Religion: The One, the Few, and the Many

Editors

Ted Gerard Jelen; Clyde Wilcox

Document Type

Chapter

Publication Date

4-1-2002

Publication Title

Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective: The One, the Few, and the Many

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Publisher Location

New York

First page number:

1

Last page number:

26

Abstract

Fifty years ago, many social scientists assumed that “religion in the modern world was declining and would likely to continue to decline until its eventual disappearance” (Casanova 1994, p.25). In Western Europe levels of public religiosity had declined to low levels, and many assumed this to be the likely path of most societies. Predictions that secularism would soon sweep the United States and the rest of the world were commonplace; by the end of the millennium religion was expected to be confined primarily to less developed societies. At the very least, governments and politics were expected to be freed of the influence of religious elites and citizens.

Disciplines

Political Science | Religion

Language

English


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