9780205628001

This is a new text for thesociology of religioncourse. Instead of surveying the field systematically, the text is organized around a set ofbig questions that generate the most discussion and debate in the sociology of religionfield. Big questionscovered in the text, include: Whatever happened to the so-called 'decline of religion'? Explaining religious vitality in today's world. Why is there a rising tide of fundamentalism around the world? How have recent waves of immigration changed the landscape of religion in the US and elsewhere? What are we to make of innovative ways to get your religion? -Mega-churches, televangelism and the crystal shop around the corner Is religion a force for social change or a tool of the status quo? Can democratic political systems accommodate growing religious diversity? If religion teaches love, how can it lead to violence? How are sex roles, gender identity and definitions of the family infused with religious meaning? Does religion contribute to environmental degradation? Does it have a role to play in preserving the environment? What's with the struggle between science and religion? Do we need God to do good? Religious and moral values in schools, charities and public policy.

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Michael O. Emerson is the Allyn and Gladys Cline Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. In addition to many articles on the topic of religion, he is the author of several books, including Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race in America (Oxford University Press) and People of the Dream: Multiracial Congregations in the United States (Princeton University Press).

William A. Mirola is Professor of Sociology and former chair of the Department of History and Social Science at Marian College in Indianapolis, IN. His teaching and research interests focus on the sociology of religion, social class, and social movements and change. In 2009, he co-edited (with Sean McCloud), Religion and Class in America: Culture, History, and Politics. He is co-editor (with Susanne Monahan and Michael Emerson) of Sociology of Religion: A Reader. He has published articles in Sociology of Religion, Social Problems, and Social Science History, principally addressing the intersections of religion and social class as well as religious dynamics in the American labor movement, past and present.

Susanne C. Monahan is Associate Professor and former chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Montana State University. She received a Ph.D. and A.M. in Sociology from Stanford University, and a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Economics from Swarthmore College. Her research focuses on complex organizations, including work on American congregations and clergy. She is co-editor, along with William Mirola and Michael Emerson, of Sociology of Religion: A Reader, and has published articles and reviews in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Review of Religious Research, Sociology of Religion, Theoretical Criminology, Justice Quarterly, Journal of the American Academy of Religion and Child Development.

IN THIS SECTION:

1.) BRIEF

2.) COMPREHENSIVE

BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section I Getting Acquainted

Chapter 1 Why Religion?

Chapter 2 “You Believe What?”

Chapter 3 Downloading God, “Big Box” Churches, and the Crystal Shop Around the Corner

Section II The Shape of Religion

Chapter 4 Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Chapter 5 God’s Not Dead (and Neither is the Goddess!)

Chapter 6 Our God Rules (Yours Doesn’t)

Section III Religion, Conflict and the State

Chapter 7 Divine rights and casting down the mighty from their thrones

Chapter 8 Give us our due

Section IV Religion, Identity and Social Inequalities

Chapter 9 Adam, Eve, and Steve

Chapter 10 The (Not So Great) Color Wall of the U.S.

Chapter 11 Who Brought the Enchiladas to My Bar Mitzvah?

Section V More Big Questions

Chapter 12Godless science? Irrational religion?

Chapter 13 The end of days? Religion and environmentalism

Chapter 14 Do we need God to do good?

COMPREHENSIVE TABLE OF CONTENTS

*Recommended readings appear at the end of each chapter

Section I Getting Acquainted

Chapter 1 Why Religion?

But What Is Religion Anyway?

On Belief and Ritual

On Community

Religion Assures Us of Cosmic Order

A Sociological Consensus: Religion is a Human Product

The Promise of Sociology

Chapter 2 “You Believe What?” — A Tour of Religious Belief and Ritual Practice

Comparing Religious Beliefs and Practices

Christianity

Catholicism

Mainline Protestantism

Evangelical Protestants

Other Christian Denominations

Islam

Hinduism

Buddhism

Judaism

Understanding Contemporary Religious Ritual Practices

The Role of Beliefs and Ritual Practices

Section II The Shape of Religion

Chapter 3 Downloading God, “Big Box” Churches, And the Crystal Shop Around the Corner: Religious Adaptation in the High Tech, Digital Age

Changing Technology, Changing Religion

Virtual Spiritual Community, Identity, and Authority

What’s In A “Mega-Church”?

Can You Have Community In A Megachurch?

Other New Forms and Contexts for Religious Community

Chapter 4 Can’t We All Just Get Along? Cohesion and Conflict in Religion

Getting Personal

Religion and Social Cohesion

Religion and Social Conflict

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

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Religion Matters: What Sociology Teaches Us About Religion In Our World

Religion Matters: What Sociology Teaches Us About Religion In Our World

0205628001

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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