Religion on the Internet is the first systematic inquiry into the nature, scope and content of religion in cyberspace. Contributors to this volume include leading social scientists engaged in systematic studies of how organizations and individuals are presenting religion on the Internet. Their combined efforts provide a conceptual mapping of religion in cyberspace at this moment. The individual papers and collective insights found in this volume add up to a valuable agenda of research that will enrich understanding of this new phenomenon. Among the contributors are the founders of three of...

Religion and the Social Order

The debate over the proper definition of religion has occupied the attention of social scientists for many years without shedding much light on the nature of religion. One reason for this lack of progress is that most participants in the debate have accepted a naturalistic conception of religion. The goal of this volume is to inspire a re-orientation in the way students of religion think about the task of defining religion and to encourage an appreciation of the fact that defining religion is fundamentally a social and political process. ways in which academicians have traditionally defined...

Offers an inquiry into the nature, scope and content of religion in cyberspace. This volume provides a conceptual mapping of religion in cyberspace. It is intended for those who seek to understand how religion is being presented on the Internet, and how this topic is likely to unfold.

This volume argues that deviance is a central process in contemporary American religion. It explores ways in which definitions of deviance are negotiated between religious groups and the surrounding culture.

Focuses on the patterns and processes connected with leaving religion. This volume contains papers that range from theoretical analyses of the dynamics underlying religious exiting to case studies examining specific instances of distancing from and departing from a religious lifestyle.