Handbook of Religion and Social Institutions

432 Pages·2006·2.333 MB·English

by  Helen Rose Ebaugh (ed.)

Handbook of
Religion and Social Institutions
Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research
SeriesEditor:
HowardB.Kaplan,TexasA&MUniversity,CollegeStation,Texas
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EditedbyHelenRoseEbaugh
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EditedbyJohnDelamater
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EditedbyJonathanH.Turner
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EditedbyJanetSaltzmanChafetz
HANDBOOK OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF MENTAL HEALTH
EditedbyCarolS.AneshenselandJoC.Phelan
HANDBOOK OF THE SOCIOLOGY OF THE MILITARY
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Handbook of
Religion and Social Institutions
Editedby
Helen Rose Ebaugh
UniversityofHouston
Houston,Texas
HelenRoseEbaugh
DepartmentofSociology
UniversityofHouston
496PhilipG.HoffmanHall
Houston,TX77204-3012
XXXSubjectClassification(2000):(Sociology)
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Handbookofreligionandsocialinstitutions/editedbyHelenRoseEbaugh
p.cm.–(Handbooksofsociologyandsocialresearch)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-387-23788-7
1.Religionandsociology. I.Ebaugh,HelenRoseFuchs,1942– II.Series.
BL60.H2662005
306.6—dc22 2004062565
ISBN0-387-25703-9 e-ISBN0-387-23789-5 Printedonacid-freepaper.
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Preface
ThesociologyofreligionisasoldasthedisciplineofSociology.Almostwithoutexception,
the“founders”focusedontherolethatreligionandreligiousinstitutionsplayedduringthe
era of rapid and radical social change in 19th- and early-20th-century Europe. August
ComteviewedreligiousexplanationsasthemostprimitivemomentinhisLawoftheThree
StagesandarguedthatWesternsocietiesweremovingfrompreoccupationwithreligious
arguments into the third stage, that of scientific reasoning. Durkheim, Weber, and Marx,
eachinhisownway,predictedthedemiseofreligionasrationalizationandsecularization
supplantedthegodsanddemonsthatpreviouslywerethoughttoruletheworld.AsLemert
(1999,p.241)suggests,“Itcouldwellbesaidthatthemostunyieldingofsocialscientific
puzzlesoverthelastcenturyhasbeenjustwhyreligion,whichwassofirmlythefoundation
ofpremodernsocialorder,haslostsolittleofitseffectiveforceinpost-traditionalsocieties.”
ThechaptersinthisHandbookaretestimonytothefactthatreligionremainsnotonly“alive
andwell”inthe21stcenturybutalsothatthroughoutsociologicalspecialtiesscholarsare
increasinglyrediscoveringtheinfluenceofreligiousfactors.
Nationalsurveys(e.g.,GreeleyandHout1999;GallupandLindsay1999)showthat
themajority(59%)ofAmericanadultshaveareligiousaffiliation,believeinGod(95%)and
theafterlife(80%),pray(90%),readtheBible(69%),andsaythatreligionisimportantin
theirlives(87%).Theimportanceofsocioreligiousissues(e.g.,abortion,stemcellresearch,
capitalpunishment,gaymarriage)inrecentpoliticalcampaignsdemonstratesthecentrality
of religious interests in the political realm. The “War on Terrorism” that was declared in
the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and America’s subsequent
involvementinIraqhavepromptedinterfaithdialogueandraisedinterestinIslamandits
sectarian organization. The proliferation of new immigrant religions in the United States
within the past 30 years has increased awareness of both non-Christian religions and the
many varieties of Christianity which the immigrants practice that are new to the United
States. President Bush’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative also has called attention
totherolethatreligiousinstitutionsplayinthesocialwelfarearena.Regardlessofwhich
newsmediaoneaccesses,thereisahighprobabilitythatsomereligiousstory,event,ornew
studywillbereported.IntermsofeverydayciviclifeinAmerica,religionisnotonlyan
individualforcebutalsoastrongpresenceinthepublicforum.
DespitethecentralityofreligioninAmericanlife,ithasbeenessentiallyignoredfor
thepast70orsoyearsbythesociologicalmainstream.Evidenceofthisisthesmallnumber
of articles relating to religious topics appearing in the major journals and the fact that
only one president of the American Sociological Association (ASA) in the past 99 years
v
vi Preface
could be considered as having a central interest in the study of religion (Milton Yinger,
ASApresidentin1977).Likewise,itwasonlyin1994,40yearsafterinitiatingsubstantive
specialitysections,thatSociologyofReligionwasapprovedasanASAsection.
