Sociology is the study of human social life. Because human social life is so expansive, sociology has many sub-sections of study, ranging from the analysis of conversations to the development of theories to try to understand how the entire world works. Introduction to Sociology is one of the very few Wikibooks to gain the coveted "Featured Books" rating by the admistrators of Wikibooks, attesting to its highly developed and comprehensive nature. This book can be used as an excellent High School or College level textbook, reference work, and/or a volume for general reading and learning. Wikibooks is a collaborative book authoring website, where users from all over the world work together to write textbooks and other types of instructional books on many topics. It is a Wikimedia project, operated by the same group of people who run Wikipedia, the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikibooks went online on 10 July 2003. Wikibooks is a collection of open-content textbooks. Wikipedia attracts 683 million visitors annually reading over 10 million articles in 253 languages, comprising a combined total of over 1.74 billion words for all Wikipedias. The English Wikipedia edition passed the 2,000,000- article mark on September 9, 2007, and as of May 31, 2008 it had over 2,396,000 articles consisting of over 1,034,000,000 words. This volume is published by Seven Treasures Publications, an independent book publisher unaffiliated with the Wikipedia Foundation, under the terms of the GNU license.

Introduction to Sociology: as appears on Wikibooks, a project of Wikipedia

Politics & Social Sciences

Cragun, Ryan T.

Cragun, Deborah

Sociology

Seven Treasures Publications

What is a religion? Why are people religious? Are religious people more educated than nonreligious people? Are religious people more moral, more humble, or happier? Are religious people more or less prejudiced than nonreligious people? Is religion good for your health? Are people becoming more or less religious? Studying religion as a social phenomenon, Ryan T. Cragun follows the scientific data to provide answers to these and other questions. At times irreverent, but always engaging and illuminating, What You Don't Know About Religion (but Should) is for all those who have ever wondered whether religion helps or hurts society—or questioned what the future holds for religion.

What You Don't Know About Religion (but Should)

Pitchstone Publishing

What is a religion? Why are people religious? Are religious people more educated than nonreligious people? Are religious people more moral, more humble, or happier? Are religious people more or less prejudiced than nonreligious people? Is religion good for your health? Are people becoming more or less religious? Studying religion as a social phenomenon, Ryan T. Cragun follows the scientific data to provide answers to these and other questions. At times irreverent, but always engaging and illuminating, What You Don' Know About Religion (but Should) is for all those who have ever wondered whether religion helps or hurts society-or questioned what the future holds for religion.

Enemies on the Couch: A Psychopolitical Journey Through War and Peace

Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society (Secular Studies, 7)

Demonstrates definitively that the secularization thesis is correct, and religion is losing its grip on societies worldwide\nIn the decades since its introduction, secularization theory has been subjected to doubt and criticism from a number of leading scholars, who have variously claimed that it is wrong, flawed, or incomplete. In Beyond Doubt, Isabella Kasselstrand, Phil Zuckerman, and Ryan T. Cragun mount a strong defense for the theory, providing compelling evidence that religion is indeed declining globally as a result of modernization.\nThough defenses of secularization theory have been mounted in the past, we now have many years’ worth of empirical data to illuminate trends, and can trace changes not just at a given point in time but over a trajectory. Drawing on extensive survey data from nations around the world, the book demonstrates that, in spite of its many detractors, there is robust empirical support for secularization theory. It also engages with the most prominent criticisms levied against the theory, showing that data that are said to refute the narrative of religious decline are easily explainable and in keeping with the broader tendency toward secularization.\nBeyond simply defending secularization theory, the authors endeavor to formalize it, offering clear definitions of relevant terms and creating propositions that can be repeatedly and accurately tested. Beyond Doubt offers the strongest argument to date for the existence of a global secularization trend, and will be a vital resource for students and scholars alike who study religion and secularism.

History

Zuckerman, Phil

Kasselstrand, Isabella

World

NYU Press

Demonstrates definitively that the secularization thesis is correct, and religion is losing its grip on societies worldwide In the decades since its introduction, secularization theory has been subjected to doubt and criticism from a number of leading scholars, who have variously claimed that it is wrong, flawed, or incomplete. In Beyond Doubt, Isabella Kasselstrand, Phil Zuckerman, and Ryan T. Cragun mount a strong defense for the theory, providing compelling evidence that religion is indeed declining globally as a result of modernization. Though defenses of secularization theory have been mounted in the past, we now have many years' worth of empirical data to illuminate trends, and can trace changes not just at a given point in time but over a trajectory. Drawing on extensive survey data from nations around the world, the book demonstrates that, in spite of its many detractors, there is robust empirical support for secularization theory. It also engages with the most prominent criticisms levied against the theory, showing that data that are said to refute the narrative of religious decline are easily explainable and in keeping with the broader tendency toward secularization. Beyond simply defending secularization theory, the authors endeavor to formalize it, offering clear definitions of relevant terms and creating propositions that can be repeatedly and accurately tested. Beyond Doubt offers the strongest argument to date for the existence of a global secularization trend, and will be a vital resource for students and scholars alike who study religion and secularism.

