Summary
Title: Religion in the Modern American West
Author: Ferenc Morton Szasz
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
ISBN: 0816522456
Pro:
• Glimpse of how religion in West differed from religion in North and South
• Many examples of how social environment influence religious beliefs
• Many examples of how religious beliefs shaped social environment
Con:
• Some sections deserved more attention/detail
Description:
• History of interaction between attitudes and religion in American West
• Explores unique religious views and new religious sects
• Discussion of social role played by churches in Western communities
Book Review
In fact, the role of religion has always been very large, but you wouldn't know that by reading most histories of the region. The influence of religion has been sorely neglected by most studies and research. Judging by most available material, one might conclude that the West has been largely secular, but a recent book by Ferenc Morton Szasz may begin to rectify that situation.
Szasz's book is concerned solely with the ways in which religion has developed in the West, especially in the ways in which it has differed from religious developments in the North and South. According to Szasz, although the region "participated in all national religious trends, westerners generally bent these trends along their own trajectories." This, then, provides a fascinating window not only on life in the American West, but also on important, national developments in American religion generally.
A recurring theme in Szasz's treatment is the social role played by churches. Even before the "Social Gospel" became a significant movement through the rest of the nation, churches in the West were regarded as a vital anchor for civilization and social development. During the early period of the West, there were virtually *no social institutions whatsoever, so the churches took on the role of building orphanages, hospitals and schools.
The churches worked to establish some semblance of social order and peace. They provided social outlets like dances, picnics and rummage sales where people could meet, socialize, and develop community bonds without as many fears for outlaws and shootings. It was the churches, then, which provided social stability before civil law was able to serve that function.
