Religion, Deviance, and Social Control

by Rodney Stark, William Sims Bainbridge

Overview

Does religion have the power to regulate human behavior? If so, under what conditions can it prevent crime, delinquency, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, or joining cults? Despite the fact that ordinary citizens assume religion deters deviant behavior, there has been little systematic scientific research on these crucial questions. This book is the first comprehensive analysis, drawing on a wide range of historical and contemporary data, and written in a style that will appeal to readers from many intellectual backgrounds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135771591
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/11/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	220
File size:	810 KB

About the Author

Rodney Stark is Professor of Sociology and of Comparative Religion, University of Washington.,
William Sims Bainbridge is Director of the Sociology Program at the National Science Foundation.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Religion and the Moral Order: An Introduction; Part 1 Religion and Deviance; Chapter 2 Religion and Suicidefn2_a/We thank Daniel P. Doyle and Jesse Lynn Rushing who contibuted to an essay on which a portion of this Chapter is based.; Chapter 3 Durkheim's Suicide: An Inquest; Chapter 4 Rediscovering Moral Communitiesfn4_a/Danicl P. Doyle, Lori Kent, Robert Crutchfield, and Roger Finke contributed to essays on which portions of this Chapter are based.; Chapter 5 Religion as Context: Saving a “Lost Cause”; Chapter 6 Drugs and Alcohol; Part 2 Religion as Deviance; Chapter 7 Religious Cults; Chapter 8 Religion and Mental Illness; Chapter 9 Social Control in Utopian Communities; Chapter 10 Brief Reflections on a Research Agenda;

Editorial Reviews

"Accessible to both general reader and social scientist. Undergraduates will appreciate the balance between theory, quantitative evidence, and historical description." — Religious Studies Review
"Readers who were impressed by an earlier issue of this journal that focused on corrections and religion will be interested in reading this book." — ICCA Journal, April 1997

From the Publisher