Religion in a Free Market Religious and Non-Religious Americans Who, What, Why, Where
Publisher: Paramount Market Publishing, Inc.
Published: June 15, 2006
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 320
ISBN-13: 9780976697367
Subjects: Religion; Sociology - General; Spirituality - General; 21st century; Religious life and customs; Statistics; United States
First sentence: 1776 WAS A banner year for freedom in America.
Description: From the pulpits to the op-ed pages, several messages about religion in the U.S. are heard again and again: It's said that Americans are flocking to churches and other religious institutions in greater numbers than ever before, that non-Christian faiths are growing rapidly, and that a new religious fervor among the young is filling up the pews. All of these frequently heard messages are incorrect, according to this book. The book, by professors Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., is based on a major national survey which they conducted. The U.S. Census is prohibited from asking questions about religion, so this survey, the American Religious Identification Survey, contains the most complete and reliable source of data on religion in America today. This book argues that religion in America can best be understood as a product on offer in the marketplace of ideas. It says that "religious ferment in America is as strong as it has ever been, so whatever you learned about religion in the U.S. a generation ago is out of date."