The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival and Cult Formation

by Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge

Book Overview

Religion is alive and well in the modern world, and the social-scientific study of religion is undergoing a renaissance. For much of this century, respected social theorists predicted the death of religion as inevitable consequence of science, education, and modern economics. But they were wrong. Stark and Bainbridge set out to explain the survival of religion. Using information derived from numerous surveys, censuses, historical case studies, and ethnographic field expeditions, they chart the full sweep of contemporary religion from the traditional denominations to the most fervent cults. This wealth of information is located within a coherent theoretical framework that examines religion as a social response to human needs, both the general needs shared by all and the desires specific to those who are denied the economic rewards or prestige enjoyed by the privileged. By explaining the forms taken by religions today, Stark and Bainbridge allow us to understand its persistence in a secular age and its prospects for the future,

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520057317
• ISBN13: 9780520057319
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 600 Pages
• Weight: 1.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A well organized book, easy to use and full of useful facts.

For those in the field of religious studies, this book addresses the argument over secularization with a twist: Secularization actually maintains and perpetuates religion. Most of those who accept secularization's existance claim that it destroys religion. The authors provide persuasive arguements for their theory, and back it up with data organized into easy to use charts. Be aware, however, that their use of maps leaves something to be desired. The data in them is often outdated (not a problem according to their theory) and coclusions are drawn about whole regions based on information from parts of the regions. This is a large tome, and is probably suitable, if broken up into smaller units, for undergraduates in religious studies.