Religious diversity and religious involvement: A study of religious markets in Western societies at the end of the twentieth century

RU Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, 01 juli 2010
Promotor : Graaf, N.D. de Co-promotor : Need, A.
Contains fulltext : 77570.pdf ( ) (Open Access)
The ongoing fragmentation of religious traditions and the trafficking of ideas in the past decades contributed to an increase in religious diversity. The increase in religious diversity has led researchers to question whether religious diversity leads to higher or lower levels of religious involvement. Focussing on Europe and Northern America, this study examines two hypotheses that give an answer to this question. Secularisation theory and religious market theory have rivalling predictions. The former theory claims that religious diversity corrodes religiosity, whereas the latter presumes that religious diversity will revitalise religiosity. This study shows that religious diversity in most cases leads to lower levels of religious involvement. Next to this, modernity has a strong negative impact on religious involvement. In the few situations where religious diversity seems to boost religious involvement, it just slows down the religious decline brought about by modernity