Showing papers in "Sociology of Religion in 2013"
TL;DR: A qualified religion in human evolution from the paleolithic to the axial age that has actually been composed by Still puzzled the best ways to get it? Well, simply read online or download by registering in our website below as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Searching for a lot of offered book or reading resource in the world? We provide them all in format type as word, txt, kindle, pdf, zip, rar and also ppt. one of them is this qualified religion in human evolution from the paleolithic to the axial age that has actually been composed by Still puzzled the best ways to get it? Well, simply read online or download by registering in our website below. Click them.
127 citations
73 citations
TL;DR: The origins and consequences of religious restrictions in the global arena are explored, and how and why restrictions alter the religious economy and are associated with higher levels of religious persecution, religious violence and intrastate conflict in general are explored.
Abstract: Despite the international controversies surrounding religious restrictions and freedoms, the topic has only recently received substantial research attention. Drawing on this new body of research, and multiple research projects in progress, this address explores both the origins and consequences of religious restrictions in the global arena. To understand the motives for restrictions, I propose hypotheses in three areas: the relationship or lack of relationship between institutional religion and the state, the willingness and capacity of the state to ensure freedoms, and the larger social and cultural pressures restricting freedoms, including social and political movements targeting minority religions. Turning to the consequences of religious restrictions, I explore how and why restrictions alter the religious economy (i.e., formation, supply and operation of religions) and are associated with higher levels of religious persecution, religious violence and intrastate conflict in general. Finally, I review additional areas where research is needed. Language: en
69 citations
47 citations
41 citations
36 citations
TL;DR: The authors used a generalized multinomial logistic regression to explore the differences between the response categories of a three-category nominal Bible view measure and various social and religious exogenous measures.
Abstract: Almost 25 percent of Americans self-identify as biblical literalists and the concept has long been used in research. Studies of Bible views and their relationship with other social outcomes remain popular today; however, the measure is operationalized differently amongst these studies. This study describes how to best use categorical measures of biblical literalism. This is accomplished through a two-part analysis. First, the three most frequently used forms of Bible views are used as predictors to compare their similarity or dissimilarity in various models with identical controls. Second, we use generalized multinomial logistic regression to explore the differences between the response categories of a three-category nominal Bible view measure and various social and religious exogenous measures. We argue that biblical literalism should be operationalized as a nominal system of dummy variables, referred to here as received, active, and unreliable Bible views, and coding systems that do not do this may obscure important differences between the response groups.
36 citations
TL;DR: The authors used data from the 1974-2010 General Social Survey (GSV) to analyze changes in Americans' strength of religious affiliation, and found little change in the percent of Americans who report a strong affiliation, though the percent with a somewhat/not very strong affiliation declined from 1990 to 2010, as the number of unaffiliated respondents increased.
Abstract: I use data from the 1974–2010 General Social Survey to analyze changes in Americans’ strength of religious affiliation. Results show little change in the percent of Americans who report a strong affiliation, though the percent with a somewhat/not very strong affiliation declined from 1990 to 2010, as the number of unaffiliated respondents increased. Tradition-specific, age–period–cohort analyses show that the probability of reporting a strong religious affiliation declined considerably among Catholics, predominantly due to period-based effects in the 1980s, and increased among evangelical Protestants, also due to period-based changes. These trends have produced a large gap in the likelihood of having a strong religious affiliation between evangelical Protestants/black Protestants and mainline Protestants/ Catholics. Additional analyses show considerable across-cohort changes in the association between religious service attendance and strength of religious affiliation, particularly among Catholics, suggesting that religious identity and religious practice are more loosely connected among younger generations.
30 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that women are less likely than men to report religion as being important to their lives when focusing on the fellows who are women, and that obtaining a graduate degree from a top university, being highly committed to one’s work, and being recognized for success are all associated with a lower likelihood of rating religion as important.
Abstract: Decades of research has suggested that women are much more religious than men. Yet our survey of 107 women and 362 men who are alumni of the White House Fellows program finds that elite women are less likely than elite men to report religion as being important to their lives. When focusing on the fellows who are women, we find that obtaining a graduate degree from a top university, being highly committed to one’s work, and being recognized for success are all associated with a lower likelihood of rating religion as important. We elucidate some of these findings with analyses of indepth interviews. We suggest that aspiring women may not benefit from religion the same way men do and that religion often fails to provide similar levels of support for elite women as for elite men. We conclude by arguing for finer-grained measures of professional accomplishment and social standing to better understand gender differences in religion.
