Profiles of the Disaffiliated: Four Case Studies
| 1. | Carol, a 53-year-old retail salesperson who was brought up in an Orthodox Jewish household |
| 2. | Bill, a 42-year-old management consultant who was raised Presbyterian |
| 3. | Steve, a 25-year-old director of a community service organization who was raised Catholic |
| 4. | Paula, a 25-year-old secretary who was baptized Methodist |
Although distinct in many ways, the profiles portray a common experience. All four individuals were raised in a mainstream religion. In all cases, both parents were members of the same faith tradition and were thus able to offer their children a single, unambiguous religious affiliation and identity. (In Paula's case, this unity was obtained through the conversion of one parent.) They all reached a point in adulthood when the church or synagogue no longer served their needs, ceased to be "worth" it, or became anathema to deeply felt values. Although that point occurred for each at a different stage in life, all four have dropped out, suspending their affiliation with a congregation and filling their lives with alternative sources of
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Publication information:
Book title: Church and Synagogue Affiliation:Theory, Research, and Practice.
Contributors: Amy L. Sales - Editor, Gary A. Tobin - Editor.
Publisher: Greenwood Press.
Place of publication: Westport, CT.
Publication year: 1995.
Page number: 95.
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