Surveying the Religious Landscape

Journalists, students and clergy will appreciate this handy book, which updates the Gallup Organization's published information on trends in American religion. The book is particularly valuable in that the organization has asked the same basic questions for nearly six decades, making it possible to track changes over time. Yet that plodding systematization is also the book's greatest flaw. It may simply be out of date, for example, to discern Americans' religiosity by asking if they have attended church or synagogue in the past week. Religion has seeped into a less tangible enigma called ""spirituality""--Americans who don't attend services may light Sabbath candles at home, read Tarot cards or ravage the personal growth section of their local Barnes & Noble. Spirituality is difficult to track, but Gallup may not be asking the correct kinds of questions to gauge this transformation. Also, the tripartite Catholic/Protestant/Jew division of many of the questions may need to be revised to reflect the increasing diversity of the American religious scene. Even so, this book does very well within its own parameters, revealing a fascinating pastiche of American beliefs and values. Gallup highlights ""the era of customization,"" in which Americans feel free to select beliefs and practices from a veritable smorgasbord of choices. He also notes a ""superficiality of faith"" in contemporary America. People may profess to be more religious--or rather, spiritual--than ever, but Gallup claims it rarely alters their behavior or ethics. (Oct.)