ABSTRACT
This chapter develops an argument about the role of religion in civil society that runs against the grain of much contemporary thinking on the subject. The conventional wisdom has been shaped by an image of conflict as the seat of the problem. Speaking of moral practices is always troublesome because the very term suggests that some activities are to be set apart from others that are either immoral or amoral. Some discussions of religious communities adopt a kind of associational logic which suggests that little happens to the self at all; rather, communities simply expose people to social networks and encourage them to play organizational roles. Change is expected, personal reflection is part of this change, and there is nevertheless strong personal continuity over the life course. Multiphrenic spirituality may be largely irrelevant to questions about civic or economic participation. Practice, moral and spiritual, is thus a subject that needs encouragement if it is to contribute valuably to civic society.