Thereareanumberofexplanationsforwhyreligionwassidelinedfrommainstream
Sociology.AsDillon(2003)maintains,therehasbeenanintellectualbiasinsocialtheory
againstthecompatibilityofrationalityandreligion.Sociology,itselfaproductoftheEn-
lightenment,hasalongtraditionofskepticismtowardreligion.Secularizationwasaccepted
as a doctrine, rather than a theory, and “the idea of secularization became sacralized” as
ataken-for-grantedideology(Hadden,1989).Ifreligionisobsoleteinpostindustrialsoci-
eties, why take it seriously? Dillon (2003, p. 7) calls religion the “forgotten or excluded
variable in social scientific studies.” She posits that sociologists shy away from incorpo-
rating religious variables because the very act of studying religion might be interpreted
as legitimating religious belief. The commitment of sociologists to value-free, nonbiased
researchissometimesseenasincompatiblewiththestudyofreligionasanormative,value-
ladensystem.Yet,religionasasystemofbeliefs,values,norms,andritualscanbeandhas
beenstudiedas“scientifically”andobjectivelyasothersocialphenomena.Eventhoughthe
SocietyfortheScientificStudyofReligionhasbeenaroundfor55years,itscommitment
tothenonbiasedstudyofreligionhasbeenslowtofinditswayintomainstreamsociology.
Thechaptersinthisvolumeattesttothefactthatreligionisreenteringthemainstream
ofthediscipline.Increasingly,overthepasttwodecades,sociologistsinvolvedinvarious
specialty fields are discovering the influence of religious variables on human behavior.
Meso and macro social theories are beginning to include the organizational significance
ofreligiousinstitutionsincontemporarysociety.InaspecialissueofSociologicalTheory
devotedtoasymposiumonreligion,Calhoun(1999,p.238)saidthat“Sociologicaltheory
that makes good sense of religion is better sociological theory in general.” Increasingly,
sociologistsarerecognizingthatexplanationsofsocialbehaviorthatneglectreligiousvari-
ablesareincompleteandmissingwhatcouldbeamajorfactorinexplainingcertaintypes
of behaviors. Alice Rossi (2001) acknowledged this in her study of social responsibility.
Shefoundthatreligionemergedashavingamajoreffect,eventhoughsheaddedareligion
variableinherresearchdesignasanafterthought.
Theorganizationofthebookbeginswithchaptersfocusingontheinterplayofreligion
withmajorsocialinstitutions(i.e.,politics,economy,education,andsocialwelfare).The
impactofreligiononfamilyisitsownsectionwiththreechaptersdealingwithfamilyin
general,adolescenceandlatelife.Thenextpartreviewsresearchrelatingtoreligionand
inequality, including race/ethnicity, social class, and gender. Part IV turns the spotlight
on religion and social control, with chapters on law, crime/delinquency, and adolescent
delinquency.Nextisdiscussionofreligionandculture,withattentiontosports,media,and
science/technology.PartVIconsidersreligionasasocialinstitutionandincludeschapterson
churchmembershiptrends,levelsofreligiousorganization,andreligiousleadership/clergy.
Thefinalsectionconsidersthetransnationalandglobaldimensionsofreligioninthe21st
century.
Ratherthanwritingyetanotherbookaboutthesociologyofreligionforsociologists
of religion (Dillon has done that very aptly in her recent Handbook of the Sociology of
Religion, 2003),thisoneiswrittenforsociologistswhostudyavarietyofsubdisciplines
andareinterestedinrecentstudiesandtheoreticalapproachesthatrelatereligiousvariables
to their particular area of interest. For example, criminologists can read Hoffmann and
Bahr’schapter(Chapter12)oncrime/deviancetolearnthelatestresearchfindingsregarding
correlationsbetweenreligiousvariablesandactsofcrime/deviance.Theycoulddiscover,
Preface vii
forexample,researchconductedwithinthepasttwoyearsthatshowsthatvolunteerwork
andreligiouscivicparticipationareassociatedwithloweradultandjuvenilehomiciderates,
evenaftercontrollingfortheinfluencesofsuchothersocialintegrativefactorsasdivorce
rates, population turnover, and unemployment rates. Likewise, sociologists studying law
coulddiscoverexamplesaroundtheworldtodemonstratethefactthatsomereligiousgroups
enjoyapositionofrelativeprivilegeandthattheusuallegalstructuresdealingwithreligious
groupsarenotappliedtodominantreligiousorganizationsinthesamewaystheyareused
withlesspopularreligions(seeChapter11byRichardson).BensonandKing,inChapter6,
provideacomprehensivesummaryofthemostrecentresearchconcerningtherelationships
ofreligionandadolescentdevelopment.
Althoughthe21chaptersinthisHandbookcoveravastarrayofsociologicalsubdisci-
plines,thereareanumberoftopicsthatIoriginallywantedtoincludebutwasunabletodo
sobecauseofmyinabilitytofindauthorsorthelackofasubstantialempiricalliteratureon
thetopic.Theseincluderelationshipsbetweenreligionandchilddevelopment,themilitary,
prisons,andthearts.
