In the new edition of this widely praised text, Alan Aldridge
examines the complex realities of religious belief, practice and
institutions. Religion is a powerful and controversial force in the
contemporary world, even in supposedly secular societies. Almost
all societies seek to cultivate religions and faith communities as
sources of social stability and engines of social progress. They
also try to combat real and imagined abuses and excess, regulating
cults that brainwash vulnerable people, containing fundamentalism
that threatens democracy and the progress of science, and
identifying terrorists who threaten atrocities in the name of
religion.
The third edition has been carefully revised to make sure it is
fully up to date with recent developments and debates. Major themes
in the revised edition include the recently erupted 'culture war'
between progressive secularists and conservative believers, the
diverse manifestations of 'fundamentalism' and their impact on the
wider society, new individual forms of religious expression in
opposition to traditional structures of authority, and the backlash
against 'multiculturalism' with its controversial implications for
the social integration of ethnic and religious minority
communities.Impressive in its scholarly analysis of a vibrant and
challenging aspect of human societies, the third edition will
appeal strongly to students taking courses in the sociology of
religion and religious studies, as well as to everyone interested
in the place of religion in the contemporary world.
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