Blog #5

In class last week we talked about Rational Choice Theory.  From the article I posted below the definition of Rational choice theory, "also known as choice theory or rational action theory, is a framework for understanding and often formally modeling social and economic behavior".  In class we received the worksheet that asked us to write down our personal views on religion and politics.  We used these two views to try and understand how Rational Choice Theory was used and worked.  We also discussed how it worked and even used some classmates views as examples.  We talked about what costs and benefits there are to the choices we make.  Rational Choice Theory when used in the correct views can be helpful.  This was shown when we talked about peoples answers in class.  Each person viewed the costs and benefits differently and I think it would be interesting to see everyone's papers that we wrote at the end of class to see this. 



Below I have posted a scholar article about Rational Choice Theory.  This is a good article to read if you want to get a more in depth understanding of what Rational Choice Theory is.  It also gives some good examples of what, and how Rational Choice Theory is used and in which ways it can be used and not used. 
http://www.ppsw.rug.nl/~lindenb/documents/articles/1992_lindenberg_method_of_decreasing_abstraction.pdf

Soc. 395 Blog #4 10/7/14

Religion has been around since the beginning of the earth.  There are hundreds of different religions in the world today.  Some were started at the beginning some started as time went on.  No matter when a religion was started, that religion is still important to its people.  These days more and more people are diverting from the old traditional religions and leading towards the term "nones".  This term describes a group of Americans that do not choose to be associated with any religion.  This term was brought to us by the Pew Research Group, who conducted research on religion and the present day religions.  The research presented by the Pew showed us that there is an increase in this group of people who don’t believe or associate with a religion.  From the background I grew up in this is very eye opening to me as religion was a large part of my life and I always thought it was to everyone.  Not until college did I see or learn of this other side or “nones” way of life.  To me this is very interesting learning the other side of the view on religion.  The younger and younger these the generations get the less afficalated people are. 

Below I posted a link to a web page describing and talking about the Pew research.  There is a lot of interesting data presented here in the article.  There are a few graphs and tables that show the numbers of people who affiliate with a religion and those that don't.  The data really shows you the drastic change that is occurring in the US as of right now.  This article presents the data very well and is very helpful in understanding what is going on in the US regarding religion in this present day and age. 

http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nones-on-the-rise/

Blog #3 9/30

One of the things we talked about in class this week was religious identity.  Religious identity can be described as the way or choice they became religious, and who they are religiously.  When looking at ones religious identity you also have to look how that person may have encountered that identity.  That person might have two different options of how they received their identity.  One option is the option of choice.  This option is where the person has chosen a religion and has made their identity around this by their own choice.  The other option is that, their religious identity was influence or inherited.  An example of this would be a person born to parents who have a certain religious identity, which means that person will also have the same religious identity.  A persons religious identity can be seen through the things they do and how they live their life.  This is basically the idea of religious identity I received from class and the chapter. 




Religious identity is a topic that is under a lot of discussion these days.  As the new generation is growing up and going off on their own, starting family's they start to grow away from the identities they had as a child growing up living in their parents households.  Also as two people with diffenent religious identity come together and get married there are two different religious identities that have to be compromise to become one.  The article I provide below looks in to the topic of religious identity and parenting.  It looks at which parents religious identity is more superiour and relates it back to parenting.  It looks at the aspect of parents having certain religous identities and how it affects the children.  I found this article to be quite interesting hope you will have time to read it also.  

http://notenoughgood.com/2012/12/religious-identity/