A quantitative investigation of normative and deviant religious experiences.

Abstract

Previous quantitative investigations of religious experiences in the social sciences have primarily focused on broad questions. Data from the Baylor Religion Survey provide information on specific types of religious experiences rather than asking a general, all-encompassing question on the topic. These specific questions allow for separate analyses of experiences to determine if different sociological factors are influential. While income level does not effect claiming more normative religious experiences, it is an important predictor of deviant religious experiences. It was expected that individuals with a social network centered a round a religious organization would be more likely to claim experiences, but results failed to support this hypothesis. While there are some definitive patterns found among the various experiences, there are also many differences depending on the experience in question. This suggests that a single survey question addressing the topic is inadequate.