Two cases of religious socialization among minorities

The Popular Religion

Abstract: Many years ago a contributor to the Dublin Review wrote about the XV century: “ This epoch was an eclipse—a very Egyptian darkness; worse than Chaos or Erebus—black as the thick preternatural night under which Our Lord was crucified ”.I Had this statement been true it would have been easy to account for the Reformation. It is false, and the Reformation has still to be explained. In the last chapter it became clear that there were many scandals in the clerical estate, but that the clergy were by no means so black as they have sometimes been painted. In this chapter it should become clear how, in spite of wickedness and superstition, there was a popular religion—real, sincere and active. There have never been any good old times; but in reviewing the past it is possible to overestimate our superior enlightenment.

Theorizing religious socialization: a critical assessment

Abstract: Religious socialization remains a widely used concept amongst scholars who direct attention to the social patterns that underline the formation of religious attitudes. This article presents contemp...

The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge

Abstract: A general and systematic account of the role of knowledge in society aimed to stimulate both critical discussion and empirical investigations. This book is concerned with the sociology of 'everything that passes for knowledge in society'. It focuses particularly on that 'common-sense knowledge' which constitutes the reality of everyday life for the ordinary member of society. The authors are concerned to present an analysis of knowledge in everyday life in the context of a theory of society as a dialectical process between objective and subjective reality. Their development of a theory of institutions, legitimations and socializations has implications beyond the discipline of sociology, and their 'humanistic' approach has considerable relevance for other social scientists, historians, philosophers and anthropologists.

Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens Through the Twenties

Abstract: Preface 1. A longer road to adulthood 2. What is it like to be an emerging adult: Four portraits 3. From conflict to companionship: A new relationship with parents 4. Love and sex 5. Meandering toward marriage 6. The road through college: Twists and turns 7. Work: More than a job 8. Sources of meaning: Religious beliefs and values 9. The age of possibilities: Four case studies 10. From emerging adulthood to young adulthood: What does it mean to become an adult?

Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

Abstract: The first generation of Digital Nativeschildren who were born into and raised in the digital worldare coming of age, and soon our world will be reshaped in their image. Our economy, our politics, our culture, and even the shape of our family life will be forever transformed. But who are these Digital Natives? And what is the world theyre creating going to look like?In Born Digital, leading Internet and technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser offer a sociological portrait of these young people, who can seem, even to those merely a generation older, both extraordinarily sophisticated and strangely narrow. Exploring a broad range of issues, from the highly philosophical to the purely practical, Born Digital will be essential reading for parents, teachers, and the myriad of confused adults who want to understand the digital presentand shape the digital future.

The Bitter and the Sweet: An Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of Religiousness

Abstract: Psychologists have tended to view religion from a distance as a global, undifferentiated, stable process that is largely good or largely bad. This article presents a more fine-grained analysis of religion and its implications for well-being, positive and negative. The empirical literature points to five conclusions. First, some forms of religion are more helpful than others. Well-being has been linked positively to a religion that is internalized, intrinsically motivated, and based on a secure relationship with God and negatively to a religion that is imposed, unexamined, and reflective of a tenuous relationship with God and the world. Second, there are advantages and disadvantages to even controversial forms of religion, such as fundamentalism. Third, religion is particularly helpful to socially marginalized groups and to those who embed religion more fully in their lives. Fourth, religious beliefs and practices appear to be especially valuable in stressful situations that push people to the limits of th...

Religious Intermarriage and Socialization in the United States

Abstract: This paper presents an empirical analysis of a choice‐theoretic model of cultural transmission. In particular, we use data from the General Social Survey to estimate the structural parameters of a model of marriage and child socialization along religious lines in the United States. The observed intermarriage and socialization rates are consistent with Protestants, Catholics, and Jews having a strong preference for children who identify with their own religious beliefs and making costly decisions to influence their children’s religious beliefs. Our estimates imply dynamics of the shares of religious traits in the population that are in sharp contrast with the predictions obtained by linear extrapolations from current intermarriage rates.