Religion and Social Change: The Influence of Religion on American Culture

Western society is becoming less religious, more secular, every day, as science answers some of the profound questions that inspired a belief in the supernatural. But society requires more than the laws of physics to hold it together, of course, and so far religion is the institution that has provided the most clear-cut moral guidelines, even for non-believers. Religion has also inspired many of our greatest artistic endeavors. But reliogion can also be used for crass commercial intersts or worse, to divide people and fuel violence.

Drawing parallels and contrasts between Catholicism, mainline Protestantism, and Judaism, Dr. Falk talks about history and philosophy, political campaigns, social movements, popular music, literature and life. He shows how religious traditions influence us and how they impact politics, social stratification and even the military.