Keywords
Religion, Family, Society, Secularism, Parenting
Abstract
In pluralistic society, religious families may struggle with adapting to non-religious culture. This can be concerning for religious parents who attempt to raise their children to be religious in a non-religious environment. This study draws upon qualitative interviews with 130 highly religious individuals in Ireland and the UK to analyze what perceived challenges religious families experience in secular society and what coping mechanisms they employ to counteract secular influences. Researchers identified three common challenges: outside pressure to conform, media misrepresentation, and immoral messages in media. They identified three potential coping mechanisms: controlling access to media, building religious community, and teaching critical thinking. An analysis of these findings provides an insider perspective to the issues of religious families and has implications for how religious families might live in secular society while still maintaining the key tenets of their religious culture.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Galbraith, Quinn; Riley, Christina; Carlisle, Alexandra; and Kelley, Heather, "Surviving Secular Society: How Religious Families Maintain Faith through Community and Parenting Practices" (2020). Faculty Publications. 5927.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/5927
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2020
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/8656
Publisher
Common Ground Research Networks
Language
English
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
Sociology