Goodbye Religion: The Causes and Consequences of Secularization (Secular Studies, 8)

Religion & Spirituality

Smith, Jesse M.

Christian Books & Bibles

Examines why so many are leaving religion, and what that means for American society One of the largest changes in American culture over the last fifty years has been the increase in people exiting religion. Goodbye Religion explores why there has been such an upswing among those who identify as nonreligious, and what the societal implications are of this move towards less religiosity. Utilizing nationally representative data and more than a hundred in-depth interviews with people who leave their religion behind, Ryan T. Cragun and Jesse M. Smith examine the variety of social, psychological, and environmental conditions behind the exiting process, as well as what people do with the time they used to devote to religious observance. They show that for most people who leave, abandoning religion is not a crisis, and does not generally disrupt their health, charitable giving, or volunteering. Drawing on the data, Cragun and Smith argue that the fears among some that massive religious exit will result in a decline in family values or less civic engagement are unfounded, and that those who become nonreligious remain engaged in society and continue to strive to make the world a better place. At a time where more and more individuals are questioning the implications of our increasingly secular society, Goodbye Religion offers an engaging and fascinating analysis into what religious exiting--and secularization broadly--means for American society.

Christianity and the Limits of Minority Acceptance in America: God Loves (Almost) Everyone (Breaking Boundaries: New Horizons in Gender & Sexualities)

This book explores the ways Christian women in college make sense of bisexual, transgender, polyamorous, and atheist others. Specifically, it explores the ways they express tolerance for some sexual groups, such as lesbian and gay people, while maintaining condemnation of other sexual, gendered, or religious groups. In so doing, this book highlights the limits of Christian tolerance for the advancement of minority rights.

Sumerau, J. E.

Lexington Books

This book explores the ways Christian women in college make sense of bisexual, transgender, polyamorous, and atheist others. Specifically, it explores the ways they express tolerance for some sexual groups, such as lesbian and gay people, while maintaining condemnation of other sexual, gendered, or religious groups. In so doing, this book highlights the limits of Christian tolerance for the advancement of minority rights.

Do you want the greatest challenges of the day to be addressed with thoughtful, reality-based solutions rather than with cherry-picked quotations from scripture? Do you want to shrink religion—especially fundamentalist religion—to the point that it plays no noticeable role in American public life? Do you want right-wing religious leaders to be so unpopular that politicians avoid them rather than pander to them for endorsements? Drawing on the latest social-scientific research on religion to help interested nonbelievers—and even progressive believers—weaken the influence of fundamentalist religion in society at large, How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps illustrates specific, actionable steps we all can take to facilitate fundamentalist religion’s decline. It covers topics as far ranging as education, welfare, sex, science, capitalism, and Christmas, and each of the 10 chapters focuses on a specific action that research has shown can weaken religion, detailing why and how, and concluding with specific recommendations for individuals, local groups, and national organizations.

How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps: A Toolkit for Secular Activists

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cragun, Ryan T.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Cragun, Ryan T.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cragun, Ryan T.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Introduction to Sociology: as appears on Wikibooks, a project of Wikipedia

What You Don't Know About Religion (but Should)

Enemies on the Couch: A Psychopolitical Journey Through War and Peace

Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society (Secular Studies, 7)

Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society (Secular Studies, 7)

Goodbye Religion: The Causes and Consequences of Secularization (Secular Studies, 8)

Goodbye Religion: The Causes and Consequences of Secularization (Secular Studies, 8)

Christianity and the Limits of Minority Acceptance in America: God Loves (Almost) Everyone (Breaking Boundaries: New Horizons in Gender & Sexualities)

Christianity and the Limits of Minority Acceptance in America: God Loves (Almost) Everyone (Breaking Boundaries: New Horizons in Gender & Sexualities)

How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps: A Toolkit for Secular Activists