Switching, Matching, and Mixing of Religion Robert Putnam - Book Report/Review Example

Switching, Matching and Mixing of Religion Putnam and Campbell tack led the issue of religion trying to establish the latest trends in the American context. According to these authors, religion has the potential o f dividing or uniting people. A scrutiny of the American history provides instances where religion has played a critical role. The topic of switching, matching, and mixing highlights intriguing details on the position of religion in America. The authors evaluate the stability of religion in America, examining whether it is an attribute of inheritance from parents to children. This paper will provide a summary of the chapter, outlining the critical ideas that the authors describe. According to Putnam and Campbell, affiliation to a religious group does not necessarily depend on the religion of one’s parents (Putnam, and Campbell 134). Although a percentage of children adhere to the religion of parents as they grow and remain adherents even in their adulthood, the trends of the rest of the percentage are more complex than most Americans can imagine. A certain percentage of children are likely to switch the religious affiliation inherited from their parents to a different one. This switch may persist over a long period for some children while others find themselves going back to the original faith from their parents after some time. The research carried out revealed that 10 percent of Americans had swayed to a different religious group before getting back to the original religion (137). Moreover, an approximate of 20 % adhered to a different religious denomination from that of their parents. The fact that religion in the American context exhibits a level of instability becomes very clear. The authors examine the trends deciphered from a research in 2006 to 2007 that exhibit the level of instability of religion. Religion in the American society is a complex issue that needs critical analysis. For example, the number of people lacking any religious affiliation did not change in the two years. However, closer analysis revealed that 30 % of these people without any affiliation in 2007 had one in 2006 but had discarded it. The fact that the total number of people with no affiliation did not change indicates that an additional percentage of people affiliated themselves with a religious group. Such data only serves to highlight that many of the people are at the threshold of having and lacking a religious affiliation. The authors of the book describe these individuals as liminals. In the American society, they account for 10 percent of the population, and this serves as further evidence of the far from ‘perfectly stable’ condition (140). The devotion of parents to a religion determines whether the children will adopt that religious affiliation or not. Parents who exhibit themselves as observers of a certain religion attend services on a regular basis. Observance may serve as a motivating factor for children to adopt the religious affiliation of their parents. Putnam and Campbell outline their findings concerning the trends of religion inheritance among non-observers. Parents who attend services very few times annually are likely to influence their children to adopt a similar path. On the contrary, parents who exhibit strong faith and regular attendance stand a higher chance of influencing their children to affiliate themselves with the same religious group (145). America is a heterogeneous society when it comes to religion. There are Catholics, mainstream Protestants, Anglicans, evangelist Protestants, Mormons and other groups. In this chapter, the authors establish a link been ethnicity and the faith an individual adopts. For example, children born to African Americans are likely to adhere stringently to the religious affiliation of their parents. This is because of the African American experience evident from the American history (149). The unique experience has motivated African Americans to associate a certain religion to their identity. Therefore, children adopt the religion of the parents as part of the ethnic identity. The association of religion with ethnicity is not an aspect unique to African Americans only. The chapter highlight that the retention level of certain denominations receives its motivation from ethnicity. For example, the 19th and 20th centuries saw a constant retention rate among the Catholics had ethnic influences (152). Europeans moving from Poland, Italy and Rome into America adhered to the catholic faith because it defined their experience in the new world. They spread their religious beliefs to the states that they occupied. The chapter also outlines the effect of marriage to the switching and matching of religious groups (156). A couple consisting of individuals of different faiths contribute to a considerable rate of switching religion. For some couples, the two individuals reach a consensus and settle for one of the partner’s affiliation. For others, the couple may decide to move to a different faith, compelling each of the partners to abandon the previous denomination or faith. The increasing rates of intermarriages have served as a driver to switching and mixing in the American society. Moreover, the rising prevalence of people with no religious affiliation has resulted to high numbers of intermarriages between an affiliated person and the non-religiously affiliated individual. Such marriages may serve to convert either of the parties affecting the percentage of religiously affiliated people (158). According to the chapter, different factors have influenced the retention rate of different faiths in the last few centuries. It becomes evident that the trends of retention have been changing over time. The Catholic Church has experienced losses of people defecting to other denominations. However, the increasing number of Latinos becoming part of the American society has remarkably established a balance ensuring minimal changes take in the Catholic Church. This is the case because these Latinos adopt the catholic faith an aspect that defines their experience in the American society. In the 20th century, the evangelical Protestants registered a level of growth, although they have experienced defection of people to other religions. The authors reveal that the main-line Protestants have proved to be the most affected over the years. Very low conversion rates coupled by high defection rates have persisted over time in the main-line Protestants (159). As described above, the topic of switching, matching, and mixing highlights intriguing details on the position of religion in America. The authors evaluate the stability of religion in America, examining whether it is an attribute of inheritance from parents to children. It becomes evident that inheritance of religion from parents has declined compared to the 19th century. Personal choice has become a critical factor in determining the religious affiliation of children. Intermarriage between people of different religious faiths has affected the switching trends over time. Other denominations have been able to retain members because of the close correlation between ethnicity and religion. Work Cited Putnam, Robert D. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. Simon & Schuster, 2012. Print. Read More