Goodbye Religion The Causes and Consequences of Secularization

"Sociologists Cragun and Smith examine the wave of secularization that has been rising across America since the 1970s ... Interviews with ex-believers are interwoven throughout, adding immediacy to the analysis and grounding salient points on changing perceptions of atheists." (Publishers Weekly) "Based on extensive new research and the culmination of decades of study, Goodbye Religion is a definitive statement from two of the leading figures in secular studies. An essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the transformation of religious landscapes, in the US and beyond." - Lois Lee, author of Recognizing the Non-religious: Reimagining the Secular "Cragun and Smith offer a rigorous and thoughtful account of why so many Americans have left their religious commitments behind. A must-read for any one who wants to understand thirty years of change in the American religious landscape, who the nonreligious are, the emergence of a modern, secular moral imaginary-- and what comes next." - Penny Edgell, author of Religion and Family in a Changing Society