It is my sincere hope that sociologists and social scientists, in general, will find this
volume helpful as they seek to understand the intersections between religion and their
particular area of interest. Perhaps the voluminous citations and findings reported in this
Handbookrelatedtotheimpactofreligiononanarrayofsocialinstitutionsandresearch
topics will prod social researchers to examine ways in which religious variables impact
sociallifebothintheUnitedStatesandaroundtheworld.Ifthathappens,thegoalofthe
volumewillhavebeenachieved.
Finally,IwouldliketothankHowardKaplan,generaleditoroftheHandbookseries,
andTeresaKrauss,socialscienceeditorforKluwer/Plenum,fortheopportunitytoinclude
a Handbook on the Sociology of Religion in their prestigious line-up of volumes. Most
particularly,IamgratefultotheauthorswhocontributedtotheHandbookandweremost
diligentinfollowingmyinstructionstopresentarichreviewofresearchfindingsonhis/her
particulartopic,tobeasinclusiveaspossibleinaddressingissuesofracial,class,andgender
differences, and, finally, to point to new directions of research in exploring relationships
betweenvarioussocialinstitutionsandreligion.
REFERENCES
Calhoun,C.(1999).Symposiumonreligion.SociologicalTheory,17(3),237–239.
Dillon,M.(2003).Thesociologyofreligioninlatemodernity.InM.Dillon(Ed.),Handbookofthesociologyof
religion(Ch.1).Cambridge,UK:CambridgeUniversityPress.
Dillon,M.(Ed.).(2003).Handbookofthesociologyofreligion.Cambridge,UK:CambridgeUniversityPress.
Gallup,G.,Jr.,&Lindsay,D.M.(1999).Surveyingthereligiouslandscape:TrendsinU.S.beliefs.Harrisburg,
PA:Morehouse.
Greeley,A.M.,&Hout,M.(1999).Americans’increasingbeliefinlifeafterdeath.AmericanSociologicalReview,
64,813–835.
Hadden,J.K.(1989).Towarddesacralizingsecuralizationtheory.SocialForces,65,587–611.
Lemert,C.(1999).Themighthavebeenandcouldbeofreligionandsocialtheory.SociologicalTheory,17(3),
240–263.
Rossi,A.S.(Ed.).(2001).Caringanddoingforothers:Socialresponsibilityinthedomainsoffamily,work,and
community.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress.
Contributors
NancyAmmerman,BostonStateUniversity,Boston,Massachusetts02215
StephenJ.Bahr,BrighamYoungUniversity,Provo,Utah,84602
JohnBartkowski,MississippiStateUniversity,MississippiState,Mississippi,39762
PeterBenson,President,SearchInstitute,Minneapolis,Minnesota55413
PeterBeyer,UniversityofOttawa,Ottawa,OntarioKIN6N5
RamCnaan,UniversityofPennsylvania,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania19104
JamesD.Davidson,PurdueUniversity,WestLafayette,Indiana47907
HelenRoseEbaugh,UniversityofHouston,Houston,Texas77204
RogerFinke,PennsylvaniaStateUniversity,UniversityPark,Pennsylvania16802
BarbaraFisher-Townsend,UniversityofNewBrunswick,Fredericton,NewBrunswick,
CanadaE3B5A3
JonathanHill,NotreDameUniversity,NotreDame,Indiana46556
JohnP.Hoffmann,BrighamYoungUniversity,Provo,Utah,84602
DeanR.Hoge,CatholicUniversityofAmerica,Washington,DC,20064
StewartM.Hoover,UniversityofColoradoatBoulder,Boulder,Colorado80309
LarryIannoccone,GeorgeMasonUniversity,Fairfax,Virginia22030
PamelaE.King,FullerTheologicalSeminary,Pasadena,California91182
NealKrause,UniversityofMichigan,AnnArbor,Michigan48109
PeggyLevitt,WellesleyCollege,Wellesley,Massachusetts02481
JamesA.Mathisen,WheatonCollege,Wheaton,Illinois60187
ToddMatthews,MississippiStateUniversity,MississippiState,Mississippi,39762
CharleneC.McGrew,UniversityofPennsylvania,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania19104
NancyNason-Clark,UniversityofNewBrunswick,Fredericton,NewBrunswick,Canada
E3B5A3
RalphE.Pyle,MichiganStateUniversity,EastLansing,Michigan48824
MarkRegnerus,UniversityofTexas,Austin,Texas78712
JamesT.Richardson,UniversityofNevada,Reno,Nevada89557
ix
x Contributors
DarrenSherkat,SouthernIllinoisUniversity,Carbondale,Illinois,62901
DavidSikkink,NotreDameUniversity,NotreDame,Indiana46556
WilliamA.Stahl,UniversityofRegina,Regina,Saskatchewan,CanadaS4S0A2
W.BradfordWilcox,UniversityofVirginia,Charlottesville,Virginia,22904