This week in class we have discussed the definition of religion and the sociology of it. While peeling back the layers on the sociology of religion we have turned to texts to hear from the experts on the topic. As I delved into the readings many facts making up the religion and the sociology surrounding it have stuck out. According to Meredith B. McGuire in, Religion: The Social Context, “… sociologists have observed that upper-class persons are likely to belong to different Christian denominations than lower-class persons. In 1990, the median reported household income for Baptists and for Nazarenes was less than two-thirds that of Episcopalians and Unitarians” (7).

This is a factor of religion that I had never considered. This development creates curiosity as to why it is so.  It can foreseeably be debated that this is due to the types of churches in each community. One place of worship being easily available by those in the community who share commonalities in socioeconomic status, creating these divides in the statistics. Though this can be argued, from my personal experience, working-class families often live a street away from upper-class families. This being said, it would debunk the notion that the religions are easily accessed by those of a similar socioeconomic status. I am curious that this is due to the comfortability of being surrounded by people similar to you or if this is due to being raised in the religion and economic status and continuing the pattern. Hopefully, during the semester these shocking facts will be addressed and attempted to be explained.