Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of ReligionFinally, social scientists have begun to attempt to understand religious behavior rather than to discredit it as irrational, ignorant, or foolish—and Rodney Stark and Roger Finke have played a major role in this new approach. Acknowledging that science cannot assess the supernatural side of religion (and therefore should not claim to do so), Stark and Finke analyze the observable, human side of faith. In clear and engaging prose, the authors combine explicit theorizing with animated discussions as they move from considering the religiousness of individuals to the dynamics of religious groups and then to the religious workings of entire societies as religious groups contend for support. The result is a comprehensive new paradigm for the social-scientific study of religion. |
Contents
| 1 | |
A New Look at Old Issues | 27 |
Rationality and the Religious Mind | 42 |
The Micro Foundations of Religion | 83 |
Conversion and Reaffiliation | 114 |
Religious Group Dynamics | 141 |
Decline and Revival | 169 |
A Theoretical Model of Religious Economies | 193 |
An International Assessment | 218 |
propositions and definitions | 277 |
notes | 287 |
Other editions - View all
Acts of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion Rodney Stark,Roger Finke No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
American Andrew Greeley atheism Baptist behavior belief bishops Book of Mormon Bryan Wilson century chapter Christian claim clergy competition Confessing Movement congregations conversion costs culture decline Definition denominations dioceses doctrine Durkheim Ernst Troeltsch Europe evangelical example exchange faith Finke and Stark gion gious gods growth high levels higher-tension humans Iannaccone Islam Jehovah’s Witnesses level of commitment levels of religious liberal lower-tension Max Weber membership missionaries modern Moreover Mormon nations niches noted nuns Oliver Cowdery otherworldly rewards pastors percent pluralism prayer priests primitive Professional ecclesiastics Proposition Proposition 22 Protestant reaffiliation Reform Judaism reli religious bodies religious capital religious choices religious commitment religious economy religious firms religious groups religious movements religious orders religious organizations religious participation ritual sects secular seminarians shift Smith social science social scientists society Stark and Bainbridge study of religion substantial supernatural tend theory tion traditional United Methodist Church Vatican Vatican II