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jkh107's review
4.0
Most people stick, more or less, with the religion (or lack thereof) they were raised in. But a small minority of people with very religious upbringing turn atheist, and a small minority of people with a non-religious background become devoutly religious. Altemeyer and Hunsberger studied Canadian university students (I think this point is important: most people studied were between 18-22 although there were some outliers) who went through these experiences in a lot of depth. What they found was interesting, but not necessarily a huge surprise--people tend to become non-religous/atheist for reasons of intellectual integrity (the same integrity a religious background most likely encourages them to pursue), while people tend to become passionate converts to religion because religion gives them a solution to their social/psychological problems and needs (for example, it comes with built-in moral standards, reassurance of existence after/beyond this life, a sense of meaning/purpose, and community/friends). I think it might have been more interesting if they'd also explored why people stay with their religions, or additionally studied people at midlife and beyond, but that was beyond the scope of what they were studying, alas.