Diversity and Belief - Book Report/Review Example

Diversity and Belief Chaves hardly provides the main trend when it comes to diversity or belief. Regarding diversity, he depicts continuity with only a slight drop specifically after mid 1990s. Chaves points out that about 35 per cent to 40 per cent of Americans have maintained a relatively high religious self-identification level. People in America have nevertheless shown the maintenance of high level observance of organized religion. The advances of less religion within the last four decades are depicted by Chaves in seven distinct categories.

In this regard, the categories include diversity acceptance, the fading of strong beliefs, involvement drop, congregational life that is less vibrant, high disrespect to religious leadership, as well as increased tension regarding the existing relationship between the traditional and the liberal Christianity wings (Albanese). Chaves, in this case, seems to point out that the issue of “less religion” is hardly an autonomous trend. It is on the contrary tied to various other social phenomena like increased diversity, changes in political climate, and demographic shifts.

He thus notes that “America is increasingly a religious diverse nation, with a rising number of religiously unaffiliated persons--the so-called ‘nones’" (Chaves).Regarding beliefs, Chaves says that fewer Americans are comfortable with reading the Bible as compared to a time, about ten years in the past. It is pointed in his book that “Americans religious beliefs show remarkable continuity, except in the area of biblical inerrancy, which is declining” (Chaves). It therefore comes out that while most Americans hold to their Christian beliefs firmly, they are hardly keen on using their Bibles closely.

Typically, “the range of beliefs…that remain unchanged is impressive” (Chaves 8).Work citedAlbanese, Catherine L. America Religion and Religions. University of California Press, 1997, Print.Chaves M. Religion: Contemporary Trends. Princeton University Press, 2011, Print.