The Nonreligious Understanding Secular People and Societies [Paperback]

The number of nonreligious people has increased dramatically over the past several decades, yet scholarship on the nonreligious is severely lacking. In response to this critical gap in knowledge,The Nonreligiousprovides a comprehensive summation and analysis of existing social scientific research on secular people and societies. The authors present a thorough overview of existing knowledge while also drawing upon ongoing research and suggesting ways to improve our understanding of this growing population. Offering a research- and data-based examination of the nonreligious, this book will be an invaluable source of information and a foundation for further scholarship. Written in clear, accessible language that will appeal to students and the increasingly interested general reader,The Nonreligiousprovides an unbiased and thorough account of relevant existing scholarship within the social sciences that bears on lived experiences of the nonreligious.

Introduction

Chapter 1. The study of Secularity and the Non-religious
Chapter 2. Secularity Around the World
Chapter 3: Secularity through Time: The Question of Secularization
Chapter 4: Secularity and Society
Chapter 5: How and Why People Become Secular
Chapter 6. Personality, Cognition, and Family Behavior
Chapter 7. Secularity and Well-Being
Chapter 8 . Are Secular People Moral and Ethical?
Chapter 9. Social and Political Attitudes and Values
Chapter 10. Secular Social and Institutional Behavior

Conclusion
References
Index

Among the successes ofThe Nonreligiousis that the authors employ a highly readable style while effectively synthesizing a wide range of research in anthropology, psychology, religious studies, and sociology as well as sharing stories of people who see themselves as variously nonreligious Overall, the authors have made an important contribution to our understanding of nonreligion that will be of valÃ