WORSHIP AND THE DANGEROUS LIFE: A STUDY OF CHURCH ATTENDANCE AMONG SPORT PARACHUTISTS.
Abstract
The data for this study were drawn from 825 questionnaires returned by members of American sport parachuting clubs. Among Protestant parachutists, the emotionally volatile are more frequent church attenders than the relatively calm. Among Catholics the reverse is true; the calmer types go to church while the more volatile tend to stay away. Skydivers who avoid thinking about their fear of jumping are, especially among Protestants, more frequent church attenders than those skydivers who express their fear. Catholics who express the feeling of free fall in sensory and esthetic terms are more frequent church attenders than the Catholics who confront this experience in a simple, descriptive, matter-of-fact way. Protestants who grasp the free fall experience in a matter-of-fact way were more frequent worshippers in their churches than those Protestants for whom free fall is an esthetic or sensory experience. Protestants who felt that harm befalling a skydiver was due to fate--that is, predestined or determined, rather than a result of the jumper's irresponsible behavior, are more frequent church attenders. Catholics for whom skydiver injury is due to his own responsibility are more likely than fatalisti Catholics to be frequent attenders at Mass. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0630793
Entities
People
- Samuel Z. Klausner