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Research on parenting has explored a variety of religious factors affecting child-rearing outcomes but has devoted limited attention to supernatural evil. We extend this work by examining the relationship between parents’ belief in supernatural evil and their child-rearing outcomes. We propose that parents with greater belief in supernatural evil practice “supernatural risk management,” and they use parenting orientations more closely associated with obedience and control to counter the potential influence of supernatural antagonists. Using a national survey of Americans with a multi-item index of belief in supernatural evil, we estimate models predicting five parenting outcomes: corporal punishment, using time outs, praising a child instead of disciplining, closely monitoring children, and closely monitoring children’s entertainment intake. We find partial support for our hypothesis as belief in supernatural evil is positively associated with corporal punishment, while negatively associated with believing praise is more important than discipline, and closely monitoring one’s child.

Institutionally organized religious life in the United State is undergoing a dramatic transformation. While individual beliefs and practices remain relatively stable, institutional affiliation and participation has declined dramatically. In this article, we explore the religious “Dones”—those who have disaffiliated with their religious congregations but, unlike the Nones, continue to associate with a religious tradition. Drawing on a unique dataset of 100 in-depth interviews with self-identified Christians, we explain the “push” and “pull” factors that lead a person to intentionally leave their congregations. We find that a bureaucratic structure and a narrow focus on certain moral proscriptions can drive people away, while the prospect of forming more meaningful relationships and the opportunities to actively participate in social justice issues draw people out. From these factors, we show that an “iron cage of congregations” exists that is ill-suited to respond to a world where religious life is increasingly permeable as people enact their spirituality outside traditional religious organizations. We conclude by questioning whether the spiritual lives of the Dones are ultimately sustainable without institutional support.

Seminaries, as both educational and religious organizations, have the goal of training religious leaders. In this article, I analyze the factors associated with the breakdown of this process, i.e. when a seminarian does not want to be in a religious career. I offer four reasons for this breakdown: institutional type, financial strain, community acceptance, and gender. Drawing on recent survey data of 3015 American and Canadian seminarians graduating with the Master of Divinity degree from 136 seminaries from the Association of Theological Schools, I interpret results from multilevel logistic regressions testing five hypotheses. I find that Master of Divinity graduates who attend a university-affiliated seminary are less likely to want to be in a religious career, while those who feel more accepted within the seminary community are more likely. Educational debt has no effect. Most importantly, gender has profound effects on the choice to enter a religious career.

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