Christopher D. Bader (Author)
Christopher D. Bader is Professor of Sociology at Chapman
University and affiliated with the Institute for Religion,
Economics and Culture (IRES). He is Associate Director of the
Association of Religion Data Archives (www.theARDA.com) and
principal investigator on the Chapman University Survey of American
Fears, as well as coauthor of Paranormal America: Ghost Encounters,
UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other Curiosities in Religion and
Culture, second edition (also available from NYU Press).
Joseph O. Baker (Author)
Joseph O. Baker is Associate Professor in the Department of
Sociology and Anthropology at East Tennessee State University and a
senior research associate for the Association of Religion Data
Archives.
F. Carson Mencken (Author)
F. Carson Mencken is Professor and department chair of
Sociology at Baylor University.
"Within the academy, it will be of particular interest to scholars
focusing on the paranormal, esotericism, and the other blurred
boundaries between the religious and non-religious in Western
society."
*Reading Religion*
"Paranormal Americais an excellent text for parlaying this interest
into an exploration of the sociology of religion."
*Nova Religio*
"Paranormal America takes the reader on a thought-provoking journey
into the study of paranormal beliefs and experiences in the United
States. The authors do not take a position with regard to the
reality of the paranormal, but, as is appropriate for social
scientists, simply seek to describe the prevalence of paranormal
beliefs and the characteristics of the people who hold them. This
is done not only by summarizing the results of surveys, but also by
relating personal accounts and interactions. For example, in this
book we are introduced to psychics, UFO abductees, and a
self-proclaimed warlock. We go on a hunt for ghosts and a search
for Bigfoot, and we learn about the types of equipment that ghost
hunters and Bigfoot searchers use. Regardless of one’s personal
view with regard to the paranormal, it makes for interesting
reading, and the personal accounts serve to develop and put faces
on the survey data."
*Review of Religious Research*
"This is a fun read. Armed with a wealth of stories and a trove of
recent surveys, the authors introduce us to those who believe and
experience the paranormal. This is an engaging and eye-opening book
that offers an abundance of new insights, dispelling some popular
stereotypes and reaffirming others."
*Roger Finke,Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Religious
Studies, Pennsylvania State University*
"This is not merely a second edition of an already fine book, but a
landmark in the evolution of modern culture, documenting the
significant increase of public interest and richness of popular
culture about possibilities that exist just outside the boundaries
of science and religion. Nicely blending research data with
descriptions of first-hand experiences, it raises the possibility
that secularization is actually spiritual diversification, rather
than religious decline, and provides a rigorous but poetic basis
for many future scholarly studies and personal explorations."
*William Sims Bainbridge,author of eGods: Faith Versus Fantasy in
Computer Gaming and Across the Secular Abyss*
"It’s a rare delight when a book comes my way from a publisher that
is both engrossing and intellectually stimulating. Paranormal
America: Ghost Encounters, UFO Sightings, Bigfoot Hunts, and Other
Curiosities in Religion and Culture, is one that ably checks both
columns and will likely soon be nestled on my shelf next to Glen
Chilton’s The Attack of The Killer Rhododendrons and Gregory L.
Reece’s Weird Science and Bizarre Beliefs: Mysterious Creatures,
Lost Worlds and Amazing Inventions... I wholeheartedly recommend
this second edition as a strong entry point for anyone interested
in the paranormal, whether as a curiosity or academic pursuit."
*Journal of Religion and Culture*
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