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Both the critical & the systemic perspectives that currently inform the sociology of religion deal with the connection between myth & reality in contemporary society, but neither is sufficiently forceful to sway scientific opinion. The critical view, as articulated by Roland Robertson (Meaning and Change. Explorations in the Cultural Sociology of Modern Societies, New York: New York U Press, 1978), argues that present-day reality has little to do with myth, even in fragmented form; although it holds that as individuals mature, they may be attracted to various mythic presentations. A systemic orientation, as held by Sabino Acquaviva (The Decline of the Sacred in Industrial Society, Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1979) maintains that sacred beliefs can be integrated into secular society through institutions (eg, the U & the law). Another distinction is observed in priestly & prophetic methodological approaches (eg, to language). Sociologists, who use a combination of theoretical & methodological approaches, need to be aware of the persistence of myth in nonscientific social reality. D. Dunseath.

Recent developments have made many social scientists and commentators wonder whether the United States is still a relatively modern, secular, and democratic society. Instead, America shows signs of the cultural despair that preceded the rise of fascism in Nazi Germany. Taking a careful look at such critical moments as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Depression, the assassination of President Lincoln, and the eves both of the Civil War and of the American Revolution, this book shows that Americans have long shown authoritarian and even fascist tendencies: signs of despair that the nati

The Blackwell Companion to Sociology of Religion is presented in three comprehensive parts. Written by a range of outstanding academics, the volume explores the current status of the sociology of religion, and how it might look in future. Explores the current status of the sociology of religion, and how it might look at the beginning of the next millennium. Traces the boundaries between sociology and other closely related disciplines, such as theology and social anthropology. Edited by one of the best known and most widely respected sociologists of religion Accessibly presented in three compre