Theses/Dissertations - Sociology
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2104/4797
Browse
Browsing Theses/Dissertations - Sociology by Author "Bader, Christopher David."
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item The effects of negative peer and media influences on adolescent religiosity.(2011-05-12T15:24:25Z) Davignon, Philip P.; Bader, Christopher David.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.Many researchers have demonstrated how peer influences can lead to increases in adolescent religiosity, but none have endeavored to examine the effects of media and peer influences that might lead to decreases in adolescent religiosity. Using the nationally representative and longitudinal National Studies of Youth and Religion, this research demonstrates that peer and media influences do indeed have significant effects that lead to decreases in the religiosity of religious adolescents, and often times these effects negate the peer influences that other researchers have found to increase religiosity. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for various theories and perspectives in religious transmission and adolescent religiosity.Item The importance of economic surroundings on religious adherence.(2006-07-30T13:18:07Z) Smith, Buster G.; Bader, Christopher David.; Tolbert, Charles M.; North, Charles Mark, 1964-; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.Sociological explanations of religious adherence tend to focus on characteristics of the individual. One exception is the largely discarded concept of relative deprivation. By its nature, relative deprivation is dependent upon the comparative nature of one's relationship with fellow members of a community. This study expands upon the premise of relative deprivation by exploring the role that the ecological economic characteristics of a community play in determining religious adherence. Independent analyses are performed at the county-level, with Evangelical and Mainline Protestant adherence rates as the dependent variable to test several associated hypotheses. A combination of U.S. census and RCMS data from 2000 suggest that economic surroundings are important determinants of religious selection. In particular, income inequality has diametrically opposed effects on the adherence rates of Protestant denominations, with Evangelicals benefiting and Mainline groups suffering. Explanations include the need for boundaries and doctrinal claims of the how the world functions.Item Labor “meats” religion: economic restructuring in the meatpacking industry and religious adherence in the Midwest.(2008-06-09T16:05:16Z) Palmer-Boyes, Ashley E.; Bader, Christopher David.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.Labor market trends are often examined in light of their economic significance. However, little attention has been devoted to the relationship between economic trends and their potential impact on religion. Focusing on the consequences of economic restructuring, I argue that labor market variables have consequences for rates of religious adherence. Specifically, I examine an industry which well exemplifies the consequences of restructuring in the Midwestern United States, the meat processing industry. As a result of restructuring, many processors have relocated to rural communities in the Midwest, which lack a sufficient native labor supply to meet the employment needs of the packing plants, which have characteristically high rate of turnover. Consequently, packing plants have recruited and rely heavily on Hispanic immigrant labor to sustain operations. As Hispanic immigrants migrate to rural Midwestern counties, they bring their religion with them, over time increasing the share of Catholic adherents in their destination communities.Item Science and religion in 21st century America : a sociological perspective.(2010-06-23T12:30:38Z) Baker, Joseph O.; Bader, Christopher David.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.This study addresses empirical gaps and theoretical miscalculations in the understanding of science, religion, and their connections from a sociological perspective. Although this topic has been of great interest to classical and contemporary theorists in the social sciences, and has been examined using institutional approaches, there remains a dearth of empirical assessments addressing these connections. Specifically, this study explores patterns of belief about both science and religion, as well as their intersection, among the contemporary American populace. In addition to advancing the empirical understanding of how science and religion interact in American culture, amendments and clarifications to previous theoretical perspectives on these issues are posited. The 2007 Baylor Religion Survey offers a national, random sample with an extensive selection of quantitative measures of religious attitudes and behaviors, and also includes a battery of questions aimed at assessing American attitudes about mainstream science. Among the topics addressed are acceptance of evolution, support for teaching creationism in public schools, whether science and religion are incompatible, and whether people feel that mainstream scientists are hostile to religious faith. Before delving into the empirical issues at hand, the initial chapter presents an extensive reworking of previous theoretical perspectives employed to understand these issues. The measures of attitudes toward issues involving science then serve as the focus in early substantive chapters. The final chapters outline how views of science and religion are woven into the broader moral and ideological fabric of American culture and suggest future paths of intellectual inquiry.Item Taken for granted? Exploring the relationships between social service agencies and religious congregations.(2006-07-30T23:57:12Z) Polson, Edward C.; Bader, Christopher David.; Sociology.; Baylor University. Dept. of Sociology.Religious congregations play a significant role in the provision of social services in American communities. While some congregations establish their own social service programs, most do not. Instead, the majority of congregations providing social services do so by forming relationships with local service organizations. To date, however, few studies have examined these relationships in detail. Drawing on interview and survey data collected from agency directors, this research explores the relationships that exist between congregations and social service agencies in one Texas city. Research findings suggest that there are four primary types of relationships that develop between congregations and service agencies. These relationship types are identified and discussed. In addition, attention is given to the ways that service agencies utilize various congregational resources in these relationships and the ways that agencies negotiate religious and secular boundaries with the congregations that they relate to.