Examining the Impact of Religious Initiation Rites on Religiosity and Disaffiliation over Time

Early religion scholars stressed the importance of institutionalized "rites of passage" to integrate and reinvigorate groups themselves. Surprisingly, little work, however, has explored the efficacy of such rites for the religious lives of individuals. Although research has examined the tr...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:  
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs: Perry, Samuel L. (Auteur) ; Longest, Kyle C. (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
En cours de chargement...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Wiley-Blackwell [2019]
Dans: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Année: 2019, Volume: 58, Numéro: 4, Pages: 891-904
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Rite de passage / Identité religieuse / Groupe religieux / Séparation
RelBib Classification:AD Sociologie des religions
AG Vie religieuse
Sujets non-standardisés:B Baptism
B National Study of Youth and Religion
B Disaffiliation
B Religiosity
B rites of passage
Accès en ligne: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Résumé:Early religion scholars stressed the importance of institutionalized "rites of passage" to integrate and reinvigorate groups themselves. Surprisingly, little work, however, has explored the efficacy of such rites for the religious lives of individuals. Although research has examined the transformative role of semi-institutionalized rites like short-term mission trips and pilgrimages, we shift the focus to consider the potential influence of more fundamental initiation rites such as baptism, first communion, and bar/bat mitzvahs. Utilizing surveys 1 and 4 of the National Study of Youth and Religion and focusing on overall religiosity and disaffiliation as the outcomes, we examine whether experiencing a religious rite of passage during or before one's teenage years predicts the religious outcomes of young adults. We find no difference in religiosity over time between persons who experienced a religious rite passage and those who did not. However, those who underwent a religious rite of passage were 30 percent less likely to disaffiliate between data collection points. Tests for interactions show that the influence of such initiation rites does not vary across religious traditions. Findings suggest the experience of baptism, bar/bat mitzvah, confirmation, or other rites of passage matter primarily as durable markers of social identity, binding adherents to their faith community, if only nominally.
ISSN:1468-5906
Contient:Enthalten in: Journal for the scientific study of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/jssr.12632