Casting off the Bonds of Organized Religion: A Religious-Careers Approach to the Study of Apostasy
If apostasy is to become well understood, social scientists must (a) distinguish it theoretically from other phenomena (e.g., denominational switching) and (b) conduct longitudinal research. This study proposes that apostasy be conceptualized as the process of disengagement from two major elements o...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
1993
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| In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 1993, Volume: 34, Issue: 3, Pages: 235-258 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | If apostasy is to become well understood, social scientists must (a) distinguish it theoretically from other phenomena (e.g., denominational switching) and (b) conduct longitudinal research. This study proposes that apostasy be conceptualized as the process of disengagement from two major elements of religion: belief and community. A typology of religious careers was developed to approximate the dynamics of apostasy through cross-sectional data. Data were derived from self-administered questionnaires from Canadian and American undergraduates, with selected comparisons from interviews of a random sample of adults. The career types Apostates, Switchers, Converts and Stalwarts were compared in terms of origins, reported early family experiences, persistence of beliefs and sources of doubt. Finally, the consequences (concomitants) of apostasy-happiness, life-satisfactions, self-esteem, socio-political attitudes, gender traditionalism-were analyzed. |
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| ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3700597 |