Organized Secularism in the United States

Organized Secularism in the United States

New Directions in Research

Open Access

In: Religion and Its Others, 6

Edited by: Ryan T. Cragun, Christel Manning and Lori L. Fazzino

De Gruyter | 2017

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110458657

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Contents

About this book

Open Access

There has been a dramatic increase in the percentage of the US population that is not religious. However, there is, to date, very little research on the social movement that is organizing to serve the needs of and advocate for the nonreligious in the US.

This is a book about the rise and structure of organized secularism in the United States. By organized secularism we mean the efforts of nonreligious individuals to build institutions, networks, and ultimately a movement that serves their interests in a predominantly religious society. Researchers from various fields address questions such as: What secularist organizations exist? Who are the members of these organizations? What kinds of organizations do they create? What functions do these organizations provide for their members? How do the secularist organizations of today compare to those of the past? And what is their likely impact on the future of secularism?

For anyone trying to understand the rise of the nonreligious in the US, this book will provide valuable insights into organized efforts to normalize their worldview and advocate for their equal treatment in society.

Author information

R. T. Cragun, University of Tampa, L. Fazzino, University of Nevada, and C. Manning, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, U.S.A.

Frontmatter Accessible PDF	I
Preface Phil Zuckerman Open Access PDF	V
Table of Contents Accessible PDF	VII
Introduction Ryan Cragun and Christel Manning Open Access PDF	1
“I Know It When I See It:” Humanism, Secularism, and Religious Taxonomy Charles Louis Richter Open Access PDF	13
Mid-Nineteenth-Century Secularism as Modern Secularity Michael Rectenwald Open Access PDF	31
“Splitters!”: Lessons from Monty Python for Secular Organizations in the US Lori L. Fazzino and Ryan T. Cragun Open Access PDF	57
Recognizing and Categorizing the Secular: Polysecularity and Agendas of Polysecularism John R. Shook Open Access PDF	87
Organizational Variation in the American Nonreligious Community Amanda Schutz Open Access PDF	113
Building Bridges in the Shadows of Steeples: Atheist Community and Identity Online Aislinn Addington Open Access PDF	135
Communal Secularity: Congregational Work at the Sunday Assembly Jesse M. Smith Open Access PDF	151
Rejecting Rejection Identities: Negotiating Positive Non-religiosity at the Sunday Assembly Jacqui Frost Open Access PDF	171
Inside The Minds and Movement of America’s Nonbelievers: Organizational Functions, (Non)Participation, and Attitudes Toward Religion Joseph Langston, Joseph Hammer, Ryan Cragun and Mary Ellen Sikes Open Access PDF	191
A Typology of Organized Atheists and Secularists in Germany and the United States Björn Mastiaux Open Access PDF	221
Your Wedding, Your Way: Personalized, Nonreligious Weddings through the Universal Life Church Dusty Hoesly Open Access PDF	253
Doing Death Without Deity: Constructing Nonreligious Tools at the End of Life Nicholas J. MacMurray and Lori L. Fazzino Open Access PDF	279
Old Questions and New Issues for Organized Secularism in the United States Barry Kosmin Open Access PDF	301
Index Open Access PDF	319

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Organized Secularism in the United States

New Directions in Research

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