ABSTRACT
Does modernization lead to the decline of religion? This question lies at the centre of a key debate in the sociology of religion. During the past decade American scholars, using primarily American data, have dominated this debate and have made a strong case that the answer to this question is no. Recently, however, a new crop of European scholars, working with new sources of European data, have uncovered evidence that points toward an affirmitive answer.
This volume pays special attention to these trends and developments to provide the reader with a more well-rounded understanding of the many ways in which religion interacts with modernization. Respected scholars such as David Voas, Steve Bruce and Anthony Gill examine modern societies across the world in this splendid book which will interest sociologists, political scientists, historians, and theologians in equal measure.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part 1|18 pages
Introduction
part 1|70 pages
Secularization Theory
chapter 4|30 pages
Religion in Central and Eastern Europe
part 2|67 pages
The Market Model
chapter 6|19 pages
Secularization and the State
part 3|58 pages
The Individualization Thesis
chapter 8|12 pages
From Believing without Belonging to Vicarious Religion
chapter 10|30 pages
Religious Individualization or Secularization
part 4|48 pages
New Theories on Religion and Modernity Exemplified at the European Case