Secularization in the United States The Battle of...

The United States is commonly thought to be on an inevitable march towards secularization. Scientific thought and the failure of the enlightenment to reconcile the concept of god within a scientific framework are commonly thought to have created the antithesis of religious practice in the rise of the scientific method. However, the rise of doubt and the perception that secularization is increasing over time has in actuality caused an increase in religious practice in the United States through episodic revivals. Moreover, practice of unbelief has developed into a movement based in the positive assertion in the supplantation of God by the foundations of science, or even in the outright disbelief in God. The perception of increasing†¦show more content†¦Episodic revivalism within the United States reflected the moral impetus of American society, and not necessarily the degree to which people were practicing any particular religion. Episodic revivalism certainly was concerned wi th conversion and religious practice, however, the moral portion of participating in a revival came when the need arose to be â€Å"re-revivaled.†4 People would â€Å"drop out† of religious practice, likely because revivalism was forged on making a direct emotional connection with the patron which simply could not be maintained long term.5 Moreover, large urban single immigrant populations often picked up religious practice as a tool of socialization, assimilation, reestablishment of ties and replacement of family.6 The reason revivals were episodic in the United States was not because it was a response to a tangible drop in religious participation but because they had an incredible rate of attrition due to the fact people would fall away and reestablish religious connections as the desire for whateverShow MoreRelatedHistory of Social Work18530 Words   |  75 PagesTradition ............................................................................................. ......................................................17 The Welfare State – ................................................................................................................................................17 The Welfare State Why did it all start? .................................................................................................................17 Three Social Security StrategiesRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesD421.E77 2010 909.82—dc22 2009052961 The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992 Printed in the United States of America 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1 C ONTENTS Introduction Michael Adas 1 1 World Migration in the Long Twentieth Century †¢ Jose C. Moya and Adam McKeown 9 †¢ 2 Twentieth-Century Urbanization: In Search of an Urban Paradigm