30 citations
TL;DR: This article examined how religiousness influences social network site membership and frequency of use for emerging adults between 18 and 23 years old utilizing Wave 3 survey data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR).
Abstract: This study examines how religiousness influences social network site (SNS) membership and frequency of use for emerging adults between 18 and 23 years old utilizing Wave 3 survey data from the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR). Independent of religion promoting a prosocial orientation, organizational involvement, and civic engagement, Catholics and Evangelical Protestants are more likely than the “not religious” to be SNS members, and more Bible reading is associated with lower levels of SNS membership and use. We argue there are both sacred and secular influences on SNS involvement, and social behaviors, such as being in school and participating in more non-religious organizations, generally positively influence becoming a SNS member, yet certain more private behaviors, such as Bible reading, donating money, and helping the needy, lessen SNS participation. We also suggest four areas for future research to help untangle the influence of religiousness on SNS use and vice versa.
30 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that the tension religious groups experience with their surroundings partly depends on local contexts and that certain types of local contexts may generate more tension, such as regions in which the non-religiously affiliated constitute the majority of the population.
Abstract: Recently, there has been a call for social scientific studies of religion to start taking “place” seriously. This paper adds to this growing literature by embedding religious commitment within place. We propose that the tension religious groups experience with their surroundings partly depends on local contexts and that certain types of local contexts may generate more tension. These contexts include regions in which the nonreligiously affiliated constitute the majority of the population, such as the American Pacific Northwest (PNW) region. Analysis of qualitative data on evangelical and liberal Protestants from western Oregon and western Washington suggests that they are aware of and experience tension with the regional PNW culture, which shapes their religious experience.
TL;DR: In this article, Weber's classic writings on religion and economic ethics and guided by moral cosmology theory's conceptualization of religious orthodoxy are used to study the complex ways that religion influences American workers.
Abstract: Inspired by Weber’s classic writings on religion and economic ethics and guided by moral cosmology theory’s conceptualization of religious orthodoxy, this article responds to recent calls for renewed interest in religion and work. Analyzing data from the Economic Values Survey, it documents the complex ways that religion influences American workers. This study contributes to the sociologies of religion and work, along with the field of organizational behavior, in two ways. First, it shows that moral cosmology theory applies to an important sphere of social life: the workplace. Second, contrary to those who argue that religion serves a more therapeutic than directive role in the workplace, it shows that religious orthodoxy shapes work behaviors, orientations, and decision-making. In doing so, this article also contributes to the emerging literature in management studies regarding the role of the sacred in secular organizations.
TL;DR: The authors explored the utility of peer support groups for reducing psychological distress among pastors by analyzing data from two waves of an ongoing study of United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy in North Carolina, as well as focus group data from the same population.
Abstract: Clergy often face a great deal of occupational stress that in turn can lead to psychological distress. In recent years, denominations have been turning to peer support groups to combat these challenges, but little research exists regarding their effectiveness. This study explores the utility of peer support groups for reducing psychological distress among pastors by analyzing data from two waves of an ongoing study of United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy in North Carolina, as well as focus group data from the same population. Results indicate that participation in peer support groups had weakly beneficial direct and indirect relationships to psychological distress (measured as mentally unhealthy days, anxiety, and depression). Focus group data indicated that the weak results may be due to an interplay between varied group activities and differences in individual coping styles, which in turn lead to a mix of positive and negative group experiences. The results caution against assuming that peer groups are a uniformly effective solution to the occupational demands of pastoral work.
TL;DR: The results show that net of institutional religiosity, young adults who experience stress from traumas are more likely to report miracles, which suggests that these reports often refer to healings or similar interventions.
Abstract: Religious beliefs often persist among unaffiliated young adults, and certain beliefs about God have been shown to support subjective well-being. Yet we know much less about the persistence or psychological impact of religious experiences, specifically miracles from God. I conceive of such experiences as faith pinnacle moments which express and reinvigorate the individual's reciprocal bond with God, frequently occur in response to certain types of stress, and support well-being by solidifying one's sense of that bond. My results show that net of institutional religiosity, young adults who experience stress from traumas are more likely to report miracles. This suggests that these reports often refer to healings or similar interventions. Stress from family breakups, however, is negatively correlated with miracles, presumably since these disruptions damage the bond with God due to the established connection between parental relationships and perceived relationship with God. Finally, miracles are positively correlated with life satisfaction and partially protect against the negative effects of stress on life satisfaction.
