Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Region Fluid Identities

by Roof, Wade Clark; Silk, Mark; Hammond, Phillip E.; Tanabe, George; Frankiel, Susan; Anderson, Douglas Firth; Machacek, David

• ISBN13: 9780759106390
• ISBN10: 0759106398
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-09-21
• Publisher: AltaMira Press

Summary

"Pretty much like the rest of the country, only more so." This quip from Wallace Stegner well represents the Pacific region's religious culture. California, Nevada, and Hawaii emerged more recently, more quickly and with more diversity than the rest of the United States. Although influenced by Mexican Catholicism, native traditions, Asian religions, and Euro-American Christianity, no religious tradition dominates, and a secular ethos usually reigns. But this very religious indifference makes California and the rest of the region open to all sorts of missionary movements and religious innovations. New organizational forms, new spiritual therapies, and new religious hybrids all compete for residents' attention along with secular ways for making meaning. With all of these options, residents of the region mix, match, and move between religious identities more than other Americans. Without ignoring its diversity, Religion and Public Life in the Pacific Region highlights the key aspects of the region's fluctuating religions and its spirituality's impact on political life. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	5	(4)
Mark Silk
Introduction---Religion in the Pacific Region	9	(12)
Phillip E. Hammond
Religious Affiliation in the Pacific Region and the Nation---Religious Self-Identification and Adherents Claimed by Religious Groups, National and Regional Comparisons	21	(4)
Religion in the Pacific Region: Demographic Patterns	25	(32)
Wade Clark Roof
Toward an Established Mysticism: Judeo-Christian Traditions in Post-World War II California and Nevada	57	(32)
Douglas Firth Anderson
New Players and New Patterns	89	(20)
David W. Machacek
The Influence of Alternative Religions	109	(30)
Tamar Frankiel
Pono and Kapu: Righteousness and Taboo in Hawaii	139	(30)
George J. Tanabe, Jr.
Conclusion---Faith and Spirituality in a Fluid Environment	169	(10)
Wade Clark Roof
Appendix	179	(2)
Bibliography	181	(2)
Index	183	(18)
Contributors	201