From Quest for Truth to Being Oneself: Religious Change in Life Stories

By Inger Furseth

Book Overview

There is a growing interest in ordinary people's life stories. This book provides a detailed analysis of eight Norwegian women and men and their stories about their lives. It focuses on their construction of images of self, society, religion and morality. In spite of a majority Lutheran church, Norwegians are demonstrating new ways of accepting and celebrating religious variety. There is a strong emphasis on self in contemporary culture and an increasing tendency to shift from objective to subjective ordering of experiences. Whereas the older generation speaks about religious traditions as a duty and a quest for truth , the younger generation views religion to be something that corresponds to their true self . Gender also structures religion in contemporary Norway. Women are more religious than men, and women and men speak about religion in different ways. While women focus on religion as a source of meaning in their lives, men tend to describe religion as a moral factor. This book is based on a combination of survey data and life stories. It offers an analysis of the complexity of religion and culture, and the changing face of religion in contemporary Norway.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3631553412
• ISBN13: 9783631553411
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der W
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.3"