TL;DR: In a study of evangelical Christians from India, China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan enrolled in American colleges and universities, the idea of a calling emerged as an important component of identity and action as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In this study of evangelical Christians from India, China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan enrolled in American colleges and universities, the idea of a calling emerged as an important component of identity and action. A narrative approach that incorporates visual methods was used ٤٠ collect the stories of 46 interviewees in Boston and two cities in China. Among study participants, 78 percent specifically connect their faith ٤٠ their professional aspirations ; and all participants refer ٤٠ their future career as a calling and/or part ٠/ “God's plan.” Through involvement in conservative Christian congregations, I argue, these women and men are socialized into communities in which the narratives ٠/ who they are, what ?٤ means ٤٠ be a Christian, and how their faith relates ٤٠ the many domains of modern life are part of the conversation. The idea of a calling is carried by these narratives and offers study participants a compelling way ٤٠ interpret the past, navigate everyday life in the present, and pursue a meaningful future.
TL;DR: The developing social scientific literature on atheism is still working out the social significance, meaning, and processes of atheist identity formation as discussed by the authors, which will require a clearer picture of how and why some people come to identify with atheism, and in some cases, incorporate this identity as a central component of who they are.
Abstract: The developing social scientific literature on atheism is still working out the social significance, meaning, and processes of atheist identity formation. Scholars are also in the early stages of analyzing and understanding the collective and organizational activities of contemporary self-identified atheists and the relationship of this to theism, religious practice and organization, belief, and other social phenomena that have long been of central concern to sociology. Understanding atheists and their relationship to these social processes and the broader culture will require a clearer picture of how and why some people come to identify with atheism, and in some cases, incorporate this identity as a central component of who they are. Steve LeDrew’s 2013, “Discovering Atheism: Heterogeneity in Trajectories to Atheist Identity and Activism.” Sociology of Religion, article on atheists provides an opportunity to pause on some fairly basic questions about the nature of atheist identities and how best to conceptualize them, in order to advance our knowledge of not just atheists, but of the broader concepts and issues of identity, belief, boundaries, and culture, in empirically relevant, and theoretically useful ways. Here, I discuss some specifics for conceptualizing atheist identities in the contemporary context, and attempt to help clear a path for productive future research in this area.
TL;DR: In this paper, the relevance and salience of Putnam and Campbell's concept of moral freighting, developed within a U.S. and largely Christian context, to the more secularized and religiously diverse context of the UK is tested.
Abstract: This article tests the relevance and salience of Putnam and Campbell's concept of moral freighting, developed within a U.S. and largely Christian context, to the more secularized and religiously diverse context of the UK. Moral freighting suggests that individual citizens who are members of religious groups are better neighbors and more civically active than their secular counterparts. The article maps Putnam and Campbell's arguments, locating them within the wider genealogy of sociological theory explaining connections between religious belonging and pro-social participation. It thickens and nuances Putnam and Campbell's definition of moral freighting with reference to recent UK-based qualitative research via means of Belonging, Becoming and Participation Grids (BBP). Three case studies (Buddhist, Muslim, and Christian) are extrapolated, before concluding with a brief appraisal of moral freighting as an adequate conceptual tool for locating the role of religious and spiritual groups in shaping the contribution of individual citizens to public life.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors test whether changes in priest's beliefs and values are due to cultural trends (indicated by birth cohort) or institutional selection, and whether they are related to liberalism/ conservatism generally or to specific conformity to Catholic moral positions.
Abstract: The declining dissent among Catholic clergy since the 1970s has consistently been attributed to cohort replacement, indicated by age differences, as a result of changes in Catholic religious culture, despite a recognition in recent sociology of religion of the importance of institutional agency. I test (1) whether changes in priest’s beliefs and values are due to cultural trends (indicated by birth cohort) or institutional selection (indicated by ordination cohort); and (2) whether they are related to liberalism/ conservatism generally or to specific conformity to Catholic moral positions. Data are from the 2002 Los Angeles Times priest survey (N ¼ 1,854). Results are mixed: I find support for the thesis of institutional selection for conformity since 1969, but not before. Prior to the 1960s, clergy (and lay) Catholic dissent increased linearly by birth cohort; since 1969, institutional selection, not cultural change, accounts for declining clergy dissent (while lay dissent has continued to increase). Implications for understanding changes in the Catholic Church and for religious theory are discussed.