Joel Thiessen – författare

Fewer Canadians identify with a religion, believe in a god, or attend weekly religious services than in past decades. What explains higher and lower levels of religiosity? Is secularization a myth or reality? What impact does religiosity or secularity have on a society’s social and civil fabric? In The Meaning of Sunday, Joel Thiessen addresses these questions by weaving together narratives from interviews with members of both religious and secular communities. Exploring the meanings and motivations behind people’s religious beliefs and behaviours, the book features discussions with three groups of people: those who attend religious services weekly, those who attend services mainly for religious holidays and rites of passage, and those who do not identify with any religious group and never attend religious services. Interview responses show that religiosity levels correlate to one’s personal experiences with the supernatural, religious organizations, and social ties with those who either encourage or discourage religious identification, belief, or practice. Concluding that the demand for religion is waning regardless of what religious groups include in their programs, Thiessen suggests that, apart from some initial social and civic concern, Canadian society may be just fine without it. Testing two dominant theories in the sociology of religion - secularization and rational choice theory - The Meaning of Sunday provides in-depth qualitative research on people''s "lived religion" and contributes to a major ongoing debate concerning the nature and importance of religion in contemporary society.

Fewer Canadians identify with a religion, believe in a god, or attend weekly religious services than in past decades. What explains higher and lower levels of religiosity? Is secularization a myth or reality? What impact does religiosity or secularity have on a society’s social and civil fabric? In The Meaning of Sunday, Joel Thiessen addresses these questions by weaving together narratives from interviews with members of both religious and secular communities. Exploring the meanings and motivations behind people’s religious beliefs and behaviours, the book features discussions with three groups of people: those who attend religious services weekly, those who attend services mainly for religious holidays and rites of passage, and those who do not identify with any religious group and never attend religious services. Interview responses show that religiosity levels correlate to one’s personal experiences with the supernatural, religious organizations, and social ties with those who either encourage or discourage religious identification, belief, or practice. Concluding that the demand for religion is waning regardless of what religious groups include in their programs, Thiessen suggests that, apart from some initial social and civic concern, Canadian society may be just fine without it. Testing two dominant theories in the sociology of religion - secularization and rational choice theory - The Meaning of Sunday provides in-depth qualitative research on people''s "lived religion" and contributes to a major ongoing debate concerning the nature and importance of religion in contemporary society.

The bottom line: Millennials are looking goodThere’s a lot of consternation about the Millennial generation — Canada’s youngest adults born since the mid-1980s and now reaching their thirties. But the speculation has not been accompanied by sound and comprehensive information — until now.Highly respected sociologist and veteran trend-tracker Reginald W. Bibby teams up with two Gen X colleagues, Joel Thiessen and Monetta Bailey, to provide an up-to-date reading on how Millennials see the world — their values, joys, and concerns; their views of family, sexuality, spirituality, and other Canadians; and their hopes and expectations as they look to the future.What’s more, the authors compare Millennials with Gen Xers, Boomers, and Pre-Boomers. Their conclusion? Canada’s much-criticized Millennials may well be a solid upgrade on previous generations — speaking well for the country’s future.

The bottom line: Millennials are looking goodThere s a lot of consternation about the Millennial generation Canada s youngest adults born since the mid-1980s and now reaching their thirties. But the speculation has not been accompanied by sound and comprehensive information until now.Highly respected sociologist and veteran trend-tracker Reginald W. Bibby teams up with two Gen X colleagues, Joel Thiessen and Monetta Bailey, to provide an up-to-date reading on how Millennials see the world their values, joys, and concerns; their views of family, sexuality, spirituality, and other Canadians; and their hopes and expectations as they look to the future.What s more, the authors compare Millennials with Gen Xers, Boomers, and Pre-Boomers. Their conclusion? Canada s much-criticized Millennials may well be a solid upgrade on previous generations speaking well for the country s future.

The bottom line: Millennials are looking goodThere s a lot of consternation about the Millennial generation Canada s youngest adults born since the mid-1980s and now reaching their thirties. But the speculation has not been accompanied by sound and comprehensive information until now.Highly respected sociologist and veteran trend-tracker Reginald W. Bibby teams up with two Gen X colleagues, Joel Thiessen and Monetta Bailey, to provide an up-to-date reading on how Millennials see the world their values, joys, and concerns; their views of family, sexuality, spirituality, and other Canadians; and their hopes and expectations as they look to the future.What s more, the authors compare Millennials with Gen Xers, Boomers, and Pre-Boomers. Their conclusion? Canada s much-criticized Millennials may well be a solid upgrade on previous generations speaking well for the country s future.

Compares secular attitudes characterizing "religious nones" in the United States and CanadaAlmost a quarter of American and Canadian adults are nonreligious, while teens and young adults are even less likely to identify religiously. None of the Above explores the growing phenomenon of "religious nones" in North America. Who are the religious nones? Why, and where, is this population growing? While there has been increased attention on secularism in both Europe and the United States, little work to date has focused on Canada. Joel Thiessen and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme turn to survey and interview data to explore how a nonreligious identity impacts a variety of aspects of daily life in the US and Canada in sometimes similar and sometimes different ways, offering insights to illuminate societal and political trends. With numbers of nonreligious people even higher in Canada than in the US, some believe that secular currents to the north foreshadow what will happen in the US. None of the Above asserts that a growing divide between religious and nonreligious populations could engender a greater distance in moral and political values and behaviors. At once provocative and insightful, this book tackles questions of coexistence, religious tolerance, and spirituality, as American and Canadian society accelerate toward a more secular future.

Compares secular attitudes characterizing "religious nones" in the United States and CanadaAlmost a quarter of American and Canadian adults are nonreligious, while teens and young adults are even less likely to identify religiously. None of the Above explores the growing phenomenon of "religious nones" in North America. Who are the religious nones? Why, and where, is this population growing? While there has been increased attention on secularism in both Europe and the United States, little work to date has focused on Canada. Joel Thiessen and Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme turn to survey and interview data to explore how a nonreligious identity impacts a variety of aspects of daily life in the US and Canada in sometimes similar and sometimes different ways, offering insights to illuminate societal and political trends. With numbers of nonreligious people even higher in Canada than in the US, some believe that secular currents to the north foreshadow what will happen in the US. None of the Above asserts that a growing divide between religious and nonreligious populations could engender a greater distance in moral and political values and behaviors. At once provocative and insightful, this book tackles questions of coexistence, religious tolerance, and spirituality, as American and Canadian society accelerate toward a more secular future.