An Expansion of the Rational Choice Approach

Social Control in the Children of God during the 1970s and 1980s

Authors

  • Jonathan S Simmons University of Alberta
  • Stephen A Kent University of Alberta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v6i1.20430

Keywords:

Rational choice, religion, religious punishments, The Family, Children of God, new religious movements

Abstract

Using primary documents from the Children of God and interviews with current and former members, we argue that commitment to this deviant Christian group during the 1970s must be understood as a complex system of immediate an compensatory rewards and punishments. By arguing in this manner, we critically expand upon the Stark/Bainbridge theory of religion, which underemphasizes or ignores the crucial control functions played by punishment systems. Children of God’s punishment system involved purposive, affective, material, and sensual or bodily restraints, which operated both on immediate and postponed (i.e., otherworldly) levels.

Author Biography

  • Stephen A Kent, University of Alberta

    Professor Stephen A. Kent researches new and alternative religions, combining perspectives from sociology with religious studies. He has published research on Scientology, the Children of God/The Family, fundamentalist Mormon polygamy, and other new and alternative religions operating in Canada, the United States, and around the world. Professor Kent teaches undergraduate and graduate courses that explore religion and deviance. He also conducts numerous reading courses with both undergraduates and graduate students, including students from other disciplines.

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Published

2015-07-30

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Simmons, J. S., & Kent, S. A. (2015). An Expansion of the Rational Choice Approach: Social Control in the Children of God during the 1970s and 1980s. International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 6(1), 27-49. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.v6i1.20430