Religions of America: Ferment and Faith in an Age of Crisis : a New Guide and AlmanacLeo Rosten This fascinating new book reflects the results of the turmoil and change in the religions of America since Leo Rosten first wrote about them. The first section consists of nineteen articles by distinguished men, each one a recognized authority on the creed for which he speaks, setting forth the clear and candid stories of our own faiths and those of our neighbors. All religions are covered, from the major established groups to the "charismatic" cults. There are also chapters about the agnostic, the non-churchgoer and what he believes, and the scientist. A multitude of questions are raised and answered, such as: What percent of ministers profess they no longer believe in God? In which leading church can homosexuals be married? How many priests condone birth control devices? Abortions? Which faiths feel what way about intermarriage? Divorce? Have churches that participated in social activism in the 1960s gained or lost in their membership and their finances? Have the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches significantly changed their 400-year-old schism? Part Two is the Almanac, a massive compendium that is more complete and far-ranging than any other existing one, with the statistics, public opinion polls, basic documents, sociological resumes and psychological analyses of the role, conflicts, influences and trends that characterize religion in the United States today. These basic authoritative facts and figures are accompanied by the author's own essays and comments on material that is rarely subjected to critical examination. There is also a Glossary of religious terminology. Those familiar with Leo Rosten's A Guide to the Religions of America (1955) and his Religions in America (1963) need not be told of the extraordinary reception both volumes received from the reviewers and the public. They were acclaimed by theologians of all faiths. Each book sold hundreds of thousands of copies. But this new Religions of America renders those two volumes entirely out of date. There is no other book even remotely comparable to it. Book jacket. |
Contents
EDITORS PREFACE | 17 |
WHAT IS A BAPTIST? | 25 |
WHAT IS A CATHOLIC? | 39 |
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST? | 69 |
WHO ARE THE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST Christian Church? | 83 |
WHAT IS AN EPISCOPALIAN? | 96 |
WHAT IS A GREEK ORTHODOX? | 112 |
WHO ARE JEHOVAHS WITNESSES? | 132 |
SEVENTYNINE | 437 |
THE CLERGY | 458 |
DENOMINATIONS AND THEIR FAMILY | 477 |
DIVORCE AND RELIGION | 488 |
HISTORY HOPES | 495 |
EDUCATION IN RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS IN | 512 |
POLLS | 522 |
FEDERAL AID TO EDUCATION | 529 |
WHAT IS A JEW? | 142 |
WHAT IS A LUTHERAN? | 156 |
WHAT IS A METHODIST? | 170 |
WHAT IS A MORMON? | 186 |
WHAT IS A PRESBYTERIAN? | 200 |
WHAT IS A QUAKER? | 213 |
WHAT IS A SEVENTHDAY ADVENTIST? | 244 |
WHAT IS A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST? | 263 |
WHAT IS THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST? | 277 |
WHAT IS AN AGNOSTIC? | 284 |
THE RELIGION OF A SCIENTIST | 296 |
PART TWO ALMANAC | 307 |
THE GROWTH OR DECLINE | 324 |
BELIEF IN | 337 |
THE BIBLE | 345 |
BIBLE READING IN THE UNITED STATES | 354 |
BLACK AMERICANS AND THE CHURCHES | 374 |
FACTS OPINIONS TRENDS | 386 |
CHURCH ATTENDANCE IN THE UNITED | 431 |
Christian and Secular | 536 |
MANIFESTO II | 542 |
INTERMARRIAGESTATISTICS OPINIONS | 549 |
JEWS | 564 |
354 | 580 |
RECENT CRISES | 587 |
POLITICS AND RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION | 598 |
RELIGION IN U S HISTORY | 615 |
YOUTH AND RELIGION | 625 |
Headquarters of Denominations with Membership | 633 |
INDEX | 639 |
329 | 648 |
437 | 650 |
477 | 652 |
337 | 655 |
587 | 660 |
386 | 666 |
Copyright | |