Religious Socialization and Self-Definition Among Black Undergraduate Women Attending Predominantly White Institutions

To date, few scholars have explored religious and spiritual socialization among emerging adult Black women. In this study, we analyzed semi-structured interview data from 50 Black undergraduate women to explore associations between childhood religious socialization messages and current religious beliefs in emerging adulthood. Consensual qualitative methods revealed two broad domains and six themes. The first domain, “religious alignment,” included: (1) internalizing religion and (2) educating others on religious beliefs. The second domain, “religious departure,” included: (3) modifying religious expectations to fit developing beliefs, (4) employing religion as a pathway to self-acceptance, (5) picking and choosing battles within their religious community, and (6) choosing an alternate religious or faith system. Findings highlighted how the women started to take ownership of their religious experiences, as well as how they used religious practices, such as prayer, to cope with gendered racism. Authors discuss the implications of emerging adulthood on Black women’s religious identities.

Risks of religious socialization in a post-secular society

The article presents the search for effective steps to minimize interfaith tension. The authors reveal the essence of traditional introduction to religion in the modern information environment. Digital technologies, on the one hand, expand the horizons of the possible, but on the other hand, the personality breaks away from natural communication, and as a result, the internal system of spiritual landmarks is disturbed. And then the human sensible world easily switches to another type of communication due to his or her natural need for sympathy and care – to virtual communication. The current situation related to the digital technologies is exacerbated by the consequences of the cultural disruption of the past century and by the hyperactivity of aggressive liberal missionary work. Russian society is forced not only to take into account, but also to resist sectarian attacks on the images of national cultures. The system of values of Russian culture traditionally represents the space for the struggle between good and evil in the name of achieving the spiritual ideal. An elusive ideal in a transitive postsecular society poses significant risks of harmonization of cultural and religious traditions. That is why the main focus of the article is on the stabilization of social life through the development of the principles of the optimal model of religious socialization.

Somali mothers religious socialization and discussions around Islamophobia with their school age children

This small-scale study examines Somali-Canadian Muslim mothers’ religious socialization of, and discussions around Islamophobia with their school-age children. This qualitative research employs the use of semi-structured interviews with six Somali-Canadian Muslim mothers with school-age children between the ages of five to ten years. Guided by a constructivist paradigm and Critical Race Theory, three themes were identified: 1. Somali mothers use Islamic books, modeling behaviour and Islamic classes to formulate a religious identity; 2. Somali mothers suggested that age and gender are factors informing their discussions around Islamophobia and 3. Somali mothers framed curriculum on Islamophobia like curriculum on other minority groups (i.e. Jewish, LGBTQ, and Aboriginals, etc.). The mothers in this study suggested formulating a religious identity for their children to build a positive religious foundation to combat the negative perception of their religion in society. Somali-Canadian mothers stated, it is possible to represent Muslim identity and discuss Islamophobia in the classroom. Keywords: Somali mothers, religious socialization, Islamophobia, Critical race theory, anti-racism.

Somali mothers religious socialization and discussions around Islamophobia with their school age children

This small-scale study examines Somali-Canadian Muslim mothers’ religious socialization of, and discussions around Islamophobia with their school-age children. This qualitative research employs the use of semi-structured interviews with six Somali-Canadian Muslim mothers with school-age children between the ages of five to ten years. Guided by a constructivist paradigm and Critical Race Theory, three themes were identified: 1. Somali mothers use Islamic books, modeling behaviour and Islamic classes to formulate a religious identity; 2. Somali mothers suggested that age and gender are factors informing their discussions around Islamophobia and 3. Somali mothers framed curriculum on Islamophobia like curriculum on other minority groups (i.e. Jewish, LGBTQ, and Aboriginals, etc.). The mothers in this study suggested formulating a religious identity for their children to build a positive religious foundation to combat the negative perception of their religion in society. Somali-Canadian mothers stated, it is possible to represent Muslim identity and discuss Islamophobia in the classroom. Keywords: Somali mothers, religious socialization, Islamophobia, Critical race theory, anti-racism.

The Big Picture of American Religious Parenting

This chapter zooms out to explore findings from two other nationally representative surveys of American parents about their priorities for, expectations about, and practices to influence their children’s religious futures. The surveys analyzed are the Culture of American Families survey conducted in 2012 by the Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture at the University of Virginia; and the Faith and Family in America survey conducted in 2005 for Religion and Ethics Newsweekly by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Inc. Findings explore American parents’ beliefs about, values of, and strategies for the religious socialization of their children.

Why Are Parents the Crucial Players?

This chapter considers why parents are—and increasingly have become—the central players in their children’s religious socialization. It theorizes historical transformations of the American religious field and of family life that are crucial for understanding intergenerational religious transmission, particularly the centrality of parents talking to children about religion as a most powerful mechanism of socialization in religious faith and practice. It suggests that the “reflexive imperative” theorized by Anthony Giddens and Margaret Archer creates a culture that situates parents and talk with children at the center of religious transmission. It provides a big-picture interpretation of the transformation of American religion in recent decades as one from religion as communal solidarity project to personal identity accessory, which sheds light not only on the dynamics of religious socialization but also changes in the macro religious field.

Religious Heterogamy and the Intergenerational Transmission of Religion in China

Research has long established that parents who do not share the same religious tradition produce less religious children than parents who do. Therefore, religious heterogamy and its negative effects on religious socialization have been associated with the generational decline of religion in Western societies. How about China, where religion has been resurging in the last few decades? Existing studies suggest two opposing possibilities: the restrictive national context may diminish parental impact on religious socialization, or the family influence withstands contextual pressures. Using the 2007 Spiritual Life Survey of Chinese Residents and logistic regression models, we examine patterns of association between having one or two religious parents during childhood and current religious affiliation, beliefs, behavior, and salience of respondents in China. Analyses reveal that despite China’s atheist education system and strict religion policies, having at least one religiously affiliated parent is associated with increased religiosity compared to having two nonreligious parents. As the number of interreligious marriages rises in Chinese society, religious heterogamy contributes to the growth of religion among younger generations. Whereas religious heterogamy in the West has a secularizing effect on the next generation and contributes to religion’s decline, religious heterogamy in secular nations such as China has a religionizing effect and contributes to religion’s rise.