Losing Our Religion: How Unaffiliated Parents Are Raising Their Children PDF
Preview Losing Our Religion: How Unaffiliated Parents Are Raising Their Children
Losing Our Religion SECULAR STUDIES General Editor: Phil Zuckerman Losing Our Religion: How Unaffiliated Parents Are Raising Their Children Christel Manning Losing Our Religion How Unaffiliated Parents Are Raising Their Children Christel Manning NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS New York and London www.nyupress.org © 2015 by New York University All rights reserved References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing. Neither the author nor New York University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Manning, Christel. Losing our religion : how unaffiliated parents are raising their children / Christel Manning. pages cm. — (Secular studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4798-7425-5 (cl : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4798-8320-2 (pb : alk. paper) 1. United States—Religion. 2. Non church-affiliated people—United States. 3. Religious education of children—United States. I. Title. BL2525.M3565 2015 211’.7085—dc23 2015019843 New York University Press books are printed on acid-free paper, and their binding materials are chosen for strength and durability. We strive to use environmentally responsible suppli- ers and materials to the greatest extent possible in publishing our books. Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Also available as an ebook For Sheila This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1. Who Are the Nones? 10 2. What Do Nones Believe and Practice? 26 3. The Importance of Time 50 4. The Importance of Place 76 5. What Are We, Mom? 104 6. The Meaning of Choice in Religion 138 7. The Risks and Benefits of Raising Children without Religion 162 Conclusion 181 Appendix: Sources and Methods of Research 197 Notes 205 Bibliography 219 Index 233 About the Author 245 vii This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments I would like to thank Sacred Heart University for several grants that helped support my research. A big thanks to Celia Rumsey, Julie Inger- soll, Nathan Mesnikoff, Julia Graham, Barbara Graham, and Anita Manning for facilitating research outside of my home state, and to the many individuals who opened their homes to share their stories with me. Thanks to Phil Zuckerman for encouraging me to send the manu- script to New York University Press, and to Jennifer Hammer, and all the other folks at NYU who shepherded me through the process (I especially appreciate Michael Koch for his thorough copyediting, and Dorothea Halliday who helped me work through seemingly endless problems with the editing software). I am grateful to my daughter, Sheila, whose ques- tions first inspired this project, and to my husband, Stewart Hutchings, for holding down the fort while I traveled to do research. Finally, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to John Manning for reading and commenting on multiple drafts of this book before it went to press. ix This page intentionally left blank
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