reason the sample is purposefully over-represented by Anglican and apparently over-represented by Methodist officials. Inter-denominational research is a valid and possible way of examining religious institutions; however, far more consideration must be given to ferreting out the underlying dimensions to the areas of concern for the researcher first so that meaningful comparisons may be made. Sadly this book provides no advance to this problem. Yet it will make interesting, if often misleading, reading for Church people, and sociologists will

Personal faith and the fear of death among divergent religious populations.

Abstract: 1964 "On maintaining deviant belief systems: A case study." Social Problems 11 (Winter): 250-257. Stone, Donald 1976 "The human potential movement." Pp. 93-116 in Charles Y. Glock and Robert N. Bellah (Eds.) The New Religious Consciousness. Berkeley: University of California Press. Strauss, Roger 1976 "Changing oneself: Seekers and the creative transformation of life experience." Pp. 252-273 in John Lofland, Doing Social Life. New York: John Wiley. Tiryakian, Edward A. 1973 "Toward the sociology of esoteric culture." American Journal of Sociology 78 (November): 491-512. 1974 On the Margin of the Visible: Sociology, the Esoteric and the Occult (ed.) New York: John Wiley and Son. Tobey, Alan 1976 "The summer solstice of the healthyhappy-holy organization." Pp. 5-31 in Charles Y. Glock and Robert Bellah (eds.) The New Religious Consciousness. Berkeley: University of California Press. Truzzi, Marcello 1972 "The occult revival as popular culture: Some random observations on the old and nouveau witch." Sociological ai taining deviant belief systems: Quarterly 13 (Winter): 16-36. 1974a "Definitions and dimensions of the occult: Towards a sociological perspective." Pp. 243-257 in Edward A. Tiryakian (ed.) On the Margin of the Visible: Sociology, the Esoteric and the Occult. New York: John Wiley. 1974b "Towards a sociology of the occult: Notes on modern witchcraft." Pp. 628-645 in Irving I. Zaretsky and Mark P. Leone (eds.) Religious Movements in Contemporary America. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Wallis, Ro 1974 "The Aetherius society: A case study in the formation of a mystagogic congregation." Sociological Review 22 (February): 27-45. Webb, James 1974 The Occult Underground. LaSalle, Illinois: Open Court Publishing Co. Wuthnow, Robert 1976 "The new religions in social context." Pp. 267-295 in Charles Y. Glock and Robert N. Bellah (eds.) The New Religious Consciousness. Berkeley: University of California Press. Zaretsky, Irving I. and Mark P. Leone (eds.) 1974 Religious Movements in Contemporary America. Princeton: Princeton University Press. uarterly 13 (Winter): 16-36.

Religion and Prejudice among Greek Americans

Abstract: The association between religiosity and prejudice was evaluated, using a sample of 152 Greek Americans from Cincinnati, Ohio. Several indicators of religiosity, such as church membership, church attendance, parochial education, and orthodoxy were used. The findings showed little support for the recurrent inverse associations between church membership or orthodoxy and tolerance, except for the negative association between orthodoxy and stereotype Negro tolerance. Furthermore, the effects of religiosity (orthodoxy) varied with authoritarianism, being positive among authoritarians and negative among non-authoritarians. Parochial education was associated only with positive images about blacks and showed an interaction with general education when the latter was controlled. The ritual indicators and church attendance were positively associated with tolerance; and the renowned curvilinear trend was observed only for Negro social distance, although it was not statistically significant. Introducing an ethnicity factor to the church attendance and orthodoxy analyses produced results somewhat more consistent with American studies and also gave some support to the Gorsuch and Aleshire (1974) social conformity interpretation. Differences in results between this and other studies were attributed to operational, regional, and cultural differences. It was suggested that the cultural and social conformity hypotheses could best be tested by using ethnic generations.

Religion and Modernity: The Canadian Case

Abstract: The question of the relationship between modem industrialization and religiosity is examined in the Canadian setting, using data from the first national survey of religion in that country. The vast majority of Canadians are found to raise ultimate questions, but for most, such questions appear to be secondary rather than primary concerns. While perhaps two in five people give evidence of being inclined toward traditional Christianity, the New Religions, or being otherwise religiously committed, the majority appear to adopt no religion-old or new, but instead have a fragmented, "unfocused" orientation toward meaning. Accordingly, despite raising questions of meaning, the dominant tendency among Canadians is to be resigned to their unanswerability. A consideration of the state of organized religion and some of the correlates of industrialization leads to the conclusion that religiosity in Canada is in a state of recession which seems unlikely to reverse itself in the foreseeable future.

The Effect of Spiritual Exercises on the Integration of Self-System

Abstract: The application of a symbolic interactionist approach to the phenomenon of the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius Loyola suggests that individuals engage in this experience in an attempt to reconcile conflicting self-systems that arise in disparate social situations. A study of forty-six Jesuit novices was conducted over a four-month period, during which novices underwent intensive spiritual exercises. Results of the analysis confirm that the thirty-day initiatory experience did have a significant integrative effect on the self-systems of individuals in the sample. From the standpoint of symbolic interactionism as stated by G. H. Mead (1934), an individual's affinity for experiences such as the Jesuits' thirty-day spiritual exercises may arise from the failure of interpersonal relationships to generate for the individual a consistent definition of self. Mead (1934: 154) states that the ultimate outcome of the socialization process is the emergence of a unified definition of self embodied, so to speak, in the generalized other; however, Cottrell (1969: 553) has maintained that, within our "complex urban society," role expectations in various social situations may be so mutually exclusive as to preclude the successful emergence of a unified self-system. Thus, a constellation of self-other systems arises-each significant to the individual and yet incompatible with its counterparts-rather than a single generalized other, as postulated by Mead. Assuming that such conflict is abhorrent to the individual, as the vast literature

American Jews: Patterns of Geographic Distribution and Change, 1952-1971

Abstract: This essay examines changes in the geographical distributions of the American Jewish population between 1952 and 1971, and the role of that population in emerging patterns of religious pluralism in the United States. It is found that American Jews have increased their numbers substantially in areas of the country not traditionally associated with Jewish residence. Despite this shift, the Jewish population remains highly concentrated in metropolitan area counties. Moreover, regardless of size, Jewish communities are overwhelmingly situated in geographic areas marked by high levels of religious pluralism. The implications of these findings for an understanding of the minority status of American Jews and their position in the scheme of American pluralism are discussed.

Experimentation in Psychology of Religion: Living With or In a Dream?

Abstract: be done. Such evidence is needed to provide better care for future patients. This argument is reasonable and even persuasive, but like many arguments on ethical issues, it presents only one side. One must also consider present patients. For our medical colleagues the now infamous Tuskegee experiment has dramatically made this point. In order to determine the effectiveness of techniques used to treat syphillus, a true experiment was run. Treatment was withheld from a randomly selected group of patients. As expected, the experiment supported the hypothesis that the treatment was effective. Patients who received treatment were cured; patients in the no-treatment control group suffered gradual debilitation and in some cases death as a result of having untreated syphillus. This experiment provided reliable evidence that the treatment was effective, but even if this information allowed physicians to treat future patients more efficiently and effectively, most people would consider the research unjustifiable on ethical grounds. Human life seems too high a price to pay for the added confidence in causal inference that this experimental evidence provided over the previously available quasi-experimental evidence.

The Priest as Test Administrator in Attitude Research

Abstract: Test administrators or experimenters have been recognized as an important variable in psychological research (Masling, 1960; McGuigan, 1963; Rosenthal, 1964, 1976; Winkel & Sarason, 1964; Johnson, 1976; Barber, 1976). Attention has been given to such factors as the test administrator's age, sex, race, and attitude toward the testing situation (Stevenson & Allen, 1964; Harris, 1971; Silverman, et al., 1972; Sattler, et al., 1972; Jensen, 1974). The influence of the priest as psychologist or test administrator has received little research attention (Lee, 1972). Walker and Firetto (1965) demonstrate that there is a significant difference in responses to certain psychological measures when these tests are administered by a priest. Moreover, it seems likely that the influence of the priest on subject responses will be different in religious and non-religious groups (Burtt & Falkenberg, 1941), and that it will vary also according to denominational allegiance (Brown & Pallant, 1962) as well as according to sex, age, and geographical location oftestee (Dumoulin, 1971, Jahoda & Harrison, 1975). This observation might be an important factor in interpreting research regarding the psychology of the religious development of the school child. Reviews of research in this area indicate that some considerable part of this research has been conducted by clergymen (Strommen, 1971). If it can be demonstrated that the priest as test administrator in educational research has a direct influence on subject responses, it becomes important to ask clerical researchers to state in their research reports whether or not their status as a priest was known to the subjects. In order to test this observation a small experiment was established using an attitude scale recently employed by a clerical researcher to monitor attitudes towards religion among school children (Francis, 1977). The experiment compares the effect of lay and clerical test administration upon the subjects' responses and resultant attitude scores.

"Occult Establishment" or "Deviant Religion"? The Rise and Fall of a Modern Church of Magic

Abstract: The evolution of the cosmology, social organization, and practices of a moder "Church of Magic," as well as the social and psychological characteristics of its members, were examined to determine whether the organization more closely approximated the white, middle class "Occult Establishment" described by Martin Marty, or whether it resembled a "deviant perspective" which attracted "deviant individuals" as suggested by Lofland and Stark. The findings confirmed Marty's description in that the evolution of the belief system, organization, and magical practices of the Church reflected the maturation of the wider "Occult Establishment" in the United States during the late 1960's. However, the model of conversion to a deviant perspective outlined by Lofland and Stark proved useful, not only in noting the emergence of a "deviant perspective" within the Church of the Sun, but also in examining the psychological and social-situational factors which led to adherence to a relatively conventional perspective and praxis. In theoretical and comparative perspective, the members of the Church of the Sun are like those in several other occult and new religious groups, seeking a deeper, more mystical, and more complex understanding of their individual identities within the context of modern "mass society." They also often gain a powerful sense of community from their participation in collective ritual.

Determinants of Organizational Control in Local Churches

Abstract: Control is the process of influencing the behavior of a person, group, or organization. This paper examines the determinants of amount and distribution of control in local churches. Causal variables include denominational polity, size of denomination, minister's tenure, minister's attitudes, members' average income, and size/complexity of the local church. Several of these variables are found to be related to control, but denominational characteristics-especially size of denomination-are most strongly related. Our findings suggest that denominational effects on control involve both the dependence of the local church on the denomination and members' preferences regarding control.