Religion: A Persistent Institution in a Changing Appalachia
The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the reasons why religious fundamentalism continues in Appalachia with even more strength than it endures in the rest of the United States. The major hypothesis suggests that fundamentalism persists because it acts as a buffer for the large number of ru...
| Authors: | ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer
1977
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 1977, Volume: 19, Issue: 1, Pages: 32-42 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the reasons why religious fundamentalism continues in Appalachia with even more strength than it endures in the rest of the United States. The major hypothesis suggests that fundamentalism persists because it acts as a buffer for the large number of rural and low income Appalachians who feel alienated because of dislocations that took place in the region in the last few decades. Findings indicate that aspects of religiosity involving strong potential for alleviation of anxiety (for instance, need to use religion as a buffer to the outside world) tend to be associated not simply with lower socioeconomic status but also with alienation as measured in terms of bewilderment and confusion. The positive relationship between such alienation and aspects of religiosity with the most potential for alleviation of anxiety is retained when S.E.S. is controlled. On the other hand, aspects of religiosity involving opportunities for recognition of one's social status, such as participation or involvement in the church group, are related positively to S.E.S. and negatively to alienation. Furthermore, change from a non-sectarian to a more sectarian type of church tends to be associated with aspects of religiosity which involve need to alleviate anxieties produced by modern complexity, while change from sectarian to non-sectarian churches tends to be associated with aspects of religiosity which involve opportunities for recognition of one's social status, in particular church participation. Membership in churches with fundamentalist attitudes tends to be positively associated with the anxiety of alleviation aspects of religiosity while membership in institutionalized churches is associated with aspects that involve status recognition. The data, it is hoped, will offer insights into the important contemporary role religion is playing in Appalachia. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3509578 |