Religion and Family Connection: Social Science Perspectives (Religious Studies Center Specialized Monograph Series)

After decades of neglect, religion is once again a topic of considerable import in the social sciences. This renewed interest has generated an awareness of the need to study involvement in and commitment to multiple social institutions simultaneously, such as religion and the family. In this volume, twenty-one prominent social scientists address the complex set of relationships that emerge between religion and the family. They show that increased knowledge of how religions and families influence each other sheds light on vaguely understood processes of social change and sharpens questions asked about the church and family influence on such things as marriage, divorce, abortion, birth control, children, sex roles, authority patterns, and belief systems.