From Angels to Aliens [electronic resource] : Teenagers, the Media, and the Supernatural
Clark, Lynn Schofield.
New York ; Oxford : Oxford University Press,
2003.
Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Left Behind series are but the latest manifestations of American teenagers' longstanding fascination with the supernatural and the paranormal. In this groundbreaking book, Lynn Schofield Clark explores the implications of this fascination for contemporary religious and spiritual practices. Relying on stories gleaned from more than 250 in-depth interviews with teens and their families, Clark seeks to discover what today's teens really believe and why. She finds that as adherence to formal religious bodies declines, interest in alternative spiritua
Description based upon print version of record.
Contents; Part I: THE SUPERNATURAL TODAY: WHY THE FASCINATION?; Introduction: From Angels to Aliens; 1 Angels, Aliens, and the Dark Side of Evangelicalism; 2 Touched by a Vampire Named Angel: The Supernatural in Contemporary Teen Popular Culture; Part II: ETHNOGRAPHIC STORIES: TEENS AND THEIR APPROACHES TO MEDIA, RELIGION, AND SUPERNATURAL BELIEFS; 3 The Resisters: Loving Supernatural Legends and Hating Organized Religion; 4 The Mystical Teens: Blurring the Boundaries between Religious and Fictional Legends; 5 The Experimenters: Appreciating Both Religion and the Legends of the Supernatural
6 The Traditionalists: Affirming the Boundary between Religion and the Media7 The Intrigued Teens (and the Issue of Angels): Wishing to Separate Religion and Legend, but Having Difficulty Doing So; Part III: CONTEXTS AND CONCLUSIONS; 8 Baby Boomers and Their Millennial Kids: Parental Intentions Regarding the Media, Religion, and Beliefs in the Supernatural; 9 Religion, Class, and Politics: Discussing Aliens and Angels in the Family and in Society; 10 Conclusion: The Dark Side of Evangelicalism and the Religion of the Possible; Appendix A: Comments on Methodology
Appendix B: Sample InformationNotes; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; O; P; Q; R; S; T; U; V; W; X; Z
Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the Left Behind series are but the latest manifestations of American teenagers' longstanding fascination with the supernatural and the paranormal. In this groundbreaking book, Lynn Schofield Clark explores the implications of this fascination for contemporary religious and spiritual practices. Relying on stories gleaned from more than 250 in-depth interviews with teens and their families, Clark seeks to discover what today's teens really believe and why. She finds that as adherence to formal religious bodies declines, interest in alternative spiritua
Description based on print version record.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Mass media.
Mass media and teenagers.
Occultism.
Public opinion.
Religion.
Teenagers.
North & South American Religions
Parapsychology & Occult Sciences
Religion
Social Sciences
Philosophy & Religion