Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter ii
2. CONTENTS v
3. Introduction: Atheism, Faith, and the Social Scientific Study of Religion 1
4. PART ONE. PARADIGMS IN CONFLICT
5. 1. A New Look at Old Issues 27
6. 2. Rationality and the “Religious Mind” 42
7. 3. Secularization, R.I.P. 57
8. PART TWO. THE RELIGIOUS INDIVIDUAL
9. 4. The Micro Foundations of Religion 83
10. 5. Religious Choices: Conversion and Reaffiliation 114
11. PART THREE. THE RELIGIOUS GROUP
12. 6. Religious Group Dynamics 141
13. 7. Catholic Religious Vocations: Decline and Revival 169
14. PART FOUR. THE RELIGIOUS ECONOMY
15. 8. A Theoretical Model of Religious Economies 193
16. 9. Religious Competition and Commitment: An International Assessment 218
17. 10. Church-to-Sect Movements 259
18. APPENDIX: Propositions and Definitions 277
19. Notes 287
20. References 295
21. Index 325