Sacred and secular : religion and politics worldwide / Pippa Norris, Ronald Inglehart.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 331-358) and index.

"This book develops a theory of secularization and existential security, demonstrating that the publics of virtually all advanced industrial societies have been moving toward more secular orientations during the past fifty years, but also that the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before"-- Provided by publisher

"Seminal nineteenth-century thinkers predicted that religion would gradually fade in importance with the emergence of industrial society. The belief that religion was dying became the conventional wisdom in the social sciences during most of the twentieth century. The traditional secularization thesis needs updating, however, religion has not disappeared and is unlikely to do so. Nevertheless, the concept of secularization captures an important part of what is going on. This book develops a theory of existential security. It demonstrates that the publics of virtually all advanced industrial societies have been moving toward more secular orientations during the past half century, but also that the world as a whole now has more people with traditional religious views than ever before. This second edition expands the theory and provides new and updated evidence from a broad perspective and in a wide range of countries. This confirms that religiosity persists most strongly among vulnerable populations, especially in poorer nations and in failed states. Conversely, a systematic erosion of religious practices, values, and beliefs has occurred among the more prosperous strata in rich nations"-- Provided by publisher

Print version record.

Cover; Title; Copyright; Contents; 1st of Tables; List of Figures; Preface and Acknowledgments; PART I Understanding Secularization; 1 The Secularization Debate; Traditional Theories of Secularization; The Rational Weltanschauung: The Loss of Faith; Functional Evolution: The Loss of Purpose; The Theory of Religious Markets: The Loss of Competition; The Thesis of Secularization Based on Existential Security; The Security Axiom; The Cultural Traditions Axiom; Hypotheses; 1. The Religious Values Hypothesis; 2. The Religious Culture Hypothesis; 3. The Religious Participation Hypothesis.

4. The Civic Engagement Hypothesis5. The Demographic Hypothesis; 6. The Religious Market Hypothesis; Conclusions; Demonstrating the Theory; (i) Cross-National Comparisons; (ii) Comparing Predominant Religious Cultures; (iii) Generational Comparisons; (iv) Sectoral Comparisons; (v) Patterns of Demography, Fertility Rates, and Population Change; (vi) Social and Political Consequences; Plan of the Book; 2 Measuring Secularization; Research Design; Cross-National Surveys; Longitudinal Trends; Generational Analysis; The Comparative Framework; The World Values Survey/European Values Survey.

Measures of SecularizationThe Classification of Religious Cultures; Type of Societies; Type of States; Religious Freedom Index; 3 Comparing Secularization Worldwide; Evidence of Religious Behavior; Cross-National Patterns of Religious Behavior; Social Characteristics; Trends in Religious Participation and Beliefs; Generational Comparisons; Conclusions; PART II Case Studies of Religion and Politics; 4 The Puzzle of Secularization in the United States and Western Europe; Comparing Religiosity in Postindustrial Nations; Trends in Secularization in Western Europe.

Trends in Religiosity in the United StatesExplaining Variations in Religiosity: The Religious Market Model; Religious Pluralism; State Regulation and Freedom of Religion; Functional Theories and the Social Role of Religious Institutions; The Role of Security and Economic Inequality; 5 A Religious Revival in Post-Communist Europe?; The Secularization versus Supply-Side Debate; Additional Relevant Factors; Generational Change in Religiosity; The Impact of Religious Markets versus the Impact of Human Development; Religious Pluralism; State Regulation of Religion; Societal Development.

Conclusions6 Religion and Politics in the Muslim World; The "Clash of Civilizations" Debate; Classification and Measures; Attitudes toward Democracy; Conclusion and Discussion; Technical Appendix; PART III The Consequences of Secularization; 7 Religion, the Protestant Ethic, and Moral Values; The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism Thesis; Evidence for the Protestant Ethic; Work Ethic; Attitudes toward Capitalism; Ethical Standards; Moral "Life Issue" Values; Conclusions; Technical Appendix; 8 Religious Organizations and Social Capital; Putnam's Theory of Social Capital.

English.

eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - Worldwide