Acts of Faith : Explaining the Human Side of Religion

Finally, social scientists have begun to attempt to understand religious behavior rather than to discredit it as irrational, ignorant, or foolish—and Rodney Stark and Roger Finke have played a major role in this new approach. Acknowledging that science cannot assess the supernatural side of religion (and therefore should not claim to do so), Stark and Finke analyze the observable, human side of faith. In clear and engaging prose, the authors combine explicit theorizing with animated discussions as they move from considering the religiousness of individuals to the dynamics of religious groups and then to the religious workings of entire societies as religious groups contend for support. The result is a comprehensive new paradigm for the social-scientific study of religion. CONTENTS Introduction: Atheism, Faith, and the Social Scientific Study of Religion PART ONE. PARADIGMS IN CONFLICT 1. A New Look at Old Issues 2. Rationality and the “Religious Mind” 3. Secularization, R.I.P. PART TWO. THE RELIGIOUS INDIVIDUAL 4. The Micro Foundations of Religion 5. Religious Choices: Conversion and Reaffiliation PART THREE. THE RELIGIOUS GROUP 6. Religious Group Dynamics 7. Catholic Religious Vocations: Decline and Revival PART FOUR. THE RELIGIOUS ECONOMY 8. A Theoretical Model of Religious Economies 9. Religious Competition and Commitment: An International Assessment 10. Church-to-Sect Movements APPENDIX: Propositions and Definitions Notes References Index