Irreligion, A-Religion, and the Rise of the Religion-Less Church: Two Case Studies in Organizational Convergence
Responding to the overall decline in institutionalized American religion, this paper investigates a probable, and predicted, surge of organized irreligion. However, historical and observational data regarding two such irreligious groups, the Society for Ethical Culture and the American Rationalist F...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
[publisher not identified]
1969
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In: |
Sociological analysis
Year: 1969, Volume: 30, Issue: 4, Pages: 191-203 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | Responding to the overall decline in institutionalized American religion, this paper investigates a probable, and predicted, surge of organized irreligion. However, historical and observational data regarding two such irreligious groups, the Society for Ethical Culture and the American Rationalist Federation, reveal instead a similar, even more serious disintegration among them than that which the churches are experiencing. Findings indicate a possible convergence underway between the organizational manifestations of both religion and irreligion. Furthermore, this convergence seems to entail the growth of the “religion-less church,” an unanticipated phenomenon which introduces a new religious spirit beyond the boundaries of formerly organized religious and irreligious groups. |
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ISSN: | 2325-7873 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociological analysis
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3710509 |