Teemu Taira

Against the Wind — American Religion McCutcheon on Manufacturing Religion (2003)

"I do indeed think that the old work remains relevant today but, sadly so, since it signals that not much has changed in all of these years." – Russell T. McCutcheon reflects working on Manufacturing Religion (1997), second edition coming out soon. www.american-religion.org/back-pages/a...

A selection of Bloomsbury honorarium books. Finally here.

Proofing. This should be out later this year or early next year. See: www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...

UC Berkeley shares 160 names with Trump administration in ‘McCarthy era’ move Prominent professor Judith Butler among students and faculty investigated for ‘alleged antisemitic incidents’

The witch-hunt continues www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Now reading this. Traditionalism is "not a mass ideology", but if you look at the world today, many ideas that comprise so-called traditionalism definitely are quite common (more and less harmful forms).

Is this the only monograph on religion and prog rock?

The authors write that religion generally declines between generations in three steps: People participate in worship services less often. The importance of religion declines in their personal lives. Belonging to religion becomes less common. They call this the Participation-Importance-Belonging (P-I-B) sequence. In this sequence, generations first shed aspects of religion that require more time and resources. People are slower to shed religious identity, which is not necessarily as burdensome. In the early stage of secular transition, generations differ primarily in their religious participation. In some countries that remain highly religious today, recent surveys show that each country’s share of adults under age 40 who frequently attend religious services has dropped below the share of older adults who do so. Many African countries are currently in this early stage. For example, in Senegal, 78% of older adults attend worship services weekly, but younger adults are 14 percentage points less likely to do so. Yet almost all adults in Senegal – both young and old – still identify as Muslims and consider religion very important in their lives.

In the medium stage of secular transition, generations differ in their religious participation, importance and belonging. In countries that are moderately religious, all three steps in the P-I-B sequence are visible in recent surveys. Adults under 40 attend services less frequently than their elders, are less likely to say religion is important in their lives and are less likely to identify with any religion. This is the case currently in the U.S., along with many other countries in the Americas and Asia.

In the late stage of secular transition, generations differ primarily in religious belonging. The authors contend that this is because the first two steps have been completed. The shares of older adults who attend services and who consider religion important in their lives have already dropped to low levels, similar to those of younger adults. In the least religious countries today, the main difference between age groups is that younger adults are less likely to identify with any religion. Many countries in Europe have reached this stage. For example, in Denmark, 79% of older adults remain religiously affiliated, but adults under 40 are 26 points less likely to say they belong to any religion. Attendance at religious services and self-assessments of the importance of religion are low among people of all ages.

A secular transition is happening in countries around the world. Detailed explanation🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Many Muslim-majority countries, Hindu-majority India in early stage. Countries with large Buddhist & Christian populations in later stages.
Blog: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Many Religious ‘Nones’ Around the World Hold Spiritual Beliefs Many religious “nones,” which include atheists and agnostics, in 22 countries hold religious or spiritual beliefs, such as in an afterlife or something beyond the natural world.

Many religious “nones,” which include atheists and agnostics, in 22 countries hold religious or spiritual beliefs, such as in an afterlife or something beyond the natural world. pewrsr.ch/3UNSxGf

YouTube video by Inekas | انعکاس Russell T. McCutcheon | Rethinking the Study of Religion: Objectivity, Method, and Theory

Excellent interview by Russell T. McCutcheon on the academic study of religion. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibL...

2025 Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network Conference Nonreligion and Secularity at Cultural Crossroads 8-10 September 2025 Venue: Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ilkovicova 6, Bratislava, Conference Book of Abstracts c…

The 2025 Nonreligion and Secularity Research Network Conference in Bratislava takes place 8-10 September. All panels will be available to listen to virtually through Teams. See the link for more info. thensrn.org/2025-nonreli...

A stack of books I bought from the IAHR 2025 conference. There are still three days to go, but, regarding shopping, my luggage is showing its limitations.

Done with both rather experimental panels in IAHR 2025. In the first we watched a short film and then discussed. In the second we talked how and in what contexts our approach is seen as an irritant.

Things to do in conferences part 2: buy display copies. I bought five already. Here's my edited volume available too at a reduced price (Atheism in Five Minutes).

Oltre le religioni mondiali | Cotter Robertson | Morcelliana Il volume fornisce elementi per ripensare il modo di concepire e insegnare le religioni non più come fenomeni distinti, andando oltre i Religious Studies

Things to do in conferences: meet the person who has translated your article (in Italian) (without you knowing that the piece is available in Italian). I'm talking about "After World Religions" (2016) that contains my contribution. www.morcelliana.net/collane-morc...

IAHR 2025 in Krakow ready to begin

In secularizing countries:
1. Younger adults are less religious than older adults.
2. The religiosity gap between young men and women may be shrinking.

However, I recommend skepticism regarding claims of broad religious revival among young men.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I guess that it is ok to show the cover suggestion for the forthcoming volume I edited

Oh good. We've reached the "I don't have to be faster than the bear, I only have to be less woke than you" stage of faculty solidarity. archive.is/wGNDr

You can always drop a line to the editors in advance, although that is not a requirement.

YouTube video by Religiolog 100 Years of Secular Studies: What Science Says About the Nonreligious

This is a great resource for people interested in atheism/nonreligion. There are also some nice words about my edited volume "Atheism in Five Minutes" (from 23 min onwards). www.youtube.com/watch?v=peTq...

Sure. It is in the Bible as well. And because the phrase has been used extensively in popular culture, it prompts different associations. As one of the contributors of the volume, I can say that I didn't give the volume title any thought in my article (and I wasn't asked to).

Secularisation scholars pay attention to three levels, roughly: societal, organisational and individual. Your example touches on societal and organisational levels, Bullivant's writing and the discourse on British revival is primarily on individual level (attendance, beliefs and practices).

Just How Big Is Britain’s Religious Revival? - First Things A few months ago, the Bible Society released a new report on Christianity in England and Wales. Titled The Quiet Revival, its reception has been anything but, and for...

The discussion on British religious revival continues. This by Stephen Bullivant. firstthings.com/just-how-big...

Not sure, but I assume that the editors were thinking more of this (thought the intention is not everything that matters) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sign_of...

God and Technology Cambridge Core - Philosophy of Religion - God and Technology

"God and Technology" (2025) by Heidi Campbell is available for free online until 20th August. www.cambridge.org/core/element...

Still always excited about the arrival of contributor copy.

CFP special issue on "Atheism and Nonreligion in Media and Popular Culture" (I'm one of the editors, please consider submitting) jrfm.eu/index.php/oj...

Eight Books That Explain the University Crisis Now is the perfect time to look with clear eyes at the goals, accomplishments, and failures of higher education.

Eight books that explain the university crisis, primarily in the United States. www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...

Nordicom Review Volume 46 (2025): Issue s1 (May 2025)

New issue of Nordicom Review focuses on media and democracy. There's one article on religion, media and democracy and several useful scoping reviews. Open access. sciendo.com/issue/NOR/46...

Redefining Spiritual Spaces in the Age of Technology This open access book explores the intersection of spirituality and technology and its applications to management, strategy, and leadership

This new open access volume might be relevant for scholars of religion and media technologies. link.springer.com/book/10.1007...