Secular Surge

Description

American society is rapidly secularizing–a radical departure from its historically high level of religiosity–and politics is a big part of the reason. Just as, forty years ago, the Religious Right arose as a new political movement, today secularism is gaining traction as a distinct and politically energized identity. This book examines the political causes and political consequences of this secular surge, drawing on a wealth of original data. The authors show that secular identity is in part a reaction to the Religious Right. However, while the political impact of secularism is profound, there may not yet be a Secular Left to counterbalance the Religious Right. Secularism has introduced new tensions within the Democratic Party while adding oxygen to political polarization between Democrats and Republicans. Still there may be opportunities to reach common ground if politicians seek to forge coalitions that encompass both secular and religious Americans. 01.0_pp_i_i_Secular_Surge 02.0_pp_ii_iv_Cambridge_Studies_in_Social_Theory_Religion_and_Politics 03.0_pp_v_v_Secular_Surge 04.0_pp_vi_vi_Copyright_page 05.0_pp_vii_viii_Dedication 06.0_pp_ix_ix_Contents 07.0_pp_x_xi_Figures 08.0_pp_xii_xii_Tables 09.0_pp_xiii_xiv_A_Closer_Look 10.0_pp_xv_xv_Preface 11.0_pp_xvi_xviii_Acknowledgments 12.0_pp_1_21_The_Secular_Surge 13.0_pp_22_44_America_the_Secular 14.0_pp_45_68_Public_Secularism 15.0_pp_69_82_Secularism_and_Civic_Engagement 16.0_pp_83_106_Secularism_and_Political_Attitudes 17.0_pp_107_137_Nonreligiosity_and_Backlash_Politics 18.0_pp_138_151_Secularism_and_Party_Politics 19.0_pp_152_165_Secularism_and_the_Democrats 20.0_pp_166_180_Nonreligiosity_and_the_Republicans 21.0_pp_181_208_Secularism_on_the_Stump 22.0_pp_209_223_Beyond_the_Secular_Surge 23.0_pp_224_242_Bibliography 24.0_pp_243_